Meditation

[mfh]

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/16/news/la-heb-mindful-meditation-20130416

Mindfulness can get us through the madness...via LA Times.

[mfh]

Daily Soul Quote:

"Like water, which can clearly mirror the sky and the trees only so long as its surface is undisturbed, the mind can only reflect the true image of the Self when it is tranquil and wholly relaxed."

~Indra Devi

[mfh]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/23/marc-neikrug-healing-ceremony_n_3255029.html?ir=GPS+for+the+Soul

Music and Healing. I used to do a workshop on stress management but focused on how music heals....and this is a physical phenomena not merely emotional...as music resonates to and stimulates the chakras.

[kayc]

I had to laugh when this appeared in my email this morning. Since Bill died I have spent half the time trying to find my center....losing it and finding it again. center.JPG

I love that!

[mfh]

"When we have between 50,000-70,000 thoughts per day, this means between 35 and 48 thoughts per minute per person. The steady flow of thinking is a thick filter between our thoughts and feelings, our head and heart. The constant mental traffic prevents us from seeing clearly, listening deeply, and feeling our well of being. Taking time to nurture the silence of our heart and new life is growing. We begin to be very present...."

This quote is from an article on couple communication...not real relevant for any of us...but it is also a statement about the need to meditate and be still.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-davis-phd/healthy-relationships_b_3307916.html?utm_source=Alert-blogger&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Email%2BNotifications

[mfh]

An OUTSTANDING explanation of meditation and how to do it and understand it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ira-israel/how-to-explain-basic-medi_b_3309680.html

[mfh]

Could not resist!

[mfh]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marlo-thomas/making-new-friends_b_3254851.html?ir=GPS+for+the+Soul#slide=2434330

This piece might be helpful for someone on the forum. It is about making new friends and includes a slide show.

[mfh]

Some easy ways to de-stress in ten minutes.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/21/easy-stress-relief-10-way_n_3084173.html?ir=GPS+for+the+Soul#slide=more291971

I do a lot of meditating doing what this article suggests

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cindy-griffithbennett/meditation-tips_b_3269177.html?ir=GPS+for+the+Soul

[feralfae]

Dear Mary,

Thank you for the last article. I have been meditating via internet, and this is most helpful.

fae

[mfh]

fae, you are welcome. I was kind of hoping you would just stay put today and bask in the loveliness of that hotel room and miss the rainy drive. I certainly respect your scheduling needs but it was just a thought of hope

[enna]

Thanks for the article "How To Teach Basic Meditation to Novices" Mary.

"Basic meditation is a tool that we can use to take ourselves off of auto-pilot, reboot our hard drives, clear out the caches, regain the most propitious long-term bearings, gain some insight into the bugs that cause our operating systems to crash, and make tweaks that bode well for our overall ease and happiness."

I am working on tricking my mind to shut itself off.....

[mfh]

You are most welcome. I like how they wove terms having to do with my favorite addiction into the power of meditation.

[mfh]

This piece, (What's the Difference between Mindfulness, Mindfulness Meditation and Basic Meditation?) is one of the best explanations I have read on the differences between these techniques. Our world of business, science and education and more is focused on Mindfulness and Mindfulnes meditation more than on basic meditation. I work with all three but my favorite and the one I have historically used to go deeper is basic meditation. As I put it back in my life these last several months I still find it the most rewarding but I urge people to try them all and see what works best for them.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ira-israel/types-of-mindfulness_b_3347428.html?utm_source=Alert-blogger&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Email%2BNotifications

[MartyT]

In her blog post today, friend and colleague Peggy Haymes explains why she recommends relaxation apps by hypnosis practitioner Andrew Johnson: Trouble Sleeping? "While I have not listened to all of them," she writes, "the ones I have listened to have been very well done. I have recommended them to some clients who are having issue with getting to sleep or getting good sleep. From them I get good reports about how effective it has been for them."

[Wifflesnook]

I am following the meditiations on www.soundstrue.com/meditation where there are 21 different exercises. They are excellent.

[mfh]

Marty, I have a monkey mind today so opted to try one of these when I knew I needed a nap. I like them very much. HIs voice is hypnotic and soothing. Music is just right. And I found the one I did, progressive relaxation on Relax Lite to be quite relaxing. Almost drifted off. I have downloaded all the free ones and will try those first since I have a lot of these kinds of things. Based on just the one I used, I recommend them to all of us for relaxation purposes as well as sleep. Mary

[MartyT]

Thanks so much for that feedback, Mary. I really respect Peggy Haymes and her work, so although I haven't had time to preview the apps myself, I took her word for it that this was a helpful resource. It's good to know that you used these apps to quiet some of that unwelcome chatter in your head ~ and I'm so glad to know they helped. ♥

[mfh]

You are welcome, Marty. I have now listened to three of them and find them similar to each other in some ways, soothing, effective. I like the narrators accent and the background music he has chosen. Good choice to post this in my books.

[MartyT]

LD Thompson: "A daily meditation practice is the single most effective way to establish the ability to observe your thoughts in every moment." Meditation Is Not What You Think

[enna]

I liked the article you posted above, Marty. Good information and settles some myths I think many of us have about meditating.

The link I posted earlier was incorrect! This is one of Deepak Chopra's guides to meditation. I don't know what happened to the other one! Brain Freeze.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYHLGdV0-UU

[MartyT]

An important and insightful message for all of us, from Susan Piver:

Sadness isn't necessarily something to be avoided. In fact, this author says despair can be the consequence of fighting it. Compassion is what happens when you don’t: The Importance of Sadness

[mfh]

Marty, I truly like and agree with this piece. We tend to want to run from sadness in our culture but sadness (pain) however it is for each of us, is the doorway to compassion and peace...no pain or sadness...no growth or peace. Great reminder piece.

By the same author: http://susanpiver.com/2012/06/18/what-does-it-take-to-really-truly-establish-a-meditation-practice/. What does it really take to establish a meditation practice?

Mary

[mfh]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-davis-phd/awakening-in-silence_b_3385385.html?utm_source=Alert-blogger&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Email%2BNotifications

Awakening in Silence

The importance of silence in our lives

[mfh]

http://www.thewayofmeditation.com.au/guided-meditations.html

This link takes you to some free online meditations. I did these using the second, the chakra meditation, and found them to be very relaxing. This link includes metta relaxation as well as some 3rd eye meditation (i.e. intuition). Ironically whenever I focus on the 6th chakra (3rd eye-intuition) tears roll down my face...never fails.

This is a 40 minute meditation but you can stop it at any time. Very nice. There are several others on this page I have NOT tried. There are other very good pages on this site including instructions on how to meditate.