Arlene Wright-Correll

The Art of Meditation©



Posted: Thursday, September 11, 2008

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http://www.learn-america.com

When I started to practice meditation it was simply for two reasons. One was during a religious search and second was for stress reduction. Meditation techniques have been practiced for thousands of years and for me, originally, the goal was to help me deepen my understanding of the sacred and mystical forces of life. It still continues to be a spiritual and religious practice. Variations of meditative practice are found in all of the world's religions.

But along the way meditation, for me, became about stress reduction. So how do you meditate and where do you find the inspiration to quiet your mind? Follow these steps to explore different types of meditation. Exactly what is meditation? Meditation is defined as a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practice that falls under the category of mind-body techniques. These types of therapies strengthen communication between your body and your mind. Other types of mind-body techniques include support groups, hypnosis, biofeedback, and creative outlets such as art, music or dance therapy. While there are different paths to meditation, in general, when you're meditating, you're concentrating. The focus of your concentration can be anything - an object, a sound or even your own breathing. The goal of meditation is to focus on the moment, clearing away your worries. Yes meditation can help you achieve stress reduction. Meditation is used by people who are perfectly healthy as a means of stress reduction. But if you have a medical condition that's worsened by stress, you might find the practice valuable in reducing the stress-related effects of allergies, asthma, chronic pain and arthritis, among others. I found that meditation helped me to relieve the symptoms of other medical conditions such as my bout with cancer and my stroke. Meditation wasn't typically used in place of traditional therapies and I had to work with my doctor because of this. I had use meditation to supplement my other treatments simply because research into meditation is limited, and the validity of some studies are always questioned. Keeping that in mind, some research shows that meditation may be beneficial for certain conditions when used along with medications or other interventions recommended by my doctor and I was fortunate to have a doctor who understood this. It helped me with my anxiety and I believed it helped curb my oncoming depression. I know it certainly helped my stress and high blood pressure and I think it helped with my heart disease. There are different forms of medition. Meditation can involve movement or complete stillness. My type included complete stillness and silence and a concentration on a mantra to calm my mind. Breathing deeply and simply paying attention to my breathing helped. I blocked out a 30 minute time each morning at 8 am and each evening at 5 pm for this. Whenever my mind wandered I brought it back to concentrating on my breathing. I became a concentration of scanning my body and focusing on the diseased parts and making them well. Warming them up with heat and relaxation. One can repeat a sacred name or phase which will act as your mantra. Just the word peace might work for you repeating it silently or aloud. Mantras are the building blocks of transcendental meditation. Examples of religious mantras include a Jesus prayer in the Christian tradition, the holy name of God in Judaism, or the om mantra of Tibetan Buddhism. This will exercise your imagination. Sometimes even a meditation tape will do wonders for you and direct you through a visual mediation exercise. Once you reach a state of deep relaxation, most likely through meditation, you create a visual image of whatever the person directing the exercise suggests. Perhaps it's a peaceful place, such as a garden, where you feel calm and safe. I used to go to the oceanside in my mind. I never did Yoga but you can achieve an exalted state in Yoga. However, I did Tai Chi and those gentle, deliberate circular movements combined with deep breathing helped me develop a feeling of peace and tranquility. Find your form of meditation even in a group. Make a search for the thing that works for you. "Tread the Earth Lightly" and in the  meantime.. may your day be filled with...
Peace, Light and Love,
 

About the Author & Artist. Arlene Wright-Correll (1935- ___), popular American award winning Artist, published author, columnist, & is the resident art instructor for Avalon Stained Glass School, at the age of 68, decided to pick up her paint brushes again after 54 years and paint.  She is a cancer and stroke survivor who is able to strive forward each and everyday to welcome the beauty of this small planet.  She also is a China & Porcelain painter, Sandblasting & Etching, Stained Glass & fused glass Artisan. She is one of the six KY Artists who worked 6 months to create the dolls for Journey Jots in 2006 and a Smithsonian Institute art exhibit in 2008. Her published books can be found here . She is also a featured writer for GreenThumbArticles.com and teaches Art Vacation Holidays at Avalon Stained Glass School and Creativity Center.

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