I have written a number of articles on the different chakras explaining how they work and how to keep them in balance.

What is Chakra Balancing Meditations?

Chakra balancing meditation is a healing approach that is carried out to align the seven major Chakras in the body. You cannot carry out a successful chakra meditation if you don’t understand where they are located and their various functions. A typical Chakras meditation starts at the root and gradually moves up to the crown at the top of the head.  This is considered a very powerful way of achieving self healing and balancing.

The meditation that follows is a method to use to tone and balance all of your chakras.

As we are in the middle of the holiday season I know that it is important to reflect on the true meaning of the times rather then on the stress of shopping.

As we learn to expand our heart chakra we are able to release the feelings of love and gratitude that we all have within.

And what better present can we give to ourselves and to others then to be grateful for all that we have and to show our love to family and friends.

The following meditation can be done all year long but seems most appropriate for this season of giving.

Creative visualization has the power to change you life!

Now I know that is a bold statement to make. But nevertheless, it is very true.

I have written a number of articles on the law of attraction. I have added meditations to help facilitate manifesting through the law of attraction.

I have written articles about the power of positive thought and the power of negative thoughts.

And I have even written an article about the sheer number of thoughts that careen through our minds on a daily basis.

But what I have not written about is the day to day practicality of visualization and the law of attraction.

So that is what I will be doing in this article.

But instead of using the usual “new agey” examples of gaining abundance or health or the love of your life I will use very concrete and measurable examples.

And where will I get these examples from, you might ask.

Well from the world of sports.

In high level sports competition everything is measured down to the last millisecond.

And the difference between winning and appearing on a box of Wheaties and going home in 10th place may be less then a second.

Imagine training for the Olympics for 4 years and not even coming close to getting a medal because your time was off by a second.

That is tough. Possibly even crushing.

So how do athletes prepare to compete at these high levels. Where every tenth of a second counts.

Well, they use the power of creative visualization. They rehearse their event over and over in their head until they have it down cold.

One sports psychologist said that mental preparation is 60% of the event.

Here are What Some Sports Blogs are Saying about Visualization

After focus, the world’s greatest athletes list visualization as the next most important aspect of their mental training. The importance of this is definitely a must! You have to see yourself being great. I can only speak from my experience, but visualization was huge for me in swimming and other sports that I participated in.

Read full post here.

It’s become so popular as to almost be a cliche, but ask a sports psychologist, and you’ll discover it’s nothing to be dismissed so lightly. The practice of imagery refers to ‘imagined’ sensations, and you may be more familiar with the term ‘visualization’ which refers to the visual aspect. It has long been theorized and accepted that successfully imagining a series of physical movements before performing them can boost the body’s effectiveness at performing the tasks, and many top athletes in a range of sports such as basketball, golf, boxing, and even football swear by its results.

Read the full post here.

Sports psychologists talk about visualization a lot. It is THE most popular mindset tool used by athletes. It needs to be used correctly for it to be most effective. Unfortunately, athletes are not always given all the instructions to use visualization successfully.

Used correctly visualization has the ability to change your outcome.

In your mind’s eye see yourself successfully reaching your goal. Winning a race, reaching a new ranking, going pro or whatever it is you desire. See this event occurring as if it is in the present and is happening right now. The more detail you bring into this mental image, the better. Once again remember you want to really focus on your goal as if it is happening to you right now.

Read the full post here.

I believe the answer is focus and the amount of time spent.

An elite athlete is intense in the pursuit of their goals in training and in their visualization training.

They are intense in the amount of time spent in visualization and in the immersion that they accomplish.

Thoughts on Immersion in Visualization

To really get results, you want to use all of your senses. So once again envision the event occurring. Now let’s bring all of your senses into play.

• Vision – What do you see? Notice the details. Light, darkness, indoors or outdoors.
• Smell – Where you are, how does it smell? Any familiar odors or scents? Fresh cut grass, sweat, oil on your equipment.
• Hearing – Do you hear any noises? Is there cheering, clapping, talking?
• Taste – Is there any taste or flavor involved? Feeling quenched or thirst?
• Touch – How does your skin feel? Hot, clammy, wet. Any textures against your skin from your clothing.
• The feel of your equipment in your hand. Head gear you might have on?
• Sixth sense – Any feeling in your gut? Maybe a sense of knowing.

Read the full post here.

The definition of visualization in relation to sports can be defined as using multiple senses to create or recreate experiences in one’s mind. (1) Similarly, the more vivid the images and situations that your brain creates, the more likely your brain will interpret them as actual events, which increases effectiveness. (2) The better you are at re-creating the situation including sights, smells, timing, opponents and actual scenarios then the better you will perform when that situation becomes reality. There are 6 specific autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses that correlated with mental rehearsal & visualization that improves performance. Basically this means that visualization actually teaches the body how to perform better at rehearsed tasks. This trains your brain and body how to react without having to think.

To read the full post just click here.

He then concentrated on the feel of the breeze on his face and the edges of the skis on the snow. When his mind would wander off into the potential negative story of how he might fail, he’d pull himself back into the current sensations that were immediately around him. By doing this, he’d made a choice to detach, effectively saying, “I am not going to be controlled by these thoughts and emotions.” Next he visualized the first few turns and was then able to just ski his run.

To read the full article just click here.

As I said there is amazing power in creative visualization. It is not a new age feel good exercise.

Visualization has real world benefits if you use it properly.

Fell free to contact me if you need any help in clearing away negative thoughts so that you are able to use visualization to obtain your goals.

Meditation for Christians is slightly different from those of eastern religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and others. Christians are encouraged to meditate on God and his words and the bible is the only authoritative book that Christians should meditate upon because it contains the words of God. This means you must meditate by focusing on God’s word in the bible by reading it, understanding it, thinking about it, comparing it to your life and if you are not practicing what you read, you should adjust and replace your ways with what you read in the bible.

You should conclude your meditation by praying that God should help you to practice what you just read. Doing so has great rewards that will help you live a blissful life on earth and in the world after death. Keep reading to discover bible references that encourage Christians to meditate and the positive outcome you will get from meditating.

The first reference we shall talk about is Philippians 4:8.

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things.”

This scripture clearly shows that you should not dwell on negative things around you. You can be influenced by what you hear, what you see, what you read and even by people you associate with. This can make you to continually think on such things instead of positive things that will help you. You should only meditate on things that are true, virtuous, right, pure and just. By doing so, you will eventually find yourself doing positive things that will be right in the sight of God and man.

The second reference to meditation is in Psalm 1:1-3

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

This is another important bible reference that encourages you to meditate.  You should meditate day and night and during meditations you should dwell on the words in the bible. As you do so every day and night you will find that your life will begin to prosper in everything you do and you will begin to know how to always do the right thing at the right time. If this scripture is committed to memory and practiced, you will find that your life’s purpose will get fulfilled when you get to the end of your physical journey on earth.

The third bible reference on meditation is Joshua 1:8

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

Just like the previous reference, this bible scripture also promises success and prosperity if you meditate on the words in the bible every day and night. By the scripture not departing from your mouth, it means you should ensure that what you always say should have a scriptural and godly background. This will help you to have a prosperous life in spirit, soul and body.

The fourth bible reference to meditation is found in Psalms 119:99.

It says; “I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.”

This is referring to King David in the bible. According to him, he is wiser than all his teachers because he meditates on the word of God. Wisdom is a virtue that everyone wants to have. This scripture proves that meditation on God’s word can actually make you wise. One of the benefits of wisdom is that you will always know what to do, when to do it and how to do it. Being wise through bible meditation will also help you to know the best way to relate to other human beings and how to tackle tough circumstances that may confront you.

The fifth bible reference to meditation can be found in 1Timothy 4:15

“Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.”

Paul was instructing Timothy in the bible to meditate on the scriptures and give his whole life to meditating on God’s word. By doing so, he will prosper and everyone will see and know that he is prosperous. Christians believe that even though this scripture was about Paul addressing Timothy, provided it is in the Scriptures it is also referring to them as individuals. This means meditation should be taken seriously by everyone who desires to be prosperous in their daily lives.

Meditation in the bible is strongly emphasized. You have seen scriptures like Philippians 4:8, Psalm 1:1-3, Joshua 1:8, Psalms 119:99 and 1Timothy 4:15 that proves that you should meditate and by meditating continuously every day and night, you will prosper in everything you do. If you have not been meditating, try to start meditating today and you will witness such tremendous change in your life that you may never have dreamed about.

Meditation and yoga are principles that go hand in hand. In fact yoga can be regarded as the offspring of meditation since proper yogic practices can help you meditate better. With yoga you can gain knowledge of breath control, endurance, concentration and focus that can help you when meditating. In this article, you will discover what yoga is, whether meditation is a part of yoga training and how meditation relates to traditional yoga postures. This knowledge will help you to discover more about meditation and yoga.

What is Yoga?

Yoga came from the Sanskrit word ‘yuj’ which means ‘union’ and it originated in India over 3,000 years ago. This union refers to the unity of body, mind and spirit that will enable you to experience life at its fullest potential. This means your emotion, intelligence, actions and spiritual life must be in harmony. Yoga postures help the body to be in excellent condition while meditation helps the mind and spirit operate at their fullest capacity. Yoga helps you to have physical well being and better relationship with God and your fellow human beings.

In order to achieve yoga objectives yoga is divided into eight limbs. Each limb builds upon each one before it. After going through the eight branches or limbs, you should be balanced in spirit, mind and body. This is why yoga is very popular. Now that you know what yoga is, let’s find out whether meditation is a part of yoga training.

Is Meditation a Part of Yoga Training?

To gain an understanding whether meditation is a part of yoga training, we have to first analyze what yoga training is and why people train in various styles of yoga training. Yoga training is all about developing physical competencies by mastering postures that are also known as asanas which helps the brain and glands to work better. By doing so the asanas cleanse the chakras, develop mental concentration and skills that help to prepare practitioners for the next step, which is meditation.

Breathing techniques like deep breathing and mantras are used to assist participants to meditate better. Meditation is an important part of yoga training because without meditation, the main objectives of uniting the mind, spirit and body will never be achieved. This is why yoga training is divided into stages. For example, you cannot perform breathing meditation without first learning how to breath properly. Meditation is not only a part of yoga training, it also relates to yoga postures. Let’s find out how meditation relates to yoga postures.

How Does Meditation Relate to Yoga Postures?

Meditation relates to yoga postures in many ways. They relate in terms of posture, mind training and concentration. When you learn all the yoga postures perfectly, you will find that sitting in any given posture becomes very easy to do. Proper posture is emphasized during meditation because it helps the body organs to be properly aligned so your internal energy circulates properly. When you practice yoga postures, the meditation postures like lotus, half lotus and seiza will become easy to do. Otherwise they will be more difficult when starting out unless you practice regularly for a long period of time.

Apart from proper meditating posture, yoga postures also help you to concentrate your mind while meditating. The hormones, the endocrine gland, the lymphatic gland and other glands all work behind the scenes to help your mind stay on your meditating practice. They also have the subtle effect of energizing you physically and internally. Since yoga postures are mainly done in clean airy environment, this will also help you while meditating so that you can breathe clean fresh air properly whenever you are meditating.

People who go through yoga training normally learn to meditate easier and faster because of the way the training is organized. You have seen what yoga is, how meditation is a part of yoga training and how meditation relates to yoga postures. If you have been feeling that yoga is just another workout, this article will help to change the way you feel about yoga from now on.

Here’s exactly what you need to know about mantras for meditation. Mantras have been used for meditation because of the benefits they give. As a result of these benefits, people have reported increased concentration, faster quieting of the mind and unlocking of positive virtues from within. Keep reading to find out what a mantra is, how mantras are a different approach to meditation and how mantras are used in meditations. By the end of this article, you will have learned why mantras are important for meditation.

What is a Mantra

Mantras are sounds (spoken words or phrases) that are used as objects of concentration while meditating. The way mantras are used and the types of mantras available vary according to how people view it and their religious background. Whatever the case, they are known to have spiritual effects on practitioners in a way that affects the mind. A mantra is referred to as a mind protector because it helps to protect your mind from wandering from place to place while meditating. Mantras can either be chanted out loud or chanted internally during meditation. In Buddhism chanted mantras are normally associated with particular Buddhist figures whose qualities can be cultivated by the repetition of the mantra.

The origins of mantras go back at least to the Vedic tradition that preceded the Buddha where mantras were used as incantations to influence or control the gods.

Unlike sentences where you can interpret their meaning most mantras do not have a sensible meaning when translated. However, some do have a meaning. For example, the Rama mantra is one of the most popular mantras used in India. You can simply repeat Rama like this: Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare. Rama means to rejoice and was used by Gandhi throughout his life. Other religions also use mantras without actually calling them mantras.

Christians normally chant Jesus when praying and Catholics chant Ave Maria (hail Mary) while Muslims chant Allahu akbar (God is great), Jews chant ‘Barukh attah Adonai’ which means (Blessed art thou, O Lord). Mantras are taken to be a powerful form of meditation because it helps one to stay focused and concentrated during meditation. Now that you know what a mantra is, let’s find out how mantras are a different approach to meditation.

How are Mantras a different approach to meditation?

Many people believe that mantras help them to follow through their meditation practice.  Some of the reasons why they think mantras are a different approach to meditation include helping the mind to anchor, its suitability for all kinds of people during meditation and the ease of using mantras. When it comes to anchoring the mind, repeating a mantra will help you stop your mind from wandering. For example, when you say mantras that you enjoy and that relates to spiritual figures you wish to emulate, you will find that your concentration will focus on that figure alone. You will forget about every other stress or problem you have. This feeling will eventually help you to feel more peaceful and relaxed than when you started meditating.

Apart from anchoring your mind, mantras can be used by all kinds of people. School age kids, teenagers, beginners and even the most experienced meditators all benefit from mantras because they are easy to use. Not only this, mantras also help you meditate when you are facing trying times like financial difficulties, bereavement, hardship or illness. There are specific mantras for such circumstances and by repeating mantras for illness as an example, you will find your mind wandering away from your illness and focusing on your well being.

How are Mantras used in Meditation?

Mantras are generally used in meditation to stay focused while meditating. To do this, you must follow the necessary meditation steps, select a mantra, say the mantra for some minutes before concluding your meditation. Here are the exact steps to take when doing mantra meditation.

1.      Select your meditation time and place. You can allocate about 20 to 30 minutes per day either in the morning or evening.

2.      Get a quiet place where you can be free from distractions.

3.      Select a mantra based on want you really want. You may want spiritual uplifting, better health, financial breakthrough or even a better job.

4.      Sit quietly with your eyes half-closed.

5.      Let about 70% of your allocated time be used for chanting your mantra either out loud, silently or internally. This would mean 20 minutes of the time if you are meditating for 30 minutes.

6.      While chanting, focus on the meaning and what you want solved with respect and belief.

7.      After the allocated time is reached, you can stop chanting and remain absolutely quiet for the remainder of the time.

8.      While you are quiet, observe the thoughts flowing in and out of your mind. You will realize that you feel better than when you started with a positive attitude that your problem is alleviated. This is also the best time to pray.

Setting an alarm clock to assist your timing is not a bad idea. You can even use japa beads to chant your mantra instead of an alarm clock. The japa beads consist of 108 beads and each bead can represent a mantra. Once you exhaust chanting with the beads, you can stop chanting. If you don’t want to use an alarm clock or japa bead, you can decide to focus on your breathing. Each outward breath can represent a mantra repetition.

Mantras are very useful during meditation. You have seen what a mantra is, how it is a different approach to meditation and how a mantra is used for meditation. Use what you have read to practice mantras for meditation and have a great experience.

Meditation has had significant effects on many kinds of health related issues. Many scientific studies and the medical records of long term meditators  prove that meditation for healing can be a powerful tool in solving many health issues. This is why many non Buddhists are embracing meditation as a means to better health and life. Thousands of medical practitioners are now including meditation as part of the medication process that patients should undergo in order to recover from their health problems. In this article, you will discover the top three types of meditations that are used for healing and the top five benefits of meditation in a healing practice.

The Top 3 Types of Meditations Used for Healing

There are many types of meditations used for healing. However the top three are the chakra healing meditation, transcendental meditation and the Buddhist meditation. We shall look at them one after the other.

Chakra meditation

Many people believe that when the chakras are not properly aligned or when they are blocked, the blockage is manifested in the physical body as ill-health. The health problem will be noticed in the body area where the chakra that controls that area is blocked. Chakra meditation is used to re-align and clear any chakra that is blocked. One of the chakra meditations used to unblock the chakras is by visualizing a white light as it flows into your body. You will visualize it coming into your body, energizing each chakra and balancing and healing each chakra. After doing chakra meditation, many people discover that their symptoms of ill health normally go away after some time of consistent practice.

Transcendental meditation

Transcendental meditation has been practiced by many people and is reported to confer many health benefits after consistent practice. People who want to practice transcendental meditation enroll in a seven-step guided course. It basically involves sitting quietly and bringing thoughts that cause stress and anxiety under control. Transcendental meditators can withstand frustration and have more tolerance to every day challenges. Some of the health issues that have been taken care of by Transcendental meditation include high blood pressure, stress, anxiety, cardio vascular diseases and cancer.

Buddhist meditation

Buddhist meditation also has significant health benefits when used for healing. By sitting quietly in the proper posture your body gets aligned in the right way. When you concentrate and stay focused on your breathing, mantra or light, you take your mind away from your illness and refocus it on your meditation and positive thoughts. When done regularly, the practice helps to heal you from whatever health problems you may have.

Now that you have seen the top three types of meditation used for healing, let’s explore the top five benefits of a healing meditation practice.

The Top 5 Benefits of a Healing Meditation Practice

Healing meditation practice has many health benefits for people who practice them. The top five benefits include better overall health, lower medical expenses, balancing of the chakras, longer life span and greater achievements in life. Let’s explore how each of these benefits can help you.

Better overall health

Stress, anxiety and blood pressure are health problems that have been known to lead to so many other health problems. Meditation directly influences and balances these conditions. During a deep meditative state, your brain waves will be in alpha. This state affects the nervous system and other body functions and helps the body system to rejuvenate and reduce negative effects from your body. Regular meditation will eventually result in better health because stress, anxiety, panic and high blood pressure will hardly be associated with you again.

Balancing of the chakras

Most experienced meditators know that a balanced chakra system will always affect your overall quality of life. This is because your health, your relationship with others, your emotions and your relationship with God will always be at the peak when your chakras are balanced. Chakra healing meditation will help you to achieve total balance in all aspects of your life.

Lower medical expenses

Everyone knows that when you are not sick you will not pay medical expenses. When you don’t pay medical expenses you save money and use it for better things that will help you. This is one of the reasons why healing meditation is very helpful.

Longer life span

Sickness that is not well taken care of can result to protracted illness which can eventually kill anyone. This means people who should have lived longer will die before their time if they don’t manage their health properly. Healing meditation has been known to assist people to live longer because meditation helps the body to heal itself faster. When combined with medical help the results are a better and longer life span.

Greater achievements in life

Most people have dreams of the future but most people cannot fulfill their dreams because of one health condition or the other. Once you practice healing meditation regularly, you will find yourself in better health and you will be in a condition to achieve anything you want in life.

Meditation can truly help you achieve better health. You have seen the top three types of meditation that are used for healing and the top five benefits of healing meditation. This knowledge will help you to take meditation more seriously from now on.

Zen meditation is also known as zazen (za means sitting; zen means meditation) in Japanese and it is at the heart of Zen Buddhist practice. By sitting in a way that will enable one to concentrate on meditating for some time, Zen Buddhists have been known to experience calm in body and mind and gain enlightenment into our very existence and the nature of the universe. We tend to see the body, breath, and mind separately, but in zazen they come together as a whole.

Zen meditation allows the mind to relax and experience peace. The first thing to pay attention to is the position of the body in zazen. The correct seated position allows the body’s muscles to be correctly aligned so that unnecessary stress can be prevented. In order to get the most from your time in meditation it is best that you practice Zen on a daily basis and at a time that best suits you either in the morning or at night. As you read on, you will discover where Zen meditation came from and the proper seated position for zazen.

Where did Zen Meditation Come From?

The practice of Zen meditation has been around for thousands of years and it is believed to have started in India and Japan. Relatively recently it has made its way to the West where it has gained more popularity and acceptance. Many people in the West have traveled to Asia to learn the art of meditation after which they return and introduce the art to others. Now that you know a little about the origins of Zen meditation, let’s see the proper seated position for Zazen.

What is the Proper Seated Position for Zazen?

There are many proper seated positions while practising Zen meditation.  You need to know about the different positions and select one that you will be comfortable with.

The different proper seated positions for Zazen are briefly described below;

1.      Burmese position: This is the first and simplest position. You cross the legs and rest both feet on the floor while in this position.

2.      Half lotus position: This is a position where you place your left foot onto your right thigh and your right leg is placed under your left thigh. Most beginners are encouraged to become used to this position before practicing the full lotus.

3.      Full lotus position: This is a position where your two knees will touch the ground. In order for this to happen, you have to place each foot on top of the opposite thigh. This can strain the ankles and lower back for people who are not used to it. For the more experienced, you will find that it helps you to maintain balance for a long time during meditation. You need practice and patience to be able to master sitting in this position.

4.      Seiza position: Sitting in a traditional seiza position can be very uncomfortable because it requires bending the knees and sitting on your heals. The best way to avoid this discomfort is to rest your buttocks on a pillow or seiza bench (a little bench that is specially designed for meditating in that position).

5.      Chair sitting: When it comes to chair sitting during meditation, you need to find a chair that will allow you to have a straight-up posture. Your seat can have a back rest which may or may not be cushion supported.  When sitting for meditation you should not allow your thighs to rest on the seat, you should only allow your buttocks. Your two hands should rest on your two thighs in such a way that your wrists are on top of your thighs. Sitting this way will allow your chi energy to flow freely and you can meditate for as long as you want.

Zen meditation is a very useful and popular form of meditation that helps the body and mind when practiced regularly. You have learned where Zen meditation originated and the proper seated positions while meditating.

People who suffer from panic attacks start off by having extreme fear of whatever thing they are anxious about. It normally starts without notice, reaches a peak within minutes and subsides again. How sufferers feel during attacks and how long the panic attacks last mostly depends on the cause of the attack. The causes of panic attacks have been traced to various things. Some may be due to hereditary, fear, phobia, medications, personal loss and many other causes.

Panic attack sufferers normally have shortness of breath, rapid heart rate, heart palpitations, dizziness, light-headedness, nausea, difficulty breathing, a sense of feeling smothered, tingling or numbness in the hands, hot flashes or chills, trembling and shaking, sweating, trembling, a feeling of choking, chest pain, nausea, and dizziness. Meditation has been known to assist in panic attacks in various ways. Some types of meditative practices go a long way to combat panic attacks as you would will soon discover. You will find out why meditation helps in panic attacks and the role of diaphragmatic breathing in solving panic attack problems.

Why Would Meditation Help Panic Attacks

Meditation normally allows sufferers to experience panic attacks with less fear so that they can see their way through the problem. This is why meditative practices like visualization where people are guided to visualize things is encouraged for people who suffer from panic attacks. Images that look disturbing during attacks can now be viewed with ease. With this new perception the image will pass through the mind without disturbing the victim. Regular meditation will enable the victim to get used to how panic attacks should be seen and handled.

Apart from this, meditation also plays an important role in easing the nervous system, the brain and the glands responsible for reacting to fear and panic. This is the main reason why experienced meditators don’t suffer from panic attacks. Some of the meditation techniques that are used for controlling panic attacks are guided meditation, muscle relaxation, yoga and diaphragmatic breathing. Techniques like yoga offer a wide range of stress-reducing tools. Now that you have seen why meditation would help panic attacks, let’s find out more about diaphragmatic breathing.

What is diaphragmatic breathing?

Diaphragmatic breathing is a popular breathing technique because of the meditative and health benefits it gives to people who practice this form of breathing. This breathing technique is also called belly breathing, deep breathing, abdominal breathing or costal breathing. Though this type of breathing has been called various names this breathing technique is simply the act of natural breathing that allows you to contract your diaphragm during breathing. This allows your lungs to expand downwards without increasing the size of your rib cage.

Diaphragmatic breathing uses the diaphragm muscle (a strong dome shaped muscle) located under your ribs and above your stomach. Your abdomen expands rather than the rib cage in your chest when breathing.

It is generally considered a healthier and better way to intake oxygen, and is often used as a therapy for disorders like panic attacks. People who panic will find that diaphragmatic breathing not only calms the effect of arousal at the time of panic, but also provides an way to focus attention on their breathing, instead of on their panic symptoms. As diaphragmatic breathing becomes a habit, the nervous system is less susceptible to panic in the first place.

The main benefits of diaphragmatic breathing are to;

• Strengthen your diaphragm
• Reduce the effort you put into breathing by slowing down your breathing rate
• Reduce your oxygen intake during breathing
• Use less energy during breathing

This breathing technique can be practiced while lying on your back or sitting on a chair. These are the steps to follow while lying down.

Steps to Follow:

1.      Lie down facing upwards either on a flat surface or bed. You can raise your knees by supporting them with a pillow.

2.      Place your two hands on two different parts of your body. One on your upper chest and the other one on your abdomen. This will enable you to monitor the movement of your breathing.

3.     As you breathe in through your nose, feel your hand on your stomach move upward. Keep your shoulders relaxed. The hand that is on your chest should not move at all..

4.      Exhale slowly and gently through your mouth, as if you were going to whistle or blow out a candle. The hand on your stomach should move in as you breathe out.

5.      Rest and repeat.

Learning diaphragmatic breathing takes patience and practice. As you become more comfortable breathing with this technique, you will notice that you will be using it all the time. It is the natural way to breathe. It usually takes about two weeks to become accustomed to the feeling of diaphragmatic breathing, and about six months of regular practice to make it a habit.

Meditation can help panic attack victims a lot. You have seen the reasons why meditation helps people who suffer from panic attacks and what diaphragmatic breathing is all about. This knowledge can help you to find a solution to your panic attacks.

Buddhist meditation refers to the meditative practices associated with the religion and philosophy of Buddhism. Buddhist meditation techniques have become increasingly popular in the wider world, with many non-Buddhists taking them up for a variety of reasons. Buddhists pursue meditation as part of the path toward Enlightenment and Nirvana. This means that by continually meditating, Buddhists can discover the path to a better life in everything they do. To accomplish this, they must follow foundational teachings like the four foundations of mindfulness and the four noble truths. After reading this article, you will know more about Buddhist meditation.

What are the four foundations for mindfulness?

In Buddhist texts, the Buddha identifies four foundations for mindfulness: the body, feelings, mind states and mental objects. He further enumerates the following objects as bases for the meditative development of mindfulness that encourages us to be aware of the process our mind goes through. They are:

1. Contemplation of the body: This involves breathing, postures, clear comprehending, reflections on repulsiveness of the body, reflections on material elements and cemetery contemplations.

2. Contemplation of feeling: This involves pleasant, unpleasant or neutral feelings

3. Contemplation of the state of mind

4. Contemplation of the phenomena; This involves hindrances, aggregates, factors of enlightenment and the four noble truths.

These foundations of mindfulness collectively help us to still the mind and return to our true nature. By constantly being aware of our thoughts, feelings and surroundings without attaching our perceptions to it; we become mindful. Now that we know about the four foundations of mindfulness, let’s explore what the four noble truths are.

What are the four noble truths?

The four noble truths are an important principle in Buddhism, classically taught by the Buddha in the S?tra. In their simplest form; the four noble truths are:

1. Suffering exists
2. Suffering arises from attachment to desires
3. Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases
4. Freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the Eightfold Path

They can further be briefly explained as follows;

1.      What is suffering: birth, aging, illness, death is all suffering. Sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair are also suffering too. Union with what is displeasing is also suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering.

2.      What is the origin of suffering: The origin is when we crave for sensual pleasures, for existence, extermination and other desires and lust.

3.      What is Cessation of Suffering: This means fading away and cessation of that same craving, the giving up and relinquishing of it, freedom from it, non-reliance on the different cravings.

4.      What is the Path that leads to the Cessation of Suffering: This means having the right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. This is also referred to as the eight fold path. Once you understand and practice the four noble truths, you will find Buddhist meditation easy to do.

Buddhist meditation is an important practice for people all over the world. Even non-Buddhists practice it because of the benefits to the mind, body and spirit. The four foundations of mindfulness and the four noble truths helps one to fully understand the concepts behind why this meditation practice is very beneficial. You can use what you’ve read to have a better Buddhist meditation experience from now on.