A new year is upon us again and we find ourselves rehashing the same resolutions that we set last year - and the year before, and so on.
Why is it that some of our goals seem to continually elude us? What makes a goal attainable or not? The answer lies within your mind.
It is a function of will verses emotion.
Our meditative ancestors from the east have long known what Americans are just now beginning to figure out.
Meditation is the process of focusing your mind, of developing your powers of single-pointed concentration.
Now, this doesn't mean that you have to go into the forest for 3 years, sit in twisting positions and stop bathing.
It means that, like a workout for your bodily muscles, you have to dedicate some time and energy to enhance your performance.
Of course, your muscles are not going to grow without working them, and neither is your mind.
There are so many misconceptions about what exactly meditation is that many people are scared away from it before they are ever able to experience the true tranquility and understanding that it can bring into their lives.
Let's examine the conceptual meaning of meditation closer: What meditation is not: - An escape from reality; - A way to drop out of society; - A mystical, magical endeavor reserved for forest-dwelling ancients; - A part-time action; What meditation is: - A method to better understand yourself and those around you; - A medium for enhancing your health on all levels and avoiding the onset of literally every disease known; - A confidence builder that instills high-quality performance in everything you do; - A constant activity that never ceases; Learning to meditate is a never-ending process.
Meditation is its own infinite realm and is the right of every individual to enjoy and learn from.
Most meditation techniques have a single central focus: the breath.
When you learn to ignore all sensory perceptions and focus only on your breath, then you are becoming relaxed.
You are becoming more composed, even and especially in the face of emotional upheaval around you.
The benefits of meditation are immeasurable, but you will never be able to experience them if you do not start from right where you are, right now, and practice.
So, for your New Year's gift to yourself, simply begin to focus on your own breath some each day.
Just give it 5 minutes at a time at first.
Don't worry about fancy positioning for your body.
Don't worry at all about "doing it correctly".
To simply do it is completely correct already.
When you begin, you will be planting a seed, a wonderful, strong seed that will grow even if planted in concrete.
This seed has the power to release you from all future failures and unhappiness.
It has the power to liberate you from within the core of your being.
Allow it to.
Meditation is the only resolution you need to make.
The rest will follow - for real this time.
Why is it that some of our goals seem to continually elude us? What makes a goal attainable or not? The answer lies within your mind.
It is a function of will verses emotion.
Our meditative ancestors from the east have long known what Americans are just now beginning to figure out.
Meditation is the process of focusing your mind, of developing your powers of single-pointed concentration.
Now, this doesn't mean that you have to go into the forest for 3 years, sit in twisting positions and stop bathing.
It means that, like a workout for your bodily muscles, you have to dedicate some time and energy to enhance your performance.
Of course, your muscles are not going to grow without working them, and neither is your mind.
There are so many misconceptions about what exactly meditation is that many people are scared away from it before they are ever able to experience the true tranquility and understanding that it can bring into their lives.
Let's examine the conceptual meaning of meditation closer: What meditation is not: - An escape from reality; - A way to drop out of society; - A mystical, magical endeavor reserved for forest-dwelling ancients; - A part-time action; What meditation is: - A method to better understand yourself and those around you; - A medium for enhancing your health on all levels and avoiding the onset of literally every disease known; - A confidence builder that instills high-quality performance in everything you do; - A constant activity that never ceases; Learning to meditate is a never-ending process.
Meditation is its own infinite realm and is the right of every individual to enjoy and learn from.
Most meditation techniques have a single central focus: the breath.
When you learn to ignore all sensory perceptions and focus only on your breath, then you are becoming relaxed.
You are becoming more composed, even and especially in the face of emotional upheaval around you.
The benefits of meditation are immeasurable, but you will never be able to experience them if you do not start from right where you are, right now, and practice.
So, for your New Year's gift to yourself, simply begin to focus on your own breath some each day.
Just give it 5 minutes at a time at first.
Don't worry about fancy positioning for your body.
Don't worry at all about "doing it correctly".
To simply do it is completely correct already.
When you begin, you will be planting a seed, a wonderful, strong seed that will grow even if planted in concrete.
This seed has the power to release you from all future failures and unhappiness.
It has the power to liberate you from within the core of your being.
Allow it to.
Meditation is the only resolution you need to make.
The rest will follow - for real this time.