A Holistic You

Contact Information: Kaitlyn Maxwell E-mail: maxwellk1@nku.edu Phone: 859.322.2465 Twitter: @kait_maxx Blog: www.everywherealways.wordpress.com

Scientific studies find possible cure for stress, depression and insomnia.
And it has been around since 1400BC? Garry Gomez deployed to Afghanistan in summer of 2010. He left a reckless life and when he was able to leave the combat zone, his peaceful downtime turned into a reflection of all the wrongs he had done in his life. He was not at peace with himself and the stress of the combat zone was pushing him deeper into a depression. He found inner peace and a sanctuary inside himself with Sahaja Yoga mediation. http://www.freemeditation.com/testimonials/2011/09/20/peace-in-the-combat-zone Helen Loshny suffered extreme physical pain, fatigue and depression from PMS that had controlled most of her life. She felt no control over her emotions and knew that her life would fall apart if she did not find something to help her emotionally and physically. Through one hour of meditation a day she ha learned to let bad feelings go and to live a life of positive thinking. http://www.besthealthmag.ca/success-stories/%E2%80%9Ci-came-to-peace-with- pms-thanks-to-meditation%E2%80%9D When thinking about meditation, religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and other Eastern spiritual beliefs may come to mind, but meditation has been medically proven to help with a variety of conditions such as: Allergies Anxiety disorders Asthma Binge eating Cancer Depression Fatigue Heart disease High blood pressure Pain Sleep problems Substance abuse

People struggling with these medical conditions are often struggling with internal emotionally distress that cannot be cured with drugs. There is growing scientific support for meditation, which helps to bring individuals to a certain internal state of relaxation and tranquility. This state will help one be able to focus and concentrate on spiritual and sacred beings in their lives. Meditation is referenced in the Bible as early as 1400 B.C. Meditation is a

sacred practice with a long history in many religions, but more recently the New Age presents a meditation that can help the life of everyone by creating a mind/body balance that will help lead to a happier/healthier life.

Retrieved from: www.wikipedia.com While the popularity of meditation did begin in these cultures, it is no longer is being forced to reside there. In order to perform a meditation one does not need to travel to South Korea to Borim Temple in order to visit Vairocana Buddha as pictured above. Meditation is being used commonly used outside of religious purposes to relieve stress and give people a way to focus, and think through the millions of thoughts that pass through our minds in a day. Relieving the build up of all these thoughts through a meditation session will allow one to lead a lifestyle with less stress more sleep and a more focused attitude. Sounds great right? So why isnt everyone joining in? In order to perform meditation correctly the Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/meditation/HQ01070 tells us there are a few things we need: Focused attention Relaxed breathing A quiet setting A comfortable setting

Sounds simple, but a quiet setting doesnt come so easily these days with cell phones ringing, and work and school commitments filling our days. When most people actually do get time to relax it usually involves a television or sleep. Our Western culture craves busy schedules and long workdays, so were in desperate need of the peaceful tranquility that meditation can provide. Meditation (Wikipedia.com) is all about training your mind to reach a state of consciousness. You must be willing to adhere fully to all above requirements and make TIME for yourself to complete them.

Heres a video that admits the difficulties of finding time to meditate but shows you how you can have one minute meditation. It also lets us know that it is normal and okay for our mind to wander during meditation. I like to call it meditation for dummies. If nothing else it will force you to test out this whole meditation thing for a minute. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6eFFCi12v8 The one-minute meditation is a great technique for understanding what meditation is and how calm we are able to feel afterwards. That is just a sample what meditation has to offer. Meditation is not just about closing your eyes and hoping to find inner peace, there are numerous techniques you can use. The problem comes when choosing which route to take. This requires knowing what each type of meditation is and which one is right for your lifestyle. The types are as follows: Tai chi. This is a form of gentle Chinese martial arts. In tai chi (TIE-chee), you perform a self-paced series of postures, movements and stretches in a slow, graceful manner while practicing deep breathing. There are more than 100 possible movements and positions with tai chi, many of which are named for animals or nature. Regardless of the variation, all forms of tai chi include rhythmic patterns of movement that are coordinated with breathing to help you achieve a sense of inner calm. The concentration required for tai chi forces you to live in the present moment, putting aside distressing thoughts.

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Transcendental meditation is one of the most researched and popular meditation techniques. You use a mantra, such as a word, sound or phrase repeatedly silently, to narrow your conscious awareness and eliminate all thoughts from your mind. You focus exclusively on your mantra to achieve a state of perfect stillness and consciousness for 20 minutes twice a day

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Yoga is the act of performing a series of postures and controlled breathing exercises to promote a more flexible body and a calm mind. As you move through poses that require balance and concentration, youre improving your mind and body though calming exercise. Yoga has become increasingly more and more popular way to loose weight. With thousands of classes and workout DVDs to choose from, its easy to loose sight of the meditation portion of the yoga experience.

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Guided meditation involves visualizing places and situations you find relaxing. You try to use as many senses as possible, such as smells, sights, sounds and textures. Using the senses is a good way to start the meditation process because it helps grasp those peaceful thoughts. The Meditation Room www.learningmeditation.com/room offers meditations for you to sample that include sounds such as Soothing Session and Work Break. The sessions last between 3 and 10 minutes.

Retrieved from: http://www.raw-wisdom.com/guided-meditation

Mindfulness meditation. This type of meditation focuses on living in the present. You allow yourself to reach a relaxed and still state of conscious awareness. You focus on what you experience during meditation, such as the flow of your breath. You can observe your thoughts and emotions but let them pass without judgment. Your attitude will decipher if you reach a peace and acceptance during times of stress.

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Qi gong. This practice, which was first used in China for medical purposes, combines meditation, relaxation, physical movement and breathing exercises to restore and maintain balance and cleanse the body and bring energy. Those suffering from injuries and those who are aging find this meditation technique especially helpful.

Retrieved from: http://www.soulembody.com/qi-gong Mantra meditation. In this type of meditation, you silently repeat a calming word, thought or phrase to prevent distracting thoughts. The process of repetition and positive thinking is said to heal the spiritual, physical and psychological body. This particular mediation can be done anywhere and is one of the easiest forms of meditation.

Retrieved from: http://www.loveofmantrameditation.com/?p=70 Meditation is an internal state, not an exercise. Breathing and stretching can help you reach the state but the two should not be confused. Meditation allows one to be in a state of thoughtless awareness where, one doesnt have to be anxious about things that have happened in our past or what will happen in the future. You do not have to be in a

peaceful, quiet room in order to meditate, there are no prerequisites. As long as you allow yourself to succumb to a new state of consciousness, you can even meditate in a crowded train. You also cannot buy meditation, because it is self induced no promises made over the internet will make sure you reach the state, that is strictly dependent on you. Whichever technique you use, or why you decide to start the process of meditation, you must understand that only you will allow yourself to be helped by meditation. Be prepared to work hard at it, it doesnt come easy. Helen Loshny didnt get it right the first time. Youll find meditation a lot more difficult if you go into it hoping it will work for you, or that youve got to make it work for you, says Loshny. Just try it, and keep on trying it. It will work for you with time. Garry Gomez says his whole squad is more calm thanks to the yoga meditation techniques he uses. Like him, the best thing we can do is to show others the effects that meditation can have on the body and mind so that they may be healed as well.

A Holistic You is an engaging digital space for those interested in exploring the new age movement holistic health, which provides avenues that incorporate holistic health techniques into everyday lifestyles. Bringing examples of our own holistic health experiences, we strive to develop, connect and provide information to community members who wish to engage themselves in a new age lifestyle through the balance of mind, body and spirit. Learning about and incorporating alternative methods of diet, exercise, meditation and medicine will help us find a new sense of spiritual well being.