The power of the mind
“One of the most valuable things you can do in your life is to learn deep relaxation. Making an effort every day to spend some time quieting your mind to create inner peace and better health ”
The average person’s mind is wandering 47% of the day, spending so much time with your mind wandering can make you vulnerable to suffering and negative emotions. Much of the stress and tension you experience in your life will come from thought, belief and expectation which can cause you some sort of suffering. Suffering can appear in many forms - mentally and physically; this suffering is also happening in the mind, even when the pain is physical, it can often be the mind that is creating the suffering. This stress and suffering can be reduced by practicing meditation.
Professor Hebert Benson can be largely credited for demystifying meditation in the 1960’s and helping to bring it mainstream by renaming it the “Relaxation Response”. The relaxation response as Doctor Benson described is quite simply sitting in a relaxed position for 10 -20 minutes once or twice a day with your eyes closed and repeating a word or sound as you breathe.
Professor Herbert Benson
If you find it difficult to sit with your eyes closed then try practicing a meditation using mala beads and silently chanting a mantra as you work your way through the beads. A good mantra to begin with is ‘Sat Nam’ which means truth is my name. It has a lovely vibration and flows very easily with your natural breath. If you didn’t want to go with a traditional mantra you can use something like ‘I am Calm’ or you can always use a word or phrase that’s special to you. Just remember it should be positive and happy. You become your thoughts, so make sure that they are positive.
Practicing a mantra meditation or repeating a word or sound can help you to become calmer and happier, it helps the mind to become still, relaxed and at peace. Even if your current mood does not match the mantra or words you are repeating it will still have positive benefits and you may find that your mood has lifted and you feel better after meditation.
Why not give it a go today and just practice for a week and notice how much better you feel, perhaps keep a journal of how you got on with the meditation and this way you will be able to remind yourself how much better you felt after meditation, it may help you to create a regular and consistent practice.
Love Jennifer x