[readolog_dropcap ]B[/readolog_dropcap]eginning a meditation practice is one of the best decisions that I have ever made in my life, and a skill that I use on a daily basis. Meditating daily allows us to let energy flow through the body and rid tension and worries by becoming present.

Becoming present means just being in touch with the moment in its entirety. What this means is that when you are meditating, you are COMPLETELY and 100% focused on relaxing your body, feeling how your body is responding, breathing, observing your mental thought patterns, and just being in a state of receptiveness and letting go.

• Being present at work could mean that you fully immerse yourself in the tasks at hand and do not waste time thinking or procrastinating.
• Being present in the gym could mean that you are connecting to your body and feeling a surge of adrenaline and lifting heavy weights, but on another day being present could mean you just need to stretch.
• Being present is noticing that the sun is shining brightly outside your window, and that you should get off of your computer.
• Being present is acknowledging the rainfall outside and staying in and watching movies and doing restful activities that day.
• Being present is realizing that you are not very hungry, and just want to eat lightly or fast that day.
• Being present could mean that there is an opportunity in front of you, and you have to seize it in THAT moment.

Presence is having the vital energy and focus to react to the changing environment around you and respond accordingly.  We are always connected to the people we spend time with and our environments, meditation greatly enhances our ability to connect to our environment by increasing our focus and decreasing excessive thinking or worrying.

The human brain has thousands and thousands of thoughts every single day, and most of them are negative. Meditation allows us to focus on our BODY and take a step back to OBSERVE our negative thought patterns from a place that is HIGHER than them.

If I am thinking all day and I have become identified with my thoughts and it distracts me at work, or causes me to be neglect important relationships, my life could suffer accordingly as a consequence. But if I am attentive and realize that any negative thoughts I have are not ME, they are just thought patterns, and I can push through and minimize these thought patterns, I can focus on my work and pay attention to my relationships and REALITY.

[readolog_blockquote ]If I am thinking all day and I have become identified with my thoughts and it distracts me at work, or causes me to be neglect important relationships, my life could suffer accordingly as a consequence.[/readolog_blockquote]

In a culture where we are being bombarded by advertising and other people’s mental sicknesses, it is extremely important that we cultivate our own personal space and time to allow our mind/body to heal.

To break mental patterns, we must use the BODY. The mind and head sits above the body and is where ideas are processed and cultivated, but our roots as a conscious being lye in our BODIES.  This is why deep breathing and meditative practices like Yoga are so beneficial and have been found to decrease stress and improve vitality.

We cannot solve problems on the mind level that are caused by excessive thinking by thinking them away.  If your mind is racing and you are suffering from anxiety or depression, you CANNOT THINK this problem away, because you have metaphorically cut yourself off from your roots, your heart, your gut, and the rest of your body.  This is why DEEP BREATHING into the pelvic floor, belly, and the chest, is essential to disrupt these negative thought patterns.

Many people go through weeks or even MONTHS on end without stopping to truly breathe deeply and let go. Ever notice how different or better someone or yourself feel after a vacation?  The body finally gets a chance to be snapped out of excessive thinking and tension and to relax and do different things.

There is not a single “right” or “best” meditation practice, everything and every moment in life can become in and of itself an active-meditation through connection with the breath and mindfulness, however I would recommend that you begin with a silent meditation practice daily on a regular basis, until your presence has become cultivated to a high enough level that you can maintain mindfulness on a consistent basis.

The effects of meditation and increased awareness are cumulative, the more you focus and harness the flow and focus of your body, the more present you become throughout all activities. This is the beauty of starting with a silent meditation practice; it will then transfer over to every aspect of your life and increase productivity.

To start a silent meditation practice:

• Shortly after waking up and before work is the best time to begin a silent meditation practice. Meditating in the evening at the end of your day or before bed is also a good time to meditate. However there is never a bad or wrong time to meditate, whenever you get a free 10-20 minutes will do.
• Sit up straight in a comfortable chair and focus on your breath
• Close your eyes, you want to eliminate all excess stimulation that can potentially distract you from focusing on your breathing. A silent space is best suited for meditation as well.
• Start breathing deeply and try to breathe into any corners of the body that have tension in them, find where you are holding on to tension and send some energy there. It helps to visualize a wave of energy washing over you with each deep breath.
• If you have thoughts, simply OBSERVE them, and let them pass by like floating clouds. The space you are in is NOT YOUR THOUGHTS, you are a higher being than just your thoughts. Remember you are trying to connect to your body as a WHOLE.
• Do not get discouraged by excessive thinking, and if you find that you have drifted away from your breath just come back to it when you notice that you have lost focus, you will be able to maintain focus for longer and longer periods of time with practice.
• Meditate for 10-20 minutes daily to start off with.

The effects of meditating are highly cumulative; so do not get discouraged at first if you do not seem to notice big results. You will soon begin to feel the effects of the meditation, and your ability to silence thought patterns.

As human beings we are always storing tension and stress, or have yet to release emotional traumas that scarred us. Meditating allows us to tap into our metaphysical energy fields to restore and unleash trapped energy within the body.  Many different activities can function as meditating, such as making love or exercise.  But I believe that the best form of meditation is starting with a silent meditation.

A silent meditation allows us to focus on OUR body and energy field in a safe place, where we can build up our energy field without disruption from outside forces.  Silent meditation is much needed in a society that is very yang and over-active and hyper.  This will increase our ability to keep negative energy out of our psyche and energy by constantly cleansing our energy field and strengthening it over time.

Mental focus is about not being influenced by negative energy or subliminal influences, and being able to persist and intuitively FEEL what is the right path for you to take.  Mental focus is also about not wasting your extra energy thinking or worrying. Excessive anxiety and stress is just a waste of time and your life-force, you can train the mind through meditation to stop wasting energy worrying, and you can begin to simply get things done.

One of the best ways to know which path to follow is by listening to your body, being in touch with yourself physically is the greatest skill one can master. A silent meditation practice is the best way to get in touch with oneself through deep breathing and simply being.

Some extra tips for starting a meditation practice:

• If you are really having trouble letting go of your thoughts and need a bit more stimulus to focus on, try listening to some relaxing music. I enjoy listening to some relaxing house music or classical.
• Try laying flat on your back, which is typically not recommended because you are trained to fall asleep like this, but I find it to be very relaxing and restorative to lay on the ground/floor and meditate.
• Just keep breathing deeply, if you are feeling anxious anywhere or over-thinking, try to breathe into the physical feeling that accompanies these mental disturbances.
• Always meditate in a quiet and safe place.
• Try attending a group meditation session or performing an active meditation through exercise such as Tai-Chi, walking, or yoga.
• Let your silent meditation transfer over to your entire life by realizing that any activity is an opportunity to be mindful. Always stay connected to your body during activities, and try giving even small tasks 100% of your focus; this will stop a leakage of important mental energy.
• Do not stop meditating once you feel the benefits! I have often stopped meditating regularly once I began to notice improved focus and results, but then I eventually slipped back into old thought patterns. You must keep your meditation practice steady; meditate daily, even when you do not want to. You will notice that you are grateful that you meditated even when at first you did not feel like it.

Meditation is an amazing tool for improved focus and should be a part of everyone’s spiritual practice. Meditating greatly improves the mind-body connection and cleanses negative energy from the body.  You can begin meditating any time of any day, simply start with the breath.