Courses @ MIND & SPIRIT

Meditation is one of the proven alternative therapies. In the state of meditation, a person sees with the mind’s eye in a new way. There are many types of meditation. The one definition that fits almost all types is..."Consciously directing your attention to alter your state of consciousness."
There's no limit to the things you can direct your attention toward... symbols, sounds, colors, breath, uplifting thoughts, spiritual realms, etc. Meditation is simply about attention... where you direct it, and how it alters your consciousness.

Tradionally meditation was (and still is) used for spiritual growth..i.e. becoming more conscious; unfolding our inner Light, Love & Wisdom; becoming more aware of the guiding presence in our lives; accelerating our journey home

to our True Self... our Spirit.
More recently, meditation has become a valuable tool for finding a peaceful oasis of relaxation and stress relief in a demanding, fast-paced world.

Put your expectations aside, and don't worry about doing it right. There are infinite possibilities and no fixed criterion for determining right meditation. There are, however, a few things to avoid.
They are...

It's not necessary - or advisable - to meditate on a completely empty stomach. If you're hungry, have a little something to eat before meditating.
Find a quiet comfortable place to meditate. You can sit in a comfortable chair, on the bed, on the floor... anywhere that's comfortable. It's not necessary to sit cross-legged. Your legs can be in any position that is comfortable.

Eliminate as much noise and as many potential distractions as possible. Don't worry about those things that you can not control.
When you sit to meditate, sit comfortably, with your spine reasonably straight. This allows the spiritual energy to flow freely up the spine, which is an important aspect of meditation. Leaning against a chair back, a wall, headboard, etc. is perfectly all right. If, for physical reasons, you can't sit up, lay flat on your back.
Place your hands in any position that is comfortable.
If it does not go against your beliefs, call on a "higher source" for assistance in your meditation. Any form is all right. This can be quite helpful, but is not absolutely necessary.

Science recommends Meditation for Healing and Improving Your Health
Did you know that meditation, through scientific studies, has been proven to have lots of health effects.

During meditation, oxygen consumption drops by 8 to 18 percent and it produces a deeper state of rest than sleep. In fact, 75 percent of insomniacs were able to sleep normally when they meditated
Meditation is the only activity that reduces blood lactate, a marker of stress and anxiety.
Meditation decreases the stress hormone, cortisol, and increases the calming hormones melatonin and serotonin.
Meditators secrete more of the youth-related hormone DHEA as they age than non-meditators. Meditating 45-year-old males have an average of 25 percent more DHEA than non-meditators, and meditating females have an average of 45 percent more. Wow! DHEA is one of those supplements people describe for anti-aging benefits because it lowers stress, heightens memory, preserves sexual function, and helps control weight.
Meditation has a profound effect upon three key indicators of aging: (1) hearing ability, (2) it lowers blood pressure, and (3) helps close object vision.
Long-term meditators experience 85 percent less heart disease and 55 percent less cancer than non-meditators. That’s a good reason to start meditating.
35% of people with chronic pain significantly reduced their pain medication when they began meditating.
Meditation is known to produce “spontaneous remissions” in 10% of cancer cases, can help get rid of psoriasis, and is a great way to reduce blood pressure. It also is a critical component of alcoholic anonymous programs and other programs to help people beat addictions

These are some of the benefits of meditations you can have. Now, as you’ve a sound knowledge about meditation, you should practice it regularly and very soon you’ll experience the results.