These days we are bombarded with internet, TV, radio, smart phone activity and news constantly. In many cases it goes on for all our waking hours. It seems to me that these things are affecting our thinking process. Our brains are constantly shocked with one horrible thing after another.
I had some perplexing times in the eighties, but they were eased by daily meditation. It really worked for me. Somewhere along the way I stopped my meditation, even during more stressful times in the nineties and since the beginning of this century. Lately I have again begun the practice of meditating and I have found it to be working for me. Anyone can do it, it requires no special outfits, no required equipment. It only requires a slice of time, that amount of time is minimal, leaving little excuse for not taking that time to help yourself.
Think about this, do you have 5 minutes in the morning and another 5 at night? That is all it would take to give your brain a rest and make you feel calmer. If I am wrong and this doesn't help you after you try it, you are out no money, no useless sporting outfit, nothing but 5 minutes of time.
Meditation is not easy, 5 minutes of relaxation and calm is tough at first, but once you do begin to get it working it could be the best time of your day, the time you look forward to every day. Once you figure out how to rid yourself of the monkey mind, the rest of your day will be better. If you insist on being online there are sites there with guided meditations. Those may work for some people, they won't hurt you.
Our minds are built to be working 24 hours a day, even in our sleep. The trick is to control what you are thinking about. During the day, you are driving, listening to radio or an audible story, keeping track of the traffic all around you, thinking about what you need to accomplish at work, what you are going to have for supper, any number of things all at once. That is monkey mind. That is why meditation is tough, because monkey mind becomes an ingrained part of you every day. When you sit down to meditate, that monkey mind starts to roar in your head. This is why I say meditation is tough.
I have found that a quiet place, a comfortable upright sitting position on the floor or sitting up in a chair are the key to a good session. Now is where the monkey mind comes after a person. There's a trick to that too. Using a mantra will take care of monkey mind. A mantra is nothing more than a simple word or phrase used to give your brain the task it insists upon. Repeating the mantra focuses the mind on nothing but that. Once you clear the mind of all the myriad of other things you may be wondering or worrying about you need not continue the mantra. If or when those disturbing thoughts begin again you can go back to the mantra until you reach that focus on one thing again. Voicing the mantra out loud is best to start, and you may continue the mantra in silence if necessary. A simple mantra that works for me is the repetition of the word OM, pronounced as ahooooooooom. OM is a word with this meaning:
If you are still reading at this point, I believe you are willing to try meditation. The beauty of it is that it cannot hurt you and if done right it will help tremendously.
I had some perplexing times in the eighties, but they were eased by daily meditation. It really worked for me. Somewhere along the way I stopped my meditation, even during more stressful times in the nineties and since the beginning of this century. Lately I have again begun the practice of meditating and I have found it to be working for me. Anyone can do it, it requires no special outfits, no required equipment. It only requires a slice of time, that amount of time is minimal, leaving little excuse for not taking that time to help yourself.
Think about this, do you have 5 minutes in the morning and another 5 at night? That is all it would take to give your brain a rest and make you feel calmer. If I am wrong and this doesn't help you after you try it, you are out no money, no useless sporting outfit, nothing but 5 minutes of time.
Meditation is not easy, 5 minutes of relaxation and calm is tough at first, but once you do begin to get it working it could be the best time of your day, the time you look forward to every day. Once you figure out how to rid yourself of the monkey mind, the rest of your day will be better. If you insist on being online there are sites there with guided meditations. Those may work for some people, they won't hurt you.
Our minds are built to be working 24 hours a day, even in our sleep. The trick is to control what you are thinking about. During the day, you are driving, listening to radio or an audible story, keeping track of the traffic all around you, thinking about what you need to accomplish at work, what you are going to have for supper, any number of things all at once. That is monkey mind. That is why meditation is tough, because monkey mind becomes an ingrained part of you every day. When you sit down to meditate, that monkey mind starts to roar in your head. This is why I say meditation is tough.
I have found that a quiet place, a comfortable upright sitting position on the floor or sitting up in a chair are the key to a good session. Now is where the monkey mind comes after a person. There's a trick to that too. Using a mantra will take care of monkey mind. A mantra is nothing more than a simple word or phrase used to give your brain the task it insists upon. Repeating the mantra focuses the mind on nothing but that. Once you clear the mind of all the myriad of other things you may be wondering or worrying about you need not continue the mantra. If or when those disturbing thoughts begin again you can go back to the mantra until you reach that focus on one thing again. Voicing the mantra out loud is best to start, and you may continue the mantra in silence if necessary. A simple mantra that works for me is the repetition of the word OM, pronounced as ahooooooooom. OM is a word with this meaning:
If you are still reading at this point, I believe you are willing to try meditation. The beauty of it is that it cannot hurt you and if done right it will help tremendously.
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