This exercise will help with controlling the mind and improving your concentration.

1. Adopt a comfortable position and make sure you are really relaxed before you start.  let go of any tension allowing it to flow away from your body.
2. Bring your attention to your breathing, following it’s natural rhythm.
3. Repeat the word relax to yourself either in your mind or out loud.
4. If you find that your mind starts to wander again gently bring it back in line and repeat the word ‘relax’ in rhythm with your breathing.
5. Continue until you feel completely relaxed and conciously let go of any tension until your whole body is relaxed.

The most suitable affirmations are the ones that help you control the inner chatter.  They should be short and eay to fit into the rhythm of your normal breathing.  The following are some suggestions

‘Let it go’   ‘Peace Forever’  ‘ Wide Awake’ ‘Joyful and free’   ‘Silence’

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Mantras

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Mantras are much the same as affirmations, they are statements that you repeat to yourself.  However unlike affirmations, the quality of the sounds of the mantras are very important.  The sounds are reported to resonate though the body and bring about a transformation of consciousness.

There seems no doubt that some mantras have a magical quality about them and are often used in spiritual traditions. The Muslims,Hindus, Buddhists and Christians have used mantrs for thousands of years.  However you do not have to follow any religion to use a mantra.

mantras can be used to induce a state of total peace or they can be used to increase awareness, alertness or creativity.

The most popular Christion mantra is ‘Alleluia’ which comes from the Hebrew word Hallelu (Which means Praise) and jah (Which means Jehovah) together they mean (Praise God)

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Om Mani Padme Hum is another well known mantra. This is usually used by Buddhists and is used to dispel negative feelings.  It is also thought that this mantra helps keep you alert whilst you relax.  It is said using your breaths and is pronounced ‘Aoom-mani-padmay-hoom.

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Probably the most famous of all the mantras is of Hindu origin and is pronounced a-oo-m . The Hindus believe that om is the sound vibration that underlies the creation of the universe.

The a is sounded like the a In Car. It is considered a very powerful mantra and one that you should choose if  youwant to identify with the oneness of the universe .

The Power of Mantras

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It is probably best to use mantras that are known to work well and then later on you can create your own mantras.  A good mantra should resonate and hum through your body.  You may only be able to concentrate on this exercize for a few minutes at first but  try to build up to about 20 to 30 minutes.

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Love Makes The World Go Round

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Affirmations are statements that you repeat to yourself either aloud or quietly,over and over again. The constant repetition eventually becomes meaningless and you become aware only of the sound of the affirmation in your head.  Many people think that these affirmations are pointless but you need to persevere as they may seem silly but they are a very powerful tool and they do have some really positive effects on your mind and your overall  well-being.

Affirmations can be used to reprogramme your mind into a more positive way of thinking.  They help you focus and calm the inner chatter.  For instance someone who has to make a speech  but is not used to making them may get tense but making the affirmation that “I am a good public speaker”  repeatedly gives them confidence even though they may not believe  it at first the repetition of saying it instills the thought in their mind until eventually it becomes becomes comfortable and they then become natural speakers.  Elvis Presley used to suffer stage fright so he used to have his dressing room 1000 paces from te stage so that he could tell himself that he was confident that he would give his best and by the time he got to the stage he was always ready to give his best.

AS the statement becomes familiar the left hand side of the brain no longer has to analyse it so it passes unhindered to the right hand side of the brain.  The right hand side of the brain does not judge it is only concerned with emotion and sensation so it will accept the thought without question and then tranform it into a possitive feeling.  The fear of failure goes away and the new self confidence emerges.

You can use many afffirmations as long as it gives you a good feeling about yourself and the situation you need help with.  make sure that your affirmation is said in a confident tone and is easy to say.

Some examples are

• I am at peace with myself and the world.
• I am completely relaxed and stress free.
• I am confident in all that I do.
• I forgive myself for my shortcomings.
• I am beautiful and loved.
• I can do anything that I put my mind to.

It often helps to write down your affirmations and put them on the fridge or on a pin board or some other place where you can see it.

In meditation, affirmations are used for a different purpose, they stop the chatter of the brain.  When meditating if you are finding it hard to stop your mind from distracting you by repeating a simple affirmation you can block the communication channel and your mind cannot feed you negative  thoughts.

It works on the same principal as counting your breaths, you block out distractions  by concentating your mind on something else.  many people find it easier to concentrate on affirmations than they do on counting the breaths.

Using affirmations help you  see yourself and your life in a more positive light.  As the purpose of affirmations is to block distracting thoughts from our mind and stop the chatter, the meaning of the affirmation is not important, it could be a single sound, like a bell or just saying “ah or um” over and over again.  The idea will soon take root in the right hand side of the brain (the subconscious mind) . Remember the idea is that it stops the chatter not feed the brain with ideas that may distract you further.

The best time to repeat an affirmation is when you are relaxed as you will be better able to counteract the chatter in this state.  The thought behind your affirmation will move more quickly to the realm of  feeling.  If you are having trouble relaxing  do the relaxing exercise first.

The main thing to remember with your affirmations is that you should repeat them regulary and repeat them for as long as feels comfortable.  Start by brepeating your affirmation three times each session and repeating them three times a day.

We spend much of our time ‘Sleepwalking’.  We are unaware of what is happening around us and perform actions automatically.  We take little notice who is sitting next to us on the train or bus or even the scenery that is passing us outside.  Mindfulness helps us to live in the present and reclaim each moment, so that we miss nothing.

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A certain amount of automatic response is not necessarily a bad thing as it allows us to remember things and plan ahead.  Cultivating  mindfullness heightens our awareness and makes it easier to perform our tasks more efficiently.

To develop mindfulness we have to keep ourselves in the present and notice everything that is going on around us.  We need to notice every sensation.  nothing should escape your attention.  You should not judge anything just watch and feel. When you are living in the present everything will take on a new meaning such as colours becoming more vivid, objects becoming more striking in detail and even hearing every note in a piece of music. The smell of the flowers more intense. To cultivate this you need to do the mindful awareness.

1. Bring your mind back from whatever you are doing and fully concentrate on the present, whatever you are doing at the moment.  Whether it’s eating your food or taking a bath or shower, or walking home you should start doing it using all your senses, the taste, the smell, the feel and ask yourself what you are doind and what you are experiencing and what you are feeling.
2. You may find your mind trying to distact you  but when you notice these thoughts arise but don’t follow them just bring your mind and let the other thoughts go.  You will then find yourself moving into a peaceful alpha state  and you should keep this state going for as long as you cam.
3. Mindful meditation will help you see the beauty of everything around you from the tinist flower to the things and people around you. You will become more aware of you r surroundings and more at peace with everything around you.

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Meditation at Love Makes The World Go Round

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Although it is helpful to create the right atmosphere to meditate in there may be other times when you feel like meditating such as on a train or during your tea break.  That’s fine as you will find that as your concentration improves you will find that you can meditate anywhere.  You will even be able to meditate in the middle of a crowded room.

Relaxation

Being able to relax is essential for meditation.  Today’s lifestyle is more stressful than ever before.  There is increased pressures on families, increased pressures at  work and on finances.

Some stress is good as it helps to motivate us to take actions to improve our lifestyles.  In normal life we do not have an outlet for our stress.  It is not always  possible to walk out  of a stressful meeting or away from stressful situation.  The chemicals given off into your body when you are distressed stay in your body and have an adverse effect on your digestive system and immune systems and the long term effects can lead to serious illness.

Learning to relak

Relaxation is essential to good health as it helps combat stress and gives the body a chance to rejuvenate and replenish it’s energy.  It is very essential t relax before and after meditation in order to maintain the alpha state.

Suggestions to help you relax

• Relax in a hot bath before meditating
• Have a massage
• Listen to some gentle music
• Go for a walk
• Join a relaxation class or yoga class

Relaxing the body

1. Adopt the lying down position, close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Concentrate your attention on the top your head and notice the tension there, locate the tension and then let it go and relax.
2. Move your attention down to your forehead and release any tension there .  Relax your eyebrows and eyelids, your jaw, ears, nose, mouth and nostrils and release any tension as relax taking note of your breathing.
3. Now move your attention to your neck and then down through your shoulders, arms and hands and release the tension in these spots.  Then move your concentration down to your chest area, then your stomach and abdomen relaxing each part as you go .  Finally move your focus down to your legs and feet and relax the tension here.
4. Concentrate on your breathing again for a few minutes and if you feel the tension coming back again locate where it is coming from and relax it again.  This will get easier every time that you practice it.
5. Come back from the mediatation and slowly open your eyes. keeping your breathing steady.  You should now feel refreshed and relaxed.

Meditation has been used for thousands of years as a way of finding inner harmony.  All major religions like Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism use meditation in their teachings as a way to gain spiritual enlightenment.  It helps conquer stress and depression and also addictions such as smoking, alcohol and drugs.  Meditation helps improve concentration and it increases self-awareness therefore enabling people to relax and cope better.  Many people say that meditation improves their physical as well as their mental well-being.

Studies into the effects of meditation have shown reduction in migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety and depression, panic attacks, insomnia as well as lowering blood pressure and improving circulation. Doctors are now recognising the therapeutic benefits of meditation and some are going as far as recommending meditation exercises to help treat stress- related symptoms.

Meditation is no longer a secret held by mystics and it is now becoming a popular way of life for more and more people.  You do not need to be fit and young to do meditation as it can be done sitting down. It is therefore an exercise that all can partake in. You do not need hours of free time as once practiced you can top up in minutes.

Meditation is recognised by a lot of well known people and celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Richard Gere, Madonna and Cher.

Mind Control

There is no longer any doubt that the minds ability to analyse, plan, discriminate and communicate has assisted us to reach the position we are in today.  However, although our mind can help us to reason, relate to others and think creatively, unless we use it properly it can overwhelm us and fill us with fear and self doubt.

Meditation can help us silence the inner chatter and eliminate negative thoughts and therefore create a feeling of inner peace.

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What Is Meditation

Meditation is more than simple relaxation as  when you are relaxing the mind tends to wander but during meditation the mind is focused and stays alert.  By using meditation to stop the wandering we can experience things as they really are.

Meditation is a method of controlling the mind. Different people use different methods to meditate as there are thousands of different exercises that can be used.

Most of them have one thing in common – they all start with a period of relaxation.

During this period the mind is given a focus point with which to concentrate on.  If the mind starts to wander it is bought back gently to the point of focus.

A lot of people find this part hard at first but it becomes easier with practice. Even ten or twenty minutes a day will show significant improvement very quickly and as the mind works on repetition it soon becomes as easy as counting to ten.

Meditation does not have to be hard work, it should be enjoyable.  Once you start feeling the benefit you will want to practice it more and more.

Some exercises call for focusing on a particular object such as a candle flame or a sound.  Some use chants others use concentration to focus on your breathing.

The left side of the brain deals with thinking, speaking and writing.  When we are awake and are busy thinking the brain emits faster electrical patterns that we call beta waves.  When in this state we are able to rationalise and think about our past and our future.  The right side of the brain deals with imagination, intuition and feeling.  When we are sensing something –perhaps listening to music- we are in a receptive rather than an active state, the brain emits slower electrical patterns called Alpha waves.  When in the alpha state we let ourselves live in the present rather than in the future or the past.  This usually happens just before we go to sleep.  When we are asleep the brain emits theta waves and delta waves.

We are in beta most of the time when we are awake and only spend about an hour a day in alpha state.  By using meditation we restore the balance by spending more time in alpha state.

IT may be difficult to find the time to meditate.  May of us have very busy lives working and raising families but it only takes a little reorganisation and planning and once incorporated in your routine it becomes a habit.

To some people the word meditation conjures up thought of monks spending their days sitting in caves or temples in some far remote place in trance-like states.

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Creating a Space for Meditation

Try to find a peaceful spot or a quiet room that you can reserve for your meditation.

Don’t worry if it’s not possible you can still create the right atmosphere by using a special chair or some calming sounds or music.  Do not be tempted to meditate in bed,

as it is too easy to fall asleep.  The most important thing is find somewhere quiet where you will not be disturbed.

Correct posture and breathing are essential for good meditation practice.  This does not mean that you have to learn yoga.

You can sit on a chair; stool or a bench or you can sit on the floor or even lie down.

Cross-legged posture

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Sit on the floor and cross your legs.  Sit upright with your back straight and your head and spine in alignment.  Rest your hands on your knees ( you can sit cross-legged on a cushion if you find it more comfortable)

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Kneeling Posture

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Kneel on the floor; knees together, buttocks on your heels and toes almost touching.  Keep your back and spine in alignment and rest your hands on your thighs.

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Lying Down Posture

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This is also known as the corpse posture in yoga.  Simply lie on the floor preferably on a carpeted floor or on a rug or exercise mat.  Keep your legs straight but relaxed and let your arms rest comfortably by your sides.  This posture is not particularly ideal for meditation as it is easy to fall asleep.

Close your eyes and breathe normally for a few breath’s.

Focus your attention on your breathing and start counting downwards from twenty.

Feel the air going in and out as you breathe.  You may notice how your mind starts to distract you from your counting (if this happens just bring it back each time you are distracted or sidetracked.  When you have finished come back from the meditation slowly and open your eyes.