How to Overcome Common Obstacles During Your Meditation Practice

Is your meditation practice turning into an obstacle course? Are you wondering whether you should even be having any thoughts at all? Are you feeling more stress now that you've started meditating? It's very likely that your original reason for seeking a meditation practice was to reduce stress, not to increase it!

As a meditation instructor I've had students comment on the many obstacles they've encountered, the stressful feeling of not knowing if they're doing it right or even wondering if they'll gain any of the benefits at all. Well, that sounds pretty stressful to me. In order to experience the benefits of a meditation practice you must be willing to work through some obstacles and having an idea of what those obstacles are, can make a big difference in your approach to find solutions.

Following are some common obstacles you may encounter and some solutions that could work for you (obstacle: solution).

Obstacle: I don't have enough time!

Solution: Make meditation a daily practice. Placing your meditation practice on your daily to-do list must be a priority. Don't meditate just when you feel like it or when time allows. Meditation is a discipline that takes practice and when the benefits start showing up, they'll reinforce your practice.

Obstacle: My mantra is too long/too short!

Solution: Remember that your mantra is just a vehicle for transport, don't analyze it or wonder if it's working. It's like a taxi that takes you to the airport, then leaves. Your mantra is a faint idea that will disappear once it serves its purpose.

Obstacle: I'm having too many thoughts!

Solution: Accept that your thoughts are part of the meditation process. The nature of your mind is to think, so that means that you'll have many, many thoughts. Your thoughts will come and go, don't analyze them, just observe them and let them go.

Obstacle: I want results now!

Solution: Let go of any expectations you may have regarding your meditation results. If you're expecting to change overnight because you've been meditating for a week, it's not going to happen. Meditation is a process like baking; you gather, you mix, and then you bake. Your goodies will turn up, so just keep at it.

Obstacle: I'm too tense!

Solution: Relax and practice effortlessly. Be gentle with yourself because meditation is a time for non-doing. If you stress over your meditation practice, you defeat the whole purpose of meditation. Meditation should never be forced. If you force yourself, you will struggle.

You may think these solutions are easier said than done, however, the results you get will be determined by your willingness to reap the benefits of meditation such as stress-reduction, finding peace with yourself (and others), and most of all, living a healthier life.

It's your meditation time, so don't allow it to turn into a stress-related obstacle course. Wonder no more whether you should be having thoughts or not; just look forward to enjoying the benefits of stress-reduction and your original reason for wanting to learn a meditation practice. Remember that your commitment is to yourself and no one else.

Krystalina Soash is a published author, meditation instructor, and translator. She has two published works, "Your Positive Potential: Action Steps for Self-Empowerment" and "Writing Tips for Student Projects and New Freelance Writers."

You may visit Krystalina at http://www.writingforyounow.com/

Original article

But I'm Too Hyper To Meditate!

Are you one of those antsy-type of people who are often and incessantly bouncing a foot, tapping a pen, biting your nails, or otherwise fidgeting? Do you find that sitting still for extensive period of times is a test?

It might just be that sitting still to meditate is not the right type of meditation for you. If you would wish to learn how to meditate, then walking meditation might possibly just be a more useful choice for you.

If you have never heard of walking meditation before - don't worry. It is not as strange as it sounds. It is easy to learn and very effective tool for combating stress, especially when it is used on a regular basis.

Walking meditation comes in a slew of original forms. However, an easy one for you to get started with is to just solely concentrate on your foot hitting the solid ground with each step -- saying, "Left, right, left, right" with the relevant step.

The purpose of walking meditation is to allow you to hone in your thoughts as you pay attention to your feet hitting the pavement or walking up a flight of stairs; rather than just allowing your thoughts to run wild.

Here are a few ideas to help you get started with walking meditation.

1) While you are walking, you should shift your attention to your feet.

2) Be sure to walk at an average pace, or even thinking about walking at a slower pace in order to allow you to have increased focus on your steps.

3) Pay attention to the sensation that you feel as you take each step. Do you notice pressure, tingling, prickling?

4) As you take each step on your left foot, silently declare to yourself "left." Do the same for your right foot until you're in a steady tempo of "left, right; left, right."

5) If you see yourself getting distracted and all of a sudden realize that you are getting your lefts and rights mixed up then you have lost focus. Just begin over again from step # 1 and you'll soon enough be back on track.

Set aside a bit of time each day to do your walking meditation; you can absolutely make this a useful part of your day. Try it when you walk to and from the train station, while taking your dog for a walk in the morning, or going up a flight of stairs in your home.

Make a plan for yourself to discern just how many ways you are able to fit walking meditation into your life each and every day! What a great way to keep moving in a productive way that can also help you to focus and relieve a little bit of stress!

Kaylee Murphy is a psychotherapist who helps people manage and reduce stress in order to have more joy, freedom and better health. To get her free ebook so you can learn easy and clever stress reduction techniques visit her website today =====> http://www.kayleedmurphy.com/.

Original article

Sparkling Breath Meditation

Find a comfortable posture to maintain for 10 to 20 minutes. If you are lying down, lie in Savasana (shah-VAH-sa-nah) - heels together, toes apart, legs relaxed**, spine long, shoulder blades tucked under, back of the neck long, chin slightly tucked, squeeze arms to your sides but stretch them down as far as you can, palms face up. (If you are seated in a chair, feet are flat on the floor, back is straight, neck neutral, chin level with the floor, hands rest on legs either palms up or down. Please refer to the end of the article for additional suggestions on what you may need to be comfortable.)

Establish an easy, rhythmic breathing pattern; breathing out and in for equal lengths of time (count slowly to 4 each way). Breathing soft and steady, easily and deeply, a pattern smooth and strong emerges.

Your eyes close gently. Behind your eyelids is darkness - total and complete. You are enveloped and surrounded, comforted and soothed by the absolute absence of light. Breathe it in, become with it as one. Darkness/blackness - you breathe it in, you breathe it out.

Gradually you become aware of a glowing light hovering over your face. It glows warmly growing and expanding. It sparkles brightly with golden and silver pin pricks of light almost seeming to dance and roll in place hovering over you. This light is pleasantly warm - just the right temperature.

As you lay gazing at the glowing and sparkling energy, think about all the 'things' that lurk inside you that you no longer have need of. Consider any negative emotions such as hatred or bitterness, anger or envy, fear or resentment. Let them bubble up in you. Let them really roil around. Also consider sadness, stress, disappointments, disease that might manifest or that has manifested, any pain or hurt you feel physical, emotional or spiritual. Let it all come to the surface of your consciousness. Let it pulse and throb in your body.

Take a moment to fully realize all of these sensations.

Now, as you exhale, visualize these emotions being pulled from every cell in your body starting with the farthest reaches from your lungs - the top of you head, the tips of your fingers and the tips of your toes - see these 'things' streaming out of you as your breath - black and sooty; smoky and thick.

Next, gazing with your mind's eye at the warmly glowing and gently pulsing, sparkling silver and golden energy hovering lovingly above your face, breathe in this healing concoction of energy, oxygen, vitamins, minerals, positivity, healing, relaxation, happiness and light. Draw it deeply into your lungs and throughout your body it flows into every cell from the top of your head, down the arms to the tips of the fingers, through the torso and down the legs to the tips of the toes. This energy fills you completely infusing every single cell right through to the smallest, deepest one.

As you breathe out, this loving energy takes with it any negative energy lurking within you. It pulls out the sooty, thick, smoky undesirables. Whoosh, they stream out as you let them go.

Breathing in, the sparkling energy floods your body to maximum capacity.

Breathing out, the undesirables depart.

With each and every inhale your body is healed, invigorated and renewed.

With each and every exhale your system is unburdened, purged and refreshed.

Breathing in, you sparkle and heal and glow.

Breathing out, you release and let go.

Breathe in, sparkling energy.

Breathe out, let go.

Breathe in, heal and rejoice.

Breathe out, let go.

What You Will Need:

- 20 minutes, undisturbed - schedule it in your planner
- A 'place' that is comfortable and (what you consider to be) safe and private, maybe there is a lock on the door, soft lights, soft instrumental music or just silence for optimal concentration
- Warm socks or a blanket to keep you cozy, non restrictive, non bunching clothing
- Patience/kindness/forgiveness/love

Please email/contact me (seabelle7@gmail.com) if you have any questions regarding this meditation. Please visit my website for more information on yoga and meditation. http://www.yogazoebella.ca/

Thank you. May you find peace and fulfillment.

**alternatively the knees can be bent, feet flat on the floor and wider than hip distance, lean knees together so that legs can relax and stay in position

Original article