In my dream, I was outside a public area that I wasn’t familiar with.  It was within a block or so of my old grammar school. I knew that Kevin would be worried about me so I was trying to get in touch with him.  I realized that I didn’t have a cell phone.

There was a teenager there, a kind of frumpy, not the cool jock type kid, but more of a geek (which by the way I think is cool).  I asked if I could borrow his cell phone.  He was very reluctant and explained that his parents only let him use it in case of emergency.  I explained that it was kind of an emergency because my husband didn’t know where I was.  He would be ready to send out the search party so I had to let him know I was okay.

I was some where between my teens and early 20’s in the dream.  So the teenager pulls out this huge cell phone that is really old-fashioned, a first generation cell phone that looks more like a large walkie talkie.  You’ve probably seen one like it on the free credit score commercial.

I looked to the left and saw a really funky modern high tech looking payphone that definitely didn’t fit the scene.  I saw that it was still only 25c. But I looked around me and realized I didn’t have my wallet with me or even a pocket book so I didn’t even have 25c.  I don’t know why I would have travelled without one.

So I started dialing the numbers on the cell phreone’s huge keypad.  As I am doing this we are walking around to the other side of a wall and there is a picnic table with some people sitting there.  They are talking so we start talking to them.

I then get up and walk to another separate building.  There is a girl in the room that was a new friend (I don’t know her in real life).  She is pretty tipsy, clearly she has had a few drinks.  We were talking about something having to do with going out to the East End of Long Island, the Hamptons or the Northfork area, and partying — after all I was in my late teens/early 20’s, what else do you do?  I kind of go off to the East End for a minute and then just as quickly I am back in the room — you can do that kind of cool stuff in a dream.

I tell her I have to check my computer and had to put in my password.  She asked what my password was and for some odd, crazy reason, I told her what it was.  As I turned to leave the room, out of the corner of my eye, I saw her reach into a drawer.  In her tipsy state, she took out a small notepad and pen and wrote something down and tucked it into her sweatshirt pocket.  I thought, hmmm, that’s odd, I wonder if she is writing down my password.

The next thing I remember I walk into my old bedroom in the house where I grew up and she’s in the room standing next to my bed.  She is holding her sweatshirt in her hand.  Kelsey is in there too (my 12 year old — that would have meant I had her when I was 8). Kelsey smiles at me as I enter the room and then goes back to watching the tipsy girl looking through her things. The tipsy girl is even tipsier at this point as she is frenetically searching through her things for something.  I thought hmmm I wonder if she is searching for her pad.  I was really curious to see what she wrote on it.

Just as I reach for the sweatshirt to intercept the note pad to see if my password is on the note, Kelsey reaches over and picks it up off the night table and says, “Is this what you are looking for?”

I reach over and take it from Kelsey and read it.  It isn’t the password, it is just a series of letters and numbers.  For a moment I let out a huge sigh of relief.  As I look at it again more closely, though, I realize that she has actually written down a code of some type.  In a split second I decipher the code and realize that it is actually my password.

At this point I start going into that twilight state.  I think I got so excited I started waking myself up. You might say, “So what?”  What does that have to do with anything?  What are you getting all excited about?”  Well, it has everything to do with everything.  You see, in my dream in what was probably a split second, I came up with a code and in another split second I broke the code.  You might be saying, “Okay, so what, I still don’t get it.  Maybe you’re laughing at me and saying, “Well silly of course you could break the code — it’s your dream!  You must have created it in the first place.”

That’s what’s so cool!  It was a real code!  I realized that it was a logical code that I never would have come up with or been able to break if I were awake.  It was a system for switching out numbers and letters and replacing them in a certain way that made sense.

Well, the reason I was so excited about it was that it made me see just how powerful the subconscious/unconscious state is.  I was so much smarter in the subconscious state than I was in the waking state!  So I said, “Well, if I am so much smarter in the subconscious state, how can I tap into it without being in a dream state since I might not remember the dream when I wake up?”   I had my answer in a second – voila — Meditate!

Look for this months Healthy Living Ezine in your inbox for more information and tips on making a mediation a part of your life. If you are not already receiving our Ezine click here to sign up! For other great posts on mediation click here.

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The first is called concentrative meditation. Here, the person focuses attention on the breath, an image or a sound to create a greater awareness and clarity. Think of it as looking at something through a microscope so you are able to narrow your focus.

It’s easy…all you have to do is sit down and breathe. The correct way of doing it is to inhale and exhale slowly and through it, your focus becomes deeper and slower, your mind becomes more aware and tranquil.

The second type is called mindfulness meditation. Similar to concentrative meditation, the person sits quietly and then reflects on his or her feelings, sensations and thoughts. One by one, things come to mind without the person consciously directing any action(s). You get to see a bigger picture and through inner wisdom you can establish a sense of direction.

An easy way to keep bringing your focus back during your meditation is to squeeze the muscles around your tailbone or pelvic floor – like a kegel exercise. This calms your brain activity and brings your focus out of your busy head and into your heart.

Which meditation technique is the best? There is no correct answer; it depends entirely on what works best for you.

Two of my favorites are guided meditation and what I call third eye meditation. I know – it sounds a little kookie, but it really is powerful.

Guided meditation is when you listen to an audio of someone as they talk you through a relaxing experience. This allows your own brain to settle down while allowing you to keep your mind occupied.

The reason why I like meditation in which I focus on my third eye is that I feel it brings me to a higher level of consciousness. Our third eye is located in the center of our forehead. Imagine closing your eyes and gently looking up between your eyebrows towards the center of your forehead. Now imagine as you breathe that your breath is gently going in and out through this spot. If it is too much of a strain on your eyes, lower your gaze to an area that feels more comfortable.

I feel this meditation helps me to be grounded and more easily guided on a daily basis by my own intuition. The third eye meditation can also be effective when done for only a few minutes at a time. Relax your eyes as needed while continuing to gently breathe and keep your eyes closed. When you are ready, bring your focus back up again to the third eye.

Please see our site for some of my favorites.

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These days, going to the doctor when you are ill is not the only way you can feel better. We cover many alternative “feel better” ways on our site especially the why’s and the how-to-avoids.

According to the National Center for Complementary Medicine, meditation is among the top 10 alternative therapy treatments. But before we get into that, let’s review some meditation facts.

First, meditation means awareness.

Why? Your senses are heightened as you concentrate on your breathing and your hearing becomes sharper than before. Through meditation, you ask your mind to block out distractions so you are able to find inner peace. You can actually carry that with you when you open your eyes, too.

Some think that meditation is a religion when, in fact, it’s a science. Numerous studies done in the past show that those who practice it, feel relaxed, are more physically fit, have improvements in their academic standing and have an increase in their productivity at work.

Where did the word “meditation” come from?

It comes from two Latin words. The first is, “meditari,” which means to think, dwell upon or to exercise the mind. The second is, “mederi,” meaning, to heal. If you put these two together, it describes basically what this activity is — a time for you to reach deep into your mind and recharge.

As you can see, meditation has benefits that are physiological, physical and psychological. You don’t have to take any pills or get a prescription. It’s free and it doesn’t consume much time. It can be done in 5 to 20 minutes a day. Sit comfortably, quietly and close your eyes while focusing on your breath for 5 to 20 minutes then continue on with whatever you were doing before.

A fact about all meditation…it’s a focus to silence the busy mind.

It does not remove the stimulation which you feel around you but rather directs your concentration to something else to achieve increasing inner peace and improving wellness.

Keeping an open mind is essential so that this science can have its tremendously powerful effect.

Aside from all the benefits that we have covered here, on our website and in some of our other blogs, one of the greatest things that I have found with meditation is that the more I do it, the more I am able to bring incredible things into my life. Sometimes it is something physical and sometimes it is guidance, stronger intuition, answers, insight that enables me to help someone else, or, perhaps, it brings me in contact with people that I am meant to meet.

The possibilities are endless and the effects can be so subtle that you barely notice them at first, but once you pay attention to how much better your day goes when you meditate, you will probably find it’s definitely worth sticking with.

Next we will cover easy ways to meditate.

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Meditation exercises can be an effective way of reducing your stress and teaching your mind and body to relax. Plus these exercises can also help you to build self-confidence and self-esteem. But most importantly, like any other exercise, it helps you maintain good health as well as great shape.

There are many different types of meditation exercises you can do. For instance, you could try a walking meditation. This is a form of meditation that monks in monasteries practice. All you need to do is walk in a quiet area for a little bit of time while contemplating or meditating about something.Because it is so easy to do, it makes a great starting point for those just getting into meditation exercises.

When practicing walking meditation, you should try and find a set path for yourself. You could use a circular track, a sports field, or even a large garden good enough for walking in. First, start by walking the path so that you get to know the route. Once you’ve gotten used to it, begin taking in breaths slowly and deeply and then let it out slowly. As you do this, try to be conscious of your body. Feel or sense your entire body and be aware of its every parts. Try to walk slowly. As you are walking try to mentally be aware of how your body is functioning as it moves. Do not attempt to criticize every function or movement. Just try to be aware of how your body moves or works as it walks.

Some people may feel silly at first. But just like with other forms of meditation, it isn’t something that you should rush. It may take time for you to get comfortable with it. Distractions may come from time to time in fact, they usually do. It is normal, especially on the initial days that a thought comes into your head like: “This is silly” or, “I have to do the dishes”. When these thoughts come into your mind, just try to push them away and continue walking. Try it for just 5 minutes to start, then take a short rest, then work up to 10 or 15 minutes, then take a little rest and get on with your normal routine.

Another simple meditation exercise you may want to try is known as the “Step inside a Painting” technique. Start by finding a painting or picture that you enjoy looking at. Place the picture a few feet away from you at a comfortable viewing distance. Find a comfortable place to sit, preferably somewhere you will not be disturbed.

Once you have your picture ready and you are sitting in your quite area, close your eyes. Be aware of how you breathe and be attentive to how your body functions as it is breathing in and breathing out. Keep breathing like this, without changing anything. After a few minutes, you will notice your body starting to slow down.

At this point, open your eyes and look at your picture. Just gaze at the picture. Look at the scenery, the lines, and the colors of the painting. Try to paint a picture in your mind. Once you capture the picture in your mind, close your eyes again. Now, mentally create the picture in your mind and picture yourself walking into the picture. Stand inside the picture in your mind. Now, look back through the frame to where you were sitting. Let yourself be aware of your surroundings as you are inside your picture. If you don’t have a painting, you can use a picture out of a magazine or a book. It can be quite an adventure trying to learn some of these meditation exercises.

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In fact, meditation has been so effective in terms of calming the mind and developing a person’s level of intuition it is also being used to heal various illnesses in the mind, emotions, and physical aspects.

Meditation and its benefits

One of the most celebrated benefits of meditation is that it greatly improves ones physical being. One of the physical benefits of meditation is its ability to help decreases a person’s metabolic rate as well as the heart rate, which leads to the reduction of workload for the heart. Meditation has also been known to lower cortisol levels as well as dissolving the chemicals that are closely associated with everyday stress.

Additional physical benefits of meditation include reduced free radicals in the body. Meditation helps to eliminate oxygen molecules that are unstable, which can decreases a person’s high blood pressure, helps produce more resistant skin, lower or totally drop a person’s level of cholesterol, improve air flow to the lungs aiding in breathing, delay biological aging and increase the levels of DHEAS in older people.

When it comes to psychological factor, meditation helps in increasing the person’s brain wave coherence, decreasing anxiety levels, often irritability, deep-set depression, and mood swings, improves the person’s memory as well as his or her learning ability, increase a person’s ability for self-actualization, increase a person’s feeling of youthfulness and rejuvenation as well as vitality, leads to positive outlook in life and joyfulness, and increases a person’s emotional status and stability.

Other noted benefits of meditation for an individual and his or her community include:

• Relaxation to the person’s the body, mind, and soul.
• Rejuvenation of energy to face the heavy challenges and stress ahead.
• Healing of various illnesses that are closely-associated with the mind and the body.
• Making a more stable person in terms of emotions.
• Developments of relaxed family life and instilling positive outlooks in life to younger people.
• Enhances the person’s ability to make his or her mind function properly.
• Letting a person discover his or her inner self, this in turn releases the creativity in them.
• It helps people to free themselves from various vices and addictions such as alcohol and cigarettes as well as in various medications such as tranquilizers and narcotics.
• It also helps a person to gain higher self-confidence, thus, resulting to stronger power of the will.
• It can be an effective and safe way of discovering one’s self instead of focusing the attention to other unhealthy practices.
• It aids in the development of the power of the mind.

The list goes on about the benefits of mediation for an individual and to his or her community. In so many cases, these are positive benefits (but if mediation is not used properly, people should be aware of the side effects.?) To avoid this from happening, people who are planning to seriously meditate should always consult a professional before performing any meditation techniques.

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Meditation with the goal of achieving a higher degree of mental awareness and consciousness is based on different beliefs holding different spiritual and psychological practices. Many religions have developed their own techniques and methods at arriving at  a higher state of consciousness.

These techniques can be classified according to their focus. For instance some techniques may focus on a certain perception or experience while others may focus on a specific object to achieve a higher consciousness. There are even some forms of meditation that combine the use of a specific object as well as open focus to achieve a higher state of consciousness.

Hinduism is a popular religion that is known for practicing meditation is Hinduism. Actually, it is considered to be the oldest religion that focuses on meditation in a spiritual and religious sense. There are several different forms of meditation in the Hinduism religion. One such form is Yoga, one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy.

On of the many forms of Yoga is the Raja Yoga, Raja Yoga states the eight limbs of spiritual practices, with half of them being classified as meditation. There is also the Vedanta which is a form of Jnana Yoga. The Surat Shabd Yoga which is a form of  meditation that uses sound and light to achieve a higher state of consciousness. There is also the Bhakti Yoga which focuses on an object of love or devotion. The Japa Yoga which practices a form of meditation  where a mantra is being repeated aloud or silently. Yet another is the Hatha Yoga where different positions and postures are used in order to raise one’s spiritual energy.

The object of meditation in Hindu is to achieve a calm state of mind. In the Yoga Sutras, there are five different states of mind being described.

1. Ksipta that describes an agitated state of mind that is unable to think listen or remain quiet.
2. Mudha, a state of mind where no information seems to reach into the brain.
3. Viksipta is considered as a higher state of mind where information may reach the mind but it is not able to process it. In this state, the mind moves from one thought to another and in a confused inner speech.
4. Ekagra is another higher state of the mind characterized by calmness but not asleep. This state allows a person to stay focused and pay attention. Probably the highest state that a mind can achieve is in
5. Nurodha, the hgihest state of mind to be achieved, where the mind is no longer disturbed by erratic thoughts and is completely focused and totally centered in what a person is doing. This will provide you with a basic background of meditation that will allow you to understand better how it is being practiced.

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