Meditation Secrets Revealed

Frequently I find myself a victim of what I call DIM Syndrome or diving into monitor syndrome. I think everyone has experienced this to some degree or another – its that feeling of a slow gravitational sink, pulling and falling head first into the computer monitor. And before you know it, the shoulders are hunched over, head leaning forward and back arched – a hunchback in the making.

Millions of people experience the negative side-effects of DIM Syndrome. Everything from sore neck to headaches to the ever-popular lower back pain can be traced to bad posture and unhealthy sitting habits at the computer. Lets face it, the human body was not designed to sit for hours at a time in one spot and stare forward motionless. But, since we all must work, and most of us must work at a computer, there are several habits that we can break free of and others that we may wish to adopt in order to keep our health and our sanity.

Sit Straight:

The spine has a natural curvature and is assisted by involuntary muscles and tendons along the spine. These muscles are linked to the same system that keeps our eyelids up and our lungs moving without our conscious awareness. Through bad habits we have programmed our bodies to tense additional smaller muscles to take on the work of the automatic ones. This is exhausting and causes unnecessary strain and tension in the body. By paying attention and experimenting with slight adjustments in the hips, shoulders, and head we can bring our body into a more natural alignment thereby activating the involuntary muscles and relieving the overworked ones.

While sitting in a chair, locate the sit bones. They are the two bony ridges of the hip bone that are meant to take our weight. To do so, simply experiment with tilting the pelvis forwards and back. Notice how this effects the curvature of the spine, and specifically the lower back. A proper alignment of the hips happens when the tailbone (the lowest part of the vertebral column) reaches down towards the ground/chair while the pubic/lower abdominal area moves up and inward. This action will naturally reduce some of the curvature of the lower back creating a flatter lower back and cause a slight shift backwards so that the weight of the body is distributed onto the sit bones. This adjustment also strengthens the abdominal muscles which assist the back muscles in keeping the spine erect.

Shoulders:

Having adjusted the lower portion of the body, next come the shoulders/chest. Explore the range of motion in the shoulders moving them forward and back. Notice how the forward motion of the shoulders pulls on the muscles of the

upper back and tenses the neck. Imagine somebody taking both shoulders and lifting them forward, up, and back. Let both shoulders melt down the back. Repeat several times, inhaling forward pausing at the top, and exhaling to melt. Do this often throughout the day and you may see a dramatic reduction in stress and tension in the neck and upper back. Another way to think about this motion is to lift the chest.

Head:

Moving onto the head, let the head become heavy and begin to move the head side to side, the up and down, and finally in big circles. Notice how good this feels on the neck muscles. Again here, work with the breath and breath into the area of tension, one can work with images of warmth or relaxation if that feels appropriate. A neutral spine means the head is shifted slightly back and the chin slightly down. One can also imagine a string tied to the top of the head and somebody lifting us by that string. This will cause the spine to elongate and straighten, the shoulders to move back, and the head to shift back.

Breath:

While our breathing is automatic, it is also intimately linked to our emotional and mental state. In moments of intense emotions such as anger or sadness, this becomes self evident. Because computer work requires such concentration, many people tend to hold their breath or not breath as deeply as mother nature intended. Just by the act of stopping whatever we are doing, noticing the rhythm and depth of our breath, and then taking a few deep slow breaths we can reset our system and bring more vitality and oxygen into our bodies. This actually effects our brain in a very direct way, making us more clear-headed and able to remember, reason, and problem solve better. Try it!

In addition to the negative side effects on the body, computers put immense strain on our eyes. Click Here learn simple eye exercise designed to strengthen, relax, and sooth the eye muscles and the optic nerve.

Also see my article for changing bad habits.

Habits are a reflection of our thoughts, manifested through repetition of actions. Right habits can be our greatest aid on the path to freedom from desires and fears, but bad habits can become obstacles. They can bind us, constricting our mobility, limiting our choices and our thinking. The challenge in being awake, aware, and present is to watch our own actions and analyze them. Ask yourself the question, “What in my life do I do by habit, and how are these habits serving me?”

Awareness is the essence of of our being, our birthright. But sometimes we forget, get distracted with life and the many responsibilities that take up our time. Here are a few ways that we can change bad habits by brining awareness onto the present moment.

1. Memory triggers

A memory object is a place, person, or thing which we designate as a trigger for the immediate assessment of our internal state. For example, lets say there is a painting hanging over your desk, whenever you look at that painting that is the trigger to stop and bring awareness to thoughts, emotions, and the surrounding environment. Awareness is objective, it is without blame or judgment – a simple observation of the facts. Paradoxically, we are building a habit to become aware of our own habits.

Doorways are a good memory objects because we go through hundreds of them every day. Upon walking through the doorway, immediately come into the present moment and bring awareness to the five senses to soak in the new surroundings. Remember to notice!

2. Breath

We must breath to live, it is something real, concrete and ever present within ourselves. Breath awareness is one ofthe fundamental steps to raising awareness, learning meditation, or any other internal study. Take a moment right now to focus on the breath. Notice the subtle qualities of depth, speed, location in the body, and even the texture. As often as possible throughout the day, remember to bring attention to the breath. Become curious to discover what is the quality of the breath when there is anger, sadness, joy, excitement, or calm?

Explore, have fun, be playful in figuring out what works best for your life and circumstances. Keep in mind that for these techniques to be effective one must be vigilant to remember to practice consistently, frequently, and for a long time util awareness becomes a natural state of being. Many negativities can be compared to shadows, they are a the darkness outside that stem from within. Awareness and mindfulness is the sunlight that has the power to drive away this darkness. Simply remember and let the sun shine.

Begin in a comfortable sitting with the spine upright and head up. Imagine a glowing orb of light hovering approximately 12 inches above your head. Its warm and bright, like the rays of the setting sun. On an inhalation, move it slowly down towards your head and allow the warmth to spread inch by inch into every part of your body. First the top of the head and moving down, softening the forehead, eyes, face, jaw, releasing all tension.

Expanding into the back of the head, neck, shoulders, down the arms, and through the fingertips. Go as slow as you need to feel like the cleansing orb has deeply permeated every level of tissue all the way down to the bone, and even inside the bones themselves. Down the front and back of the torso. Experiment with the size of the ball shrinking it or expanding. Allow the breath to lead the way, focus on the rhythm of the breath. Down even further into the lower back, hips, thighs, legs, calf, ankles, and all the way through the toes. Explore your body and find the places that need the most attention – linger there. Repeat several times to get the most benefit.

Having completed several cycles of the body scan, imagine this soothing light coming from inside your body, the bones, organs, muscles, and skin all glowing. Let the center of this light rest in the chest or heart area, and feel the rays radiate from there. Beyond the skin, and out into your surroundings. Allow the light to spread further and further till you can no longer keep track of how far its traveled, then, with a deep breath let it all go. The image, the thoughts, expectations, judgments, and desires. Let everything relax and allow your mind to settle into the sensations that are happening in the present moment. Repeat often, breath and enjoy!

How do you get ready for meditation? What are the steps necessary to get into the proper mind set and how do yourelease stress from your busy day? You want the body to be so relaxed and comfortable that you can forget all about it. The mind should be alert, focused, and present in the moment. Here is a great stress management exercise that can be done anywhere. Its quick and very effective. This technique is also extremely beneficial for people that can’t fall asleep and have restless body syndrome.

How do you get ready for meditation? What are the steps necessary to get into the proper mind set and how do you release stress from your busy day? You want the body to be so relaxed and comfortable that you can forget all about it. The mind should be alert, focused, and present in the moment. Here is a great stress management exercise that can be done anywhere. Its quick and very effective. This technique is also extremely beneficial for people that can’t fall asleep and have restless body syndrome.

Laying on your back, begin to do a mental scan of your whole body. Start at your toes and work your way up the front side of your body and down your back. Once you have identified the muscles and places where you feel the most tension, it is time for the full body contraction.

Taking a deep breath in, contract all of the muscles you have just scanned. Systematically from your toes all the way up to your neck. At this point, you should be squeezing everything so hard that your legs are off the ground a bit, your head is off the ground, and your face is all squeezed up like a dried up prune. Holding this for one or two breaths, release everything with a big AAAHHHHHHH breath out. Taking another deep and slow breath here relax everything even deeper. You can imagine your whole body relaxing and sinking into the floor. Warning, please don’t overdo this and remember that the point is not to punish your muscles but to help them go from one extreme to the other.

Now, do another body scan and compare how you feel. If there is still some tension in your body you can work with your mind to breath soothing light and warmth into those places to relax them even further. You may experience a deep feeling of comfort, softness, or heaviness sometimes accompanied by a warm sinking feeling – like your body is about to liquidize and merge with whatever you are laying on.

At this point, you are ready for meditation, relaxation, an obe, or sleep. Enjoy the journey!

Sitting in a chair all day can be hard on the body and frequently leads to stiffness in the neck, legs, and lower back. Remember gym class in school when we had to do those pesky stretching exercises. Well, guess what, they are actually crucial to keeping your body relaxed and ache- free. For every hour that we sit in a chair, at least a few minutes should be spent taking some time to relax the body, and clear the mind. Here are a few simple ways to do this without looking like a fool in front of your co-workers. In fact, doing these exercises in public, in your office just might inspire others do them too!

Start by looking away from the compute. Ahhh, isn’t that nice. Take one deep breath and let it out as slow as possible. Rotate your neck, moving it up, down, left right, side to side, and add in some circular motion. Make sure that you are breathing long, deep breaths as you do this, keep the motions in sync with the breathing to prevent injury. Now, with another long inhalation, stand up and let your whole body straighten up. Make sure that you don’t do this too fast, letting the spine, shoulders, and neck fall into their natural and comfortable alignment.

With another long inhalation, begin to fold forward from the hips letting your whole upper body relax completely until you are hanging. If your hands touch the ground, great, if not, no big deal. Now, as you hang there, take a moment to notice the backs of your legs, are they tight? If so, you can bring your attention, your thoughts, and your breath to the spots that are tight and begin to breath into the tightness. After a few moments you should feel the hamstrings relaxing a bit and loosening up. The legs are the key to the back, if they are tight, the rest of your upper body will be also.

Try to notice when you have sat for too long, and take a few moments to work with your mind, breath, and body to relax and release some stress. Because all three are linked, when you change one, you will effect them all. There are of course thousands of ways to stretch, just remember to synchronize and let the breath do the moving. Get creative, have fun, start a conversation at work about this topic. I bet you will have much to talk about with your co-workers regarding this subject.

Working at a computer all day can be difficult and puts strain and stress on the eyes leading to blurriness, redness,reduced vision, and headaches. Our modern lifestyle reduced the natural freedom of eye movements to a straight and short laser-like stare, aimed at our screens for hours at a time. To undo this strain, our eyes need exercise just like our bodies and minds. Here is a quick eye movement exercise to reduce stress, sooth, relax, and promote healthy eye motion.

Begin by getting into a comfortable sitting position. Taking a few deep breaths, get centered and focus on your eyes. Moving your gaze upward, begin to make gentle up and down motions with your eyes, tracing a nearby wall or just focusing on the movements themselves. Repeat this up and down motion approximately ten times then bring your eyes to center and close them for a moment.

To make the motion smooth, you can imagine your eyes tracing a straight and unbroken line. After the completion of each series of directional movements, bring your eyes to center and close to give them some rest.

Opening them again, begin to move them left to right, repeating this motion another ten times. Opening, look to the upper left corner of your vision and trace a line down to the bottom right, and back diagonally to the upper left. Do this ten times, center, close, and repeat the diagonal motion in the opposite direction.

Next, moving your gaze up, begin to trace a smooth clockwise circle, including as much of your peripheral vision as possible. Once completed, repeat in the counter-clockwise direction. After doing both directions, center and close the eyes. Keeping them closed, bring your hands together and rub them vigorously until you feel heat between your palms. Bringing the palms to your closed eyes, cup eyes and let the heat and darkness sooth and relax your eye muscles. Take a few deep breaths here to finish the practice.

In summary here is the order: up and down, left and right, diagonal, and finally circular in both directions. Rub hands together and cover. Enjoy and practice whenever your feel strain or pressure building up in the eyes. Done often, this exercise will keep your eyes healthy and strong!

Meditation is like a vast unexplored continent, the further you travel the more splendor and beauty you will see. To begin the great adventure, one must prepare for the journey and bring appropriate equipment, clothing and fuel. A well equipped expedition will ensure minimal setbacks and determine the success of the journey. Here is an inventory list of some “equipment” you will need on your meditation journey in order to establishing and maintaining a successful meditation practice.

1. Set the intention: Be clear and realistic with your expectations. Ask yourself, what are you willing to sacrifice in order to set aside the time necessary to meditate?

2. Creating the atmosphere: Dedicate a little corner, mat, or chair for meditation, use it only for this purpose. Put on some music, make some tea, develop a meditation ritual. This does not mean you must be sitting there on a cushion, with lit candles and an incense stick, but it does mean that there should be a special place where you go only for meditation.

3. Set aside a time: This may be obvious to some, but have a specific time of day when you know you will be alone and in relative quiet. Be selfish in maintaining your inner peace and don’t let anyone disturb you.

4. Unplug: Turn off your phone, the computer, and the T.V. Without these distractions, you know you can have some peace and quiet to dedicate to your meditation.

5. Stay Consistent: Consistency is the major stumbling block for any practice and developing a good habit is crucial. How do you develop a habit? It takes three weeks of doing the same thing over and over again for your body and mind to adjust and then it becomes easy and natural.

6. Keep a journal: After every meditation session, take a few minutes to write down your experiences, thoughts, mental imagery, or bodily sensations. You can look back and check on your progress and its a great way to share your experiences with friends. Keep a record of the date, time of day, and duration of the meditation.

7. Experiment: There are many different types of meditations and you never know which one will work best for until you try them. Amongst the many types, the most common are: guided visualizations, music, no music, sitting, walking, slow repetitive movements, mantras, and watching the breath.

I am frequently asked by people for advice regarding their personal and professional lives and I usually start with questions such as, “What happens in your mind? What do you see, hear, feel, and think?” It is shocking how few people are able to answer these relatively straightforward questions, yet the answers are the key to overcoming many people’s challenges. The good news is that it is fairly easy to develop this self awareness.

A simple, yet powerful, meditation technique is to create a silent watcher over your own mind. Its a simple practice that you can begin to develop into a daily habit. Take a small part of your attention and assign this part the task of watching everything that flutters through your mind. Imagine this part as a video camera that records everything, to be stored and analyzed almost immediately after it occurs. Stop reading for a few brief moments, and try this RIGHT NOW! As you begin to develop this ability, you can notice thoughts, stories, narratives, emotions, reactions, and many other processes going on in your mind. By watching and then analyzing yourself at all times, in all situations, you can discover what kinds of thoughts are going through your mind, which will quickly bring realizations and epiphanies about your own beliefs, motivations, actions, and reactions.

The only way a fish can understand water is by getting onto the shore, and looking back down into the water. You are the fish and the water represents your thoughts. In order to understand, analyze, and ultimately steer your mind, you first need to watch yourself from the outside, as a passive observer. At first, this may seem to be strange, or daunting as the self now how has to pay attention to the self, but it quickly becomes second nature. I want to make it very clear that the watcher or observer must not participate or be in any way involved in what is going on in the mind. This means that it should not make comments or judgments on what is seen, but simply observe passively and report, similar to a surveillance camera.

Be patient and do not become discouraged if you forget or become distracted, this is completely natural. Keep with it, and in time you will develop the ability to keep mental track of the chaotic landscape of the mind without becoming distracted from daily activities. If I could recommend any one meditation technique in the world, this would be it. It is crucial key to opening the door to self awareness, personal growth, stress management, mental clarity, and peace of mind.

Breathing is something so automatic that we frequently take it for granted. It is directly tied to our emotions and state of mind. Have you ever noticed that in a deep state of concentration, it is as if you are not breathing at all and, after a while, you give a long sigh to catch up. When we are in this frame of mind we tend to automatically hold our breath. The reverse happens when we are agitated or energized -we tend to take many quick breaths. In a relaxed state, we can experience and become aware of the slow deep breathing that happens automatically. By first watching our breathing and how it affects our state of mind and emotions, we can then learn to use it to our advantage. Here are a few simple meditation techniques for controlling and working with the breath.

Three- Part Breath: Inhaling slowly and deeply, notice which part of your body appears to receive the breath and where does the air move to as you complete the inhalation. As you begin to bring air into your body, the first part of the inhalation fills your abdomen. You should feel the abdomen expand outward a little, filling like a balloon. In the second part of the same inhalation, the air begins to move to the middle of the chest, and finally the upper lungs. You should feel three separate sections of the torso filling, expanding, and contracting as you inhale and exhale slowly. The reverse movement should happen on the exhale. This is a very powerful exercise and can be done to a count or with a  mantra addition.

Alternate Nostril Breathing: Closing one nostril, begin to draw in breath through the remaining nostril – start with a count of five. As you reach the five count, stop inhaling through that nostril, switch and close of the nostril you were just breathing through. Now, exhale with the alternate nostril also counting to five. When you are done exhaling, keep the hand on the closed nostril, inhale for another five count and switch to the other nostril for a five count exhale. Alternating this way back and forth until you feel comfortable switching to a 2:1 ration. For every five count on the inhalation, exhale for a ten count. Keep this ration, you can vary the inhale and exhale count as you become more adept and your lung capacity increases. Notice any difference either mental, or physical as you alternate this nostril breathing. People frequently find that the sides feel different, are able to breath in longer or shorter. This is fine and over time this technique will balance the two sides.

Fire Breath: Begin by drawing a deep breath in, exhale in rapid short bursts through the nostrils focusing on the lower abdomen. Placing your hand on the abdomen, you should feel a pulsing outward push with every exhalation. As the name suggests, this is a highly effective exercise for creating internal fire and heat and should therefore be practiced with caution.

I recently wrote an article about the Law of Attraction, where I outlined 4 steps in a process of manifesting intent in your life. In this follow up article, I want to give specific ways that you can make your intentions more powerful and real. The more vivid, clear, and concrete your intention is, the quicker and closer the outcome will be to what you imagine.

See yourself in it: When you see yourself inside the scene that you wish to happen, you make it that much more powerful. Imagine seeing yourself in the exact mood, surrounding, and situation that you would like to happen, you can even bring in other people that will help you make this manifestation become reality. Clarity, focus, and realism are key.

Action: When you see the scene happening, try to create action, aliveness, and vividness. If there are people, they can be moving, talking, cheering, smiling. If there are no people, see yourself in motion, get some feeling into this mental movie and make sure you can actually feel the motion in your body, that is one sign that your body is going along with the mental movie.

Focused: Make sure that you clear your mind, before beginning this meditation. A clear mind is able to focus much more then a distracted and scattered one. It is the difference between a lightbulb that scatters light everywhere and a laser beam that hits a small spot with all it’s power – 100′ away from the source. You want your intention to be that focused, and clear so that there can be no doubt or confusion as to what you want to manifest.

Multi-sensory: Because life is perceived through all of the senses, the mental movie should mimic real life as much as possible. Therefore, if your intention is to have the perfect chocolate cake on Thursday, you should be seeing the cake, smelling the cake, tasting the cake. Meanwhile, imagine the feeling of holding that fork in your hand as you bring the first piece to your mouth. The more senses are involved, the stronger the intention will be.

Time: The frequency with which you repeat this meditation will also determine the speed with which it manifests itself. In my own life, if I want to attract something or somebody, I practice this meditation daily until the imaginary outcome becomes the real thing. Running through this exercise for the first time may take a while, but once it is well formed it becomes easy, quick, and much more clear. The power and effect increase dramatically with every repetition similar to practicing any other skill, the more you do it, the better you get.