What exactly is meditation? It seems that so many people nowadays are hooked up with this form of activity. By definition, meditation is often used to describe the individual’s state of intense attention on an object of awareness or thought. The individual tries to turn his or her attention inward. Meditation is said to be of Vedic Hinduism origin. This is usually practiced in the eastern religions but now even the western culture is already involved in such activity.
People want to practice meditation so that they can focus their mind to God for their personal development, to attain peace of mind, and to be healthier.
Many Americans are now involved in some form of meditation. According to Time Magazine there is one meditation practice that can be used by almost anyone. This can be considered as the basic primer of Americans wanting to begin meditation but have no idea where to start.
There was a book published last November 2005 authored by Victor Davich that is all about the 8 minute meditation. If you purchase the book and study it carefully, you will learn a lot of things about meditation, and you can do it in just 8 minutes.
Almost every individual who starts with anything new to him or her will often have lingering questions, hopes, and doubts about it. There are even people who hopes that when they begin to meditate, they will be enlightened. Or perhaps you’re one of those individuals who think that meditation is just like an exercise or diet that you’ve been trying to do for the past few months. But these things are normal; so don’t be surprised if you’re also like that.
The best thing to do is to face all the positive and/or negative expectations, and after doing so, forget about them and start with a clean slate. If you want to try the 8-minute program of meditation, you should learn how to approach it one minute at a time.
While many people think that meditation is a simple practice, then you’d better think twice. You might not notice it, but your mind is always racing from here to there. You can’t concentrate. According to the book’s author, you must watch your breath. This is the very first step to meditation. Do your inhalation and exhalation by breathing deeply. If you always do this and just keep on practicing, you can become good in meditation.
As a word of reminder, if you catch yourself thinking about other things, or in other words your mind strays off, focus again on your breathing. After all, meditation is all about concentrating and if you realize that you’re not on the right track, you can always return to that state of mind gently. Don’t get discouraged easily and just keep on practicing. There is a popular saying that says practice makes perfect; so always keep that in mind. If you quit easily, then you will remain a quitter.
Meditation can help you in achieving peace of mind. With all your problems at work, in your family, and the entire world, you should at least experience a few minutes of peace. Don’t miss this chance to attain personal development at no cost at all.
mystically yours,
Michael Holt, Ph.D.
Magi Institute of Natural Medicine
Rene Descartes is the author of the book “Meditations on First Philosophy: In Which the Existence of God and The Real Distinction of Mind and Body are Demonstrated.”
There are six meditations which were discussed in the book.
First Meditation
“Your senses can deceive you.” This is the main point in the first meditation wherein it figures out how information with the use of senses can sometimes mislead you to achieving facts.
During this stage of meditation, the author taught to himself that he is irate, dreaming, or even tricked by a demon. Hence, he contemplated in order to fight such way of thinking.
Second Meditation
The focus of the second meditation is representation. Theoretically, it is termed as “representationalism.” There were five steps incorporated in the said theory wherein it conveys detachment of the world from one’s mind.
The said theory led to the idea that the awareness of a human being to his environment implies his own existence.
Third Meditation
On the third meditation, the author’s focal point involves the three basic types of ideas (1) Volition or Desire; (2) Feelings or Affections; and (3) Judgment.
Volition is defined as the ability for you to choose and decide mindfully. On the other hand, feeling is described as occurrence of sentimental and emotional state. Alternatively, judgment is a condition where an individual forms an opinion after contemplation.
Fourth Meditation
Knowing the truth and fallacy is the quest which the author undertook on the fourth meditation. He also cited that the common sources of fault are will and understanding.
Understanding takes the definition of a state wherein an individual comprehends thoughts and actions around him. Descartes in his book explained that such attribute is sometimes presented by God in partial.
Will, on the other hand, is a mental gift wherein an individual choose or decide towards an action or event. If understanding sometimes come partially as stated by the author, will can be presented wholly or none at all by the Supreme Being.
Fifth Meditation
The notion of material objects concerns the author on the fifth meditation. He also stated three arguments under this category such as:
1. God is the definition of a great perfect human being.
2. Faultlessness is an essential part of subsistence.
3. God exists.
Sixth Meditation
In the external environment of one’s self and God, there is a possibility that materials exists. It is like saying that such elements are present and real for the reason that God is capable of creating them.
During the last meditation, the author arrives at three realities. First, there is a God who is infinite. Secondly, there is a soul. Thirdly, there are material elements or things. The second and the third are obtainable, however with limits or restrictions.
The author also identifies some irregularities in his meditation. He is still perplexed with why there is a sense in limbs which are surgically removed, or why there are senses in dreams and dropsy.
To fully understand the writings of Descartes on the said book, it is recommended that you completely read Meditations on First Philosophy.
mystically yours,
Michael Holt, Ph.D.
Magi Institute of Natural Medicine
Meditation Music: What Kind of Music You Should Play When Meditating
One of the deadliest diseases and considered to be the number killer disease in the United States is heart disease. In fact, recent survey has found that heart diseases kills more people than car accidents in the United States alone. As you can see, you have every right to be concerned about your health in order for you to live a happier and healthier life.
Heart diseases are mainly caused by eating fatty foods and lack of exercise. However, you also have to consider the fact that stress is also one of the main contributors to high blood pressure as well as heart diseases. This is why working all the time without adequate rest is not recommended. It is important for the body to rest in order for it to function properly and remain healthy. However, some people disregard rest because they have to work in order to meet their daily needs.
This kind of pressure is too much for the heart and body. It is also too much for the mind where it cannot function well enough that it impairs your way of thinking. Without adequate rest, you will tend to get moody all the time and lose your efficiency at work.
One of the best ways to relax your mind and body is through sleeping. However, you have to consider that you only sleep once a day and sometimes, you lack sleep because of work. So, the next best thing to sleep is by meditating. Meditation has been around for thousands of years. However, recent studies have found that meditation is beneficial to the mind and body. In fact, research was made on sleeping and meditation. The scanners have found that the brain is more relaxed in meditation than in sleeping. There is less activity in the brain when you meditate. This means that you will be able to fully relax your mind and also your body and keep it fresh all day long.
Usually, meditation requires a quiet room to practice meditation on. However, studies have found that soft meditation music can also help in meditating. People who don’t normally achieve full meditation in a quiet room were introduced to soft and calm music. The research was a success. It states that music can indeed help in meditation and it is now being introduced in meditation classes all over the United States as a helpful tool in meditation.
Ambient meditation music can be downloaded for free over the internet. You will hear soft and relaxing music that will enable you to meditate properly. Meditation music can also help you to go to sleep as well. Other use for meditation music is for sex. It has been found that certain meditation music enhances the sexual atmosphere and gets both partners in the mood for sex.
As you can see, meditation can be used for different purposes. If you want to relax and meditate, choose a relaxing, quiet environment, play your music and start meditating. You will see that it will increase your chances of relaxing through meditation.
mystically yours,
Michael Holt, Ph.D.
Magi Institute of Natural Medicine
No person would want to be called a dummy. But if you think that meditation is just a religious thing that only religious people practice, then you might be a dummy after all.
Beginners can actually be called dummies because they have no idea what they’re getting into. But if you only seek the help of knowledgeable people, or purchase helpful books about meditation, than you can go your way easily and with very little problems.
Newbies in meditation can avoid embarrassing situations if they only try to do their homework. Before plunging into a new activity like meditation, one must know something about that activity so that he can go on smoothly and with very little trouble.
Every individual’s inner emotions and thoughts are important. It can be quite upsetting to have such thoughts torment you and take control of your life. People experience an emotional disturbance at some point in their lives, and it can be very bothersome. You will often have feelings of confusion, guilt, shame, worry, and anger. One thing that can help you regain your control over your mind and emotions is through meditation.
Sometimes, it can be very discouraging to find meditation courses that are very religious-related. Now, there are other alternatives for people (and dummies) who want to do meditation with no religions involved.
Meditation is misrepresented and sorely abused in many cultures. Some say that only weirdos gets involved in meditation. Different people have different perceptions of what meditation is all about. For a majority of people, meditation has nothing to do with spiritual rituals and religious beliefs. They do believe that meditation is all in the mind. Scientifically speaking, meditation is a very effective tool in terms of psychological foundation.
Dummies often think that meditation gurus are all bearded men that live in caves or in the wilderness. Well, that is really funny but you can’t find a meditation guru that fits that description nowadays. In fact, many of them are professional individuals who just want to help other people in need. They themselves have problems that only meditation has been able to answer, and now, they are sharing their experience and teaching other people how to do meditation. Though it may come in many forms, techniques, and types, it is still the same. This is true no matter what language is being spoken.
Traditional meditation books can be very long and not very interesting. If you want a more lively discussion, you can try the latest meditation techniques that were developed just recently. All it takes is to surf on the internet and find informative sites that feature meditation techniques. If you’re quite lucky, you can actually find a free meditation guide on the net.
You can also explore books and articles that focus more on life’s real drama so that you can easily relate to it. It’s fun when you’re learning and reading a real life situation. Oftentimes, you can picture yourself in it.
So if you’re a dummy or just a typical person who wants to learn how to meditate, do some research and you can instantly see the results. By finding a good meditation source, you can start learning about the basics.
mystically yours,
Michael Holt, Ph.D.
Magi Institute of Natural Medicine
People who you would never suspect in a million years! In fact, Anxiety is such a widespread disorder that virtually ANYONE can suffer from it. Your uncle Buddy, your Grandma Jean, your sister Annie, your neighbor Joe, your best friend Patti, or your brother George.
But, because Anxiety is one of those ’sweep it under the carpet’, “embarrassment-type-I-think-I-might-be-going-crazy” disorders, people don’t like to talk about it. Or admit they are long time sufferers.
Especially if you are someone always in the public eye, such as Kim Basinger. Kim had a long, difficult struggle with Anxiety disorder, and kept it a secret for quite a good portion of her life. You would never guess it to see her up on the ’silver screen’ though would you? But she in fact has spoken out publicly about her battle with Anxiety in the hopes that this may raise awareness of this dreaded disorder. And it has. She is one brave soul to expose a huge portion of her private life like this. Kudos to you Kim!
Let us not forget also that Anxiety is believed to be an inherited disorder, although your mom or pop may not show the outward symptoms of it. Remember, this is an embarrassment disorder, or one that makes the sufferer believe they are, or are going, crazy. However, not every person who has experienced an Anxiety attack will develop a full blown disorder, but don’t discount the fact that potentially they COULD. (In my opinion Anxiety is more of a learned disorder than inherited. Read the Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton to discover more reasons why I believe this.)
Here’s an interesting statistical fact for you. According to NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) approximately 2.4 MILLION adult Americans suffer from some form of Anxiety or Panic Disorder. That’s about 40 Million! And, it is twice as common in women as it is in men. Hmmm. . .Maybe this could be a contributing factor in why women worry so much about things? 
Coincidentally, the major reason for people not knowing what is happening to them, or that they are suffering from Anxiety or Panic Disorder COULD be attributed to the fact that many cases reported began in adolescence. Therefore, a child may not be as affluent in describing what they are experiencing compared to the ability of that of an adult.
The key here is to LISTEN TO YOUR CHILDREN!! You would NOT want them to endure a childhood full of suffering and not even know the reason for it.
Another interesting fact to be aware of is that Anxiety attacks don’t only happen when a person is awake! They can, and often do, happen while sleeping. How scary do you think that may be to wake up to? Indescribable would be putting it MILDLY.
mystically yours,
Michael Holt, Ph.D.
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