Yoga and Meditation

Meditation quiets the mind and awakens the soul. It takes us miles away from troubling thoughts and stresses, therefore having physical benefits for our health as well. Have you ever wanted to learn to meditate, but didn’t want to pay hundreds of dollars for a workshop, class or retreat experience? If you want to enjoy the sense of calmness and love you get with meditation, without all the costs, then you can look up one of these free meditation resources online. The only sacrifice you’ll need to make is a little bit of your time.

Visual learners often learn how to meditate best by watching videos and there is certainly no shortage of meditation video choices on www.youtube.com. You can watch the following short videos for a good basic understanding: Daily Meditation (www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmA-dWdaI5k), How to Meditate from Howcast (www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejruLy2Cf_o), How to Meditate with Buddhist Vipassana techniques (www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLcIQEbLyUg), How to Practice Buddhist Breathing Meditation (www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXVeZYHDe1M&feature=related), Meditation for Contemporary People (www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeEDKBxkNgM), Mindfulness with Jon Kaban-Zinn (www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nwwKbM_vJc), Observing Yourself Guided Meditation (www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6Oj-eavtpo) and The Third Eye Chakra Meditation (www.youtube.com/watch?v=v070U4PhfH0).

The Meditation Society of Australia (www.meditation.org.au) is another wonderful resource for beginners who want to learn to meditate. They offer a free online course featuring step-by-step meditation guides, downloadable recordings of discussion seminars and guided meditation exercise podcasts. After signing up for a free membership, you’ll have access to free inspirational spoken words, music and meditation exercises. You may also have a daily meditation sent to you to further your studies. If you’re interested in purchasing gifts, books, CDs, incense and other meditation-related items, you’ll find them here as well.

Perhaps you’d rather not spend hours on the internet in your learn to meditate quest. A good book to start with is How To Meditate: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Art and Science of Meditation (John Novak), which provides you with step-by-step methodology and illustrations to help you grasp the meditation techniques. You’ll learn about relaxation and meditation techniques, ways to develop intuition, how to locate energy centers in the body and more about the yoga philosophy. Another book to check for is How to Meditate: An Illustrated Guide to Calming the Mind and Relaxing the Body (Paul Roland), which takes a practical approach in teaching you about basic relaxation techniques, meditation breathing, creating a sanctuary, visualizing, energy activation and mantra meditation affirmations.

Isn’t it time to stop medicating with drugs, sex and alcohol? Isn’t it time to stop escaping into video games, nightclubs and the food pantry? There is a better way to cope with the pressures, stresses and rollercoaster ride of every day life. The answer is simply to learn to meditate. In just 20 minutes twice a day, everyone from Main Street to Wall Street is training themselves to be more creative, lower stress levels, focus better and reduce blood pressure. The benefits of meditation transcend that sense of calmness into the physical realm.

There are so many benefits to learning some easy meditation techniques that it’s surprising more people don’t take up this rewarding pastime. It certainly doesn’t have to be difficult, either, because there are lots of simple meditation techniques you can learn.