Relax And Think ClearlyWritten by Steve Gillman
Learning To Be In The MomentImagine thinking clearly, and feeling relaxed at will. Could you get more done? Enjoy life more? Would you like to know how to do that right now? Start by learning how to put yourself more in moment with a simple mindfulness exercise. Basic Mindfulness ExercisesA basic mindfulness exercise begins with sitting down, relaxing and breathing deeply. Close your eyes and pay attention to your breathing, following breath in and out a few times. Then move your attention to your body, one part at a time, noticing any sensations of cold, hot, tight, sore or anything you can identify. After a few minutes, start listening to sounds of room, without judging, criticising or thinking about them. Just listen for a minute. Open your eyes and look around as if seeing for first time. Rest your eyes on any object for half a minute. Examine it without talking about it in your mind. Repeat this with another object, and then another, while still maintaining an awareness of your body and breath. Continue this state of mindfulness until you're ready to get up. When sensing your body, your breath, and your immediate surroundings, you are more fully "in moment." A mindfulness exercise like this puts your mind in a receptive state while removing mental distractions that hinder clear thinking. It leaves you ready to work mentally. Do this before important mental tasks and you'll find you have more focus and concentration.
| | A Forty-Five-Second MeditationWritten by Steve Gillman
Is Meditating Too Much Time And Trouble?If you haven't meditated before, you might think it's too much trouble to learn. If you do meditate, you know it can be difficult to find time to do it consistently. So is there really a meditation you can learn right now that can be done in 45 seconds? There is. Three Deep BreathsTry this: breath through your mouth, and notice how your chest expands; then breath through your nose and you'll notice how your abdomen goes out more. You see, breathing through nose causes diaphram to pull air to bottom of your lungs. This delivers a good dose of oxygen into your bloodstream, and into your brain. It also tends to relax you. This is why meditators breath through their noses. It's healthier, and it is basis of this forty-five-second meditation. You simply close your eyes, let go of your thoughts (to extent possible), and take three slow, deep breaths through your nose, paying attention to your breathing. The Rest Of The StoryNow, this won't get you into a deep meditative state, especially if you've never meditated before. Is this a reason not to do it? Not at all. You'll get what you get out of it, and that almost certainly includes a clearer mind and a reduction in stress.
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