Stress, Pain Relief with Meditation-3 Keys That Get Results

Is stress killing you? Trying a weight loss program and can't stick with it? Maybe you're trying to cope with chronic pain? Headaches, back pain that kind of thing?

I bet someone in your life has already suggested meditation. So, you're sitting there all by yourself. Wondering what's supposed to be happening?

3 Keys to Effective Meditation:

• Stillness
• Silence
• The Buzz

Stillness

Stillness is all about relaxing your body. There are a bunch of methods out there for getting relaxed. Find one that you like and work with it.

Most techniques for relaxation will include helping you become more aware of your state of physical tension. Once you are aware of where you are physically tense, you'll find it much easier to let go of the tension.

Relaxing music and breathing exercises are typical, too. They help with physical relaxation and silencing your mind.

Silence

Silence. A mind with nothing in it? A blank slate?

Actually, a silent mind isn't a blank slate at all. It's really more of a state of observation.

Being silent means you watch your thoughts as they pass through your awareness. No judgments or reactions. Just detached observations of inner-self.

Sit in that state of Stillness and Silence. Watch what thoughts pop up. Pay attention to them.

They may be trying to tell you something.

The Buzz

Finally, with a little practice, you start to feel something. It is a physical sensation. Maybe a warm feeling. A slight shiver up your spine. Some tingling.

Once you've tapped into this sensation you've opened the door to a whole new world. It's time to start watching for little changes in your life.

Maybe you start noticing a sense of calm in your life, instead of chaos. Muscles may start relaxing. Headaches may not bother you as much. You aren't sick as often as you used to be. Maybe you find yourself experiencing more good luck.

The buzz is the state energy healers are in when they do their work. Don't worry, you don't have to do anything. Just know that your meditation practice is coming along great!

(C)2006 William Cole, Permission is granted to use this article, as long as it remains unchanged, including the resource box and links.

Related Links:

What is meditation?

Meditation usually refers to a state in which the body is consciously relaxed and the mind is allowed to become calm and focused. Several major religions include ritual meditation; however, meditation itself need not be a religious or spiritual activity. Most of the more popular systems of meditation are of Eastern origin, though there exists also various forms of Christian, Jewish and Muslim meditation.
Meditation as a form of alternative medicine brings about mental calmness and physical relaxation by suspending the stream of thoughts that normally occupy the mind. Generally performed once or twice a day for approximately 20 minutes at a time, meditation is used to reduce stress, alter hormone levels, and elevate one's mood.
A discipline in which the mind is focused on a single point of reference. Employed since ancient times in various forms by all religions, the practice gained greater notice in the post war US as interest in Zen Buddhism rose. Meditation is now used by many nonreligious adherents as a method of stress reduction; known to lower levels of cortisol, a hormone released in response to stress. Enhances recuperation and improves the body’s resistance to disease.
Meditation is an easy and simple way to balance a person's physical, emotional, and mental states. It is easily learned and has been used as an aid in treating stress, anxiety, pain management, and as part of an overall treatment for other conditions including hypertension and heart disease. Research shows that meditation decreases the heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen consumption, and even decreases blood pressure.