Friday, February 17, 2012

Try again



Sit comfortably, either in a semi lotus or on a firm chair with legs uncrossed, hands in lap, left hand in right hand for males and the opposite for females.
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Your back straight, pushed away from the chair back.
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Shut off phones and other distractions.
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Face the East, where the sunrise comes from.
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Allow yourself to become aware of your environment as you gently and slowly close your eyes.
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Become aware of your body.
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Feel yourself sitting.
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Feel the contact your body makes with each surface, material.
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Feel your body resting comfortably and safely.
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Draw your awareness inward as you feel your body relaxing.
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Calmly be aware of your breathing.
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Without altering your breathing that is, just breath naturally.
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Let your attention rest on whatever comes into your consciousness.
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Let thoughts come in and out, do not pursue them let them go, just observe them.
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Calmly feel and be aware of the rhythm of your breathing.
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When more thoughts come into your mind, don't try to stop or avoid them.
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Just be aware of them and let them drift away.
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For some time to come thoughts will keep coming.
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Thinking all the time about this or that is hard wired into modern man.
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Changing this or stopping this takes time and patience. 
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Not to mention perseverance.
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Meditation requires daily practice.
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Why?
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Because your mind will not believe that you are serious until it experiences you meditating every day.
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Day in day out, week in week out, month in month out, year in year out.
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Yes it is hard work to start with.
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Do not believe anyone who tells you otherwise.
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If you do not practice daily then your mind assumes that this is just another of your hobbies
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Your mind then feels free to interrupt you whenever it wants with ever more thoughts.
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So regular daily practice is the way.
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And yes you can find five or ten minutes every day for something that will change your life in a positive manner.
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Always, as your mind wanders, bring it back to your breathing.
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Notice how you want to fidget.
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How you find lots of reasons for not doing it today.
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We are all past masters at avoiding things that require regular effort.
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No matter this time stick with it.
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Just sit and listen to your breath
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Stay aware.
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Do this for five to ten minutes a day to begin with.
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If you find yourself doing this for longer then great if not no worries.
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It takes practice.
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Meditation is a cultivated process. 
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Be patient and kind yet firm with yourself.
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Learn to enjoy each moment.
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Learn to relax.
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Do not "try hard" this does not help, on the contrary it makes things more difficult..
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Some of the biggest blocks to meditation are impatience and expectation. 
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Meditation is 
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Allowing yourself to be alert and attentive.
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Letting your mind be calm, telling it to shut up, to leave you alone.
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Being concentrated without strain, yet focused.
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Turning your attention inward.
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Being in this moment now. 
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Accepting that this is a process rather than a goal.
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Benefits of meditation are:
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Decreased stress and tension. 
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More balanced emotions.
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Strengthened immune system.
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Sense of being calmer.
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Over time a greater feeling of optimism and self-worth.
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Meditation is not.
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Falling asleep.
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Going into a trance.
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Shutting yourself off from reality.
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Meditation becomes part of your life once you reach the point where you realise that your life feels better for it.
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At this point you miss it if you do not practice for any reason.
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Meditation if done in the morning seems to set the day up in a more pleasing way.
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Further down the road meditation is something you find yourself doing whenever you have odd moments to yourself
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In buses, trains, planes wherever whenever.
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Meditation is the only known way to impose control on your mind.
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To become the master of your mind.
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And it is of course your mind that causes you so much wear and tear.
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That is why we keep on banging on about it because it is your gate way to reduced stress and fear.