07.21.08
It’s a Hectic World Out There,… Slow Down, Your Health Depends On It!
With our hectic lives and fast pace living, do you find yourself tired, burned out or in pain? Well take time for yourself, you can’t keep going at this pace. The chances of you getting sick or injured are high if you are constantly going all the time. From work to picking up the kids, running errands, cleaning the house, fixing dinner, and out door chores like gardening and mowing the lawn. All of this consent running around and not taking time to relax and do something for yourself is going to either make you ill or cause an injury, strain or sprain.
The ideal thing would be to schedule a massage for yourself,( Sense-Sational Massage 207-850-1014), but if you just can’t find the time here are a few tips to help you stay relaxed and balance. Meditate or just take time to do nothing, your body and mind will thank you for it.
How to Meditate
There are many different meditation methods, but at the core of each is the goal to focus and
eventually quiet your mind. Remember, meditating isn’t about sitting in awkward positions. As you progress, you will find that you can meditate anywhere and at any time, accessing an inner calm no matter what’s going on around you. But first, you have to learn to tame your mind. StepsMake time to meditate. Set aside enough time in your daily routine for meditating. The effects of meditation are most noticeable when you do it regularly and consistently rather than sporadically.
Some people will find a five minute meditation worthwhile, for others, the benefits of longer meditation are well worth the time.
You can meditate at any time of day; some people like to start their day off with meditation, others like to end the day by clearing their mind, and some prefer to find refuge in meditation in the middle of a busy day. Generally, however, the easiest time to meditate is in the morning, before the day’s events tire your body out and give your mind more to think about.
Don’t meditate immediately following a meal, or when you are likely to be hungry. The body’s digestive system can be very distracting.
Find or create a quiet, relaxing environment. It’s especially important, when you’re starting out, to avoid any obstacles to attention. Turn off any TV sets, phone(s) or other noisy appliances. If you play music, make sure it’s calm, repetitive and gentle, so as not to break your concentration. Meditating outside can be conducive, as long as you don’t sit near a busy roadway or another source of loud noise.
Sit on level ground. Sit on a cushion if the ground is uncomfortable. You don’t have to twist your limbs into the lotus position or adopt any unusual postures. The important thing is to keep your back straight, as this will help with breathing later on.
You can also meditate on a chair. Make sure your back is straight (whether you lean against the chair or sit free does not matter). Your feet should rest solidly on the ground.
Any position in which you’re relaxed but your back is straight is permissible, even lying down - but be careful that you’re not so relaxed that you fall asleep. In warm weather, consider watching the clouds.
Keep your eyes half-open without focusing on anything. If this is too distracting or difficult, close them or find something steady to focus on such as a small candle flame.
Breathe deeply and slowly from your abdomen rather than your chest. You should feel your stomach rise and fall while your chest stays relatively still.
Relax every muscle in your body. Don’t rush this, as it takes time to fully relax. Do it bit by bit, starting at your toes, and working up to your head, until the tension melts away.
Focus your attention. You may notice that your mind wants to wander, bouncing from thought to thought, making observations about other things. Gently bring your attention back to a single point until it rests there naturally. The goal is to allow the “chattering” in your mind to gradually fade away. Find an “anchor” to settle your mind.
Let your attention rest on the flow of your breath. Listen to it, follow it, but make no judgments on it (such as “It sounds a little raspy…maybe I’m getting a cold?”).
To overcome verbal chatter, recite a mantra (repetition of a sacred word). A single word like “om” uttered at a steady rhythm is best. You can recite it verbally or just with the voice in your mind. Beginners may find it easier to count their breaths. Try counting your breath from 1 to 10, then simply start again at 1.
To circumvent images that keep intruding on your thoughts, visualize a place that calms you. It can be real or imaginary. Imagine you are at the top of a staircase leading to a peaceful place. Count your way down the steps until you are peaceful and relaxed.
For some people, focusing attention on a point or object does exactly the opposite of what meditation is all about. It takes you back to the life of ‘focus’, ‘concentration’, ’strain’. In this case, as an alternative to the above techniques, some meditators recommend un-focusing your attention. Instead of focusing attention on a point or an object, this type of meditation is achieved by attaining a state of zero. Take your attention above all thoughts till a point you lose all attention and all thoughts.
Silence your mind. Once you’ve trained your mind to focus on just one thing at a time, the next step is focus on nothing at all, essentially “clearing” your mind. This requires tremendous discipline but is the pinnacle of meditation. After focusing on a single point as described in the previous step, you can either cast it away, or observe it impartially and let it come and then go, without labeling it as “good” or “bad”. Take the same approach to any thoughts which return to your mind until silence perseveres.
TipsWhat you do with a silent mind is up to you. Some people find that it is a good time to introduce an intention or a desired outcome to the subconscious mind. Others prefer to “rest” in the rare silence that meditation affords. Read up on the different types of meditation and their purposes.
You should be comfortable enough to concentrate, but not so comfortable that you feel the urge to fall asleep.
Make some effort to be mindful of your mood and thoughts when not meditating. You may notice that you feel calmer, happier, and sharper on days when you have meditated, and notice a decrease in these qualities when you have not.
It may be beneficial to mentally review or replay the previous day at the start of your sessions, if you can do so in a relaxed, passive way. This often happens naturally, and sometimes it’s best to allow this to happen, as long as you don’t get emotionally wrapped up or let it go on too long before beginning meditation. This procedure is known as “processing” of recent events, and becoming skilled at performing a non-judgmental review of events does much to increase awareness and emotional well-being.
The benefits of meditation can be experienced long before the practitioner has been successful in maintaining focus or clearing the mind, simply as a result of the practice.
Set aside a specific time each day for meditation, but don’t overdo it. If 20-30 minutes in the morning isn’t enough, add another session later in the day instead of trying for a single, longer session.
It is easy to loose track of time while meditating. Being concerned about time can be distracting to meditation. Some people find it liberating to set a timer and let it be concerned about how long you have to meditate. Choose a gentle timer. If it is too jarring, the anticipation of the alarm can be distracting also.
Some people find that praying can be an effective form of meditation, and they believe in meditating, or “praying through,” perhaps for hours to find peace. For peace, naturally your prayer would not be “begging,” but more like being grateful for your breath and acknowledging your many blessings… rather than complaining.
Warnings Don’t expect immediate results. The purpose of meditation is not to turn you into a Zen master overnight. Meditation works best when it is done for its own sake, without becoming attached to results.
If you find your mind is wandering, try not to scold or beat up on yourself about it. Wandering restlessly is the normal state of the conditioned mind. This is the first lesson many people learn in meditation and it is a valuable one. Simply, gently, invite your attention back to your breath, remembering that you’ve just had a small but precious “awakening.” Becoming aware of your wandering mind is a success, not a failure.
Some people find it’s difficult to meditate immediately before bedtime. If you’re very sleepy, you may find yourself nodding off. Conversely, meditating may energize your mind, making it more difficult to fall asleep.
As you meet other people who meditate, you’ll encounter a few who will boast about their endurance for long meditation sessions–even hours and hours at a sitting. Don’t be tempted to change your practice to “keep up.” Meditation is not competitive.
Avoid bad dreams: if pleading and begging in prayer is your form of meditation, change that to being thankful and blessing others–in prayer and in life–to help you progress, sleep, and avoid bad dreams, proven by practitioners.
Borrowed from: http://www.wikihow.com/Meditate
How to Do Nothing
For those of us who are non-stop workaholics, doing nothing can actually be pretty difficult! If you’re like the Energizer bunny in that you keep going, and going, and going, here’s how to stop once in a while, think pleasant thoughts, visit the beach, stare at the water, and just do nothing.
Of course, the fact that this page has been accessed by you indicates two things:
You are on the path towards achieving your goal of doing nothing and are serious about it.
The very fact that you are accessing this page and finding out how to ‘do nothing, indicates you are doing something and therefore, violates your goal. 
Stop doing, start lazing!
[edit] StepsPlan ahead. Whether it’s an hour, a day, a week, a month, or a year of doing nothing, cancel all of your appointments for that block of time. Try to pick the most boring week or day, a day where you’ll most likely sleep most of the time.
Let people know. Tell everyone that you’re going to be “busy” and will be unavailable. Whether you choose to tell them that you’re actually setting aside some time to do nothing, or you just give them the vague explanation “I’m going to be busy” (busy doing nothing!), tell them not to call, visit, or interrupt unless it’s a real emergency.
Find a quiet, private place. Go somewhere you don’t feel pressured to do anything. This might be your bedroom, the backyard, or a local park. Find that place and go there.
Set your alarm. Set an alarm of some kind to go off when your “nothing” time is over, so that you don’t have to constantly look at the clock and count the minutes.
Turn off the phone. Turn off your cell phone, work phone, pager, PDA, Blackberry, computer, Beeper, Radio, Tv, Iphone and any other means of sending or receiving calls or messages. These distractions will only keep you from enjoying the nothing.
Sit by yourself. Feel the wind, the sun on your face, the chair touching your bottom. Listen to the rustle of the trees, birds chirping, water flowing. Never think about the past or future. Avoid the temptation to turn on the TV, listen to music, write a note to yourself, get a bite to eat, or anything else. The only thing you should do is go to the bathroom (if needed).
Learn how to free your mind. Clear your mind of all thoughts of work, worries, family, etc. by simply letting them go. Doing this not only allows your body to do nothing, but your mind as well. However, do not be worried if you find yourself thinking of things. Freeing up one’s mind is actually very difficult to master, and often requires more discipline than some free time (Buddhist monks, for example, dedicate their entire lives to freeing their minds).
TipsSetting aside some free time to do nothing on a regular basis is very healthy for your mind, body, and emotional life, especially if you find that you’re really wearing yourself thin. Often times, we are encouraged by the actions of our fast-paced, high-information society to believe that staying busy is a normal and natural state of existence. Remember, there is no guilt in giving yourself some private downtime. How often you do nothing is up to you, but it should be a rejuvenating experience.
Once you become good at doing nothing, you can use this new found time and energy to think of things, instead. This would not be doing “nothing,” but thinking while shutting out the world. Focusing on one thing this way will help you to concentrate better than having your mind zoom over a million thoughts a minute.
If you live in a small apartment, set aside a corner of a larger room with floor pillows, a softly scented candle and maybe a cozy throw. If these things aren’t available, just find a quiet place for yourself.
Try to temporarily forget about that work you have to get done, that test you need to study for, or that place you need to be, and just relax. Eventually, you will learn to plan what you will think about and not think about while doing nothing.
If you have an intimate companion, try doing nothing together.
If you really can’t handle the idea (or guilt) of doing nothing, then learn how to fish. That way you just lay by a river and say, “I’m not doing nothing, I’m fishing!”
If your parent asks what you’re doing, and doesn’t believe you are doing nothing, say you’re daydreaming.
Warnings At first you may feel nervous, sad, and restless. Try to relax and understand that doing nothing does not mean that you’re being unproductive or irresponsible. Keep in mind that you are doing this in order to clear your mind and ultimately extend your life so that you will have even more time. Ultimately, setting time aside to recharge your batteries will make you more productive, creative, and more able to concentrate in the long run, and that’s very good for work, school, or other.
If you are exhausted while you try to do nothing, you may end up falling asleep. If this happens, consider adding more sleep to your daily routine.
Remember not to do this for too long…eventually, you’ve gotta do something! Or maybe not!
Borrowed from: http://www.wikihow.com/Do-Nothing
Shellie Morin LMT
Owner of
Sense-Sational Massage
207-850-1014
www.sensesationalmassage.com
I have decided to start offering 1/2 off massages.
