The article discusses five simple relaxation techniques which include physical relaxation, deep breathing, imagery, and spiritual relaxation, i.e. praying. These technique can be used to fall asleep at night, as well as to calm your nerves and recharge when you’re under stress.

You’re busy. As busy as one could be.

There’s your work-deadlines, meetings, a screaming boss, performance reviews

Then there are your adolescent kids.

And finally there’s the new fitness program you’ve joined.

So all in all you have too much on your plate.

I know you’re concerned. You’re worrying about one thing or another most of your time.

Anxiety is your constant companion. You’re unable to find ways to get out of its clutches. At times it feels like a horrible prison from which there’s no escape- getting smaller all the time, choking off all chances of breaking out.

Every night when you lie on your bed waiting for sleep, you have the most terrifying experience. Everything that has gone wrong in the course of the day comes back to you-only now they look bigger, cause besides their deadly claws and poisonous teeth, the beasts have now got fancy tails. If the memory is that of a failure the tail says, "I’m good for nothing. I’ll never succeed." If it’s that of being treated unfairly, the tail tries to match saying, "This is an unjust world. I’ll never get my due."

You’ve visited sites which offer you advice for free, and products for a nominal’ price, which profess to get you a peaceful sleep.

You’ve listened to life-changing’ CDs.

You’ve read books.

Nothing has worked.

Hmm. I guess, unlike pizzas and Pepsi, sleep was not meant to be sold.

"Then how on earth can I fall asleep? Sleep doesn’t come to me the natural way-the way it was meant to come!"

Let me tell you, that’s the only way it can come.

But yes, it comes only to tired people and animals-the ones who need to sleep.

"What do you mean I’m not tired? I work like crazy throughout the day! Add to that my mad workout in the gym."

Oh yes, in theory you’re tired. But is your brain tired? No, it’s thinking hard.

Are your nerves tired? Do they want to go to sleep? No. They’re on tenterhooks.

So all your body knows is that you don’t want to sleep, and that your brain’s working hard. And being a loyal servant of yours, it faithfully keeps every trace of sleep away.

If you want to sleep you have to relax. Period.

Now how do you do that when the natural tendency of your mind is to wander off to the most unpleasant memories and make you anxious? Here’s the easiest and most practical approach that I’ve found in my search for relaxation techniques. In my case, it’s really worked like magic, even when I was the most anxious and worried. So here we go without wasting more time:

Physical relaxation: Lie on your back and close your eyes. It’s better if you can avoid using pillows at this stage. Consciously relax all the muscles in your body. To do this, think of the different body parts one after the other. It’ll go something like "Are my fingers relaxed?…Yes My palm?…Yes My upper arm?…Yes My legs?.." In this way, make sure your whole body is completely relaxed.

Imagery: When your mind crams up with worrying thoughts, systematically lead it away from there. The best way to do this is to lead it to some pleasant thoughts. Your mind loves pleasant thoughts and memories, so once there, it’ll not move away. Think about something pleasant and also completely unrelated to whatever was bothering you. You might recollect your last vacation by the sea, or a cozy and happy afternoon you’d spend reading, or watching your favorite movie with your family. It might also be an imaginary experience-a safe and peaceful one.

Vivid visualization: Make this image as vivid in your mind as possible. Conjure up sensations of sound (Example: that of water flowing), touch (the cool breeze caressing your face), smell (the grass, the forest, the salty air of the beach) and taste (cool white wine) to give life to your mental image. Remember, the more real this image is the more relaxed your mind will be.

Deep breathing: Take slow, measured deep breaths. Count the breaths. Say "One", "Two" etc. every time you exhale. This will make sure your mind doesn’t get the chance to wander off to some negative thought.

Spiritual relaxation: If, in spite of using the counting technique you’re unable to control your mind, it’s time for spiritual relaxation. According to this technique, you keep breathing deeply while breathing a prayer. When you rely completely on someone greater than yourself, you feel a deep sense of calm and relief. But you have to really believe in what you’re doing, i.e. praying to God.
You can also think about your purpose in life, who you are and what you want to do for others. This will calm your mind, and most importantly, take it out of the whole context of your worries, namely your material life.

While I’ve talked about these techniques mainly as sleep strategies, they work equally well as simple relaxation techniques, which can be used any time you’re anxious or under stress. All you have to do is find a quiet place, sit straight and follow the techniques. I’ve personally benefited a lot from using these techniques. I hope they’ll work for you too.

So that’s all for today. Here’s wishing you a happy journey towards a stress-and-anxiety-free life.

By Sulagna Dasgupta Published: 8/7/2008

Breathing and Relaxation

Relaxation techniques will help your body to wind down and prepare for the sleep cycle. Try this breathing technique when you first get into bed.

Relaxation Techniques For Sleep

Sleep Disorders If you spend too much time lying awake in bed at night or frequently nod off during the day, you may suffer from a sleep disorder. Read this article will help to deal with this problem.

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Zen Meditation or Zazen is a part of Zen Buddhism. A part of Mahayana Buddhism, Zen places an importance on experiencing life as it is, without any structure or belief system.

Zazen is an important part of the process of experiencing this kind of ‘bliss’. Zazen means ‘sitting meditation’ and is usually done in a variety of sitting postures.

This form of meditation is quite akin to yoga. One can meditate either by oneself at one’s home, or one can participate in long sessions of Zen meditation held at various meditation halls. This type of meditation practice is a group activity and lasts for anywhere between a week to ten days.

The Zen masters suggest that lone practitioners need to practice this meditation for at least 5 minutes or more on a daily basis. They say that regularity is an important part of the process of coming closer to awareness via Zazen.

Practicing Zen monks practice this meditation technique for at least 30 to 40 minutes for at least 4 to 6 times a day. This meditation is often followed by brief periods of walking, known as ‘kinhin’, which helps relax the legs between two periods of meditation.

Zen also puts a focus on tasks from daily life. Zen masters say that such a focus is an opportunity to encounter reality.

Another most interesting aspect of Zen Practice is the focus of the practitioner on ‘Koans’ which are questions which have ‘no answer’. Often, several practitioners focus on these Koans during the meditation to find new breakthroughs in their mental pathways and thought processes.

One such example that combines to serve as an example of both these aspects is a Koan that is my particular favorite. It states, simply:

Before Enlightenment,
You Chop the Wood, You Draw the Water.
After Enlightenment,
You Chop the Wood, You Draw the Water.

The Meditation Process

Zen Meditation places a great deal of emphasis on breathing and watching the breath. You can practice Zen Meditation techniques at your home.

Given below is a technique of practicing Zen Meditation at home. For this, you will need a round or square shaped cushion. You can sit on this cushion if you are sitting down on the ground to do this meditation. Alternatively, you can use this cushion to ensure that your back (or rather, your spine) remains straight if you are going to sit in a chair while meditating.

You can sit in a posture that you are most comfortable in. You can research these positions on the internet. The positions are called:

• The Burmese Position,
• The Half-Lotus Position,
• The Full Lotus Position, and
• The Seiza.

Your hands are to be folded in a ‘mudra’ near the belly. The dominant hand is held, palm upwards, holding the other hand (also palm upwards), so that the knuckles of both hands overlap each other and the thumbs are touching each other lightly, forming an oval.

Wear comfortable, loose clothing that allows you to breathe easily and lets your blood circulate smoothly. The mouth is closed and the tongue is to be pressed slightly against the upper palate, which reduces salivation.

During the meditation, you breathe in from the ‘hara’ or the stomach chakra, and your eyelids are half closed. The hara is located two inches below the navel. Focus your mind on this part of the body. Breathe in and out from your nose and let the breath move in and out of this chakra.

Watch the breath. This is a very important aspect of Zen Meditation which brings a focus on Concentration or ‘Joriki’. While watching or observing this inhaling and exhaling of the breath, thoughts will come, as they always do. The process is to look at the thought, acknowledge it and consciously let it go. In time, you will reach the place of ‘no thought’ and you will find that your awareness is heightened. The idea is not to suppress these thoughts, but to acknowledge their presence and let them go with complete awareness.

Once this state has been achieved, one can move on to the next step. This is called Koan Interpretation, where you focus your thoughts on to a Koan as the goal of that meditation. Solving a Koan is not an intellectual exercise. It serves to open up thought processes and pathways inside your mind.

The third state in Zen Meditation, is called ‘Shikantaza’ or Just Sitting. This is a form of meditation which is objectless where one uses the power of concentration acquired from the previous stages to see all things in the present moment with complete awareness.

What does all this Do for Me?

The process of Zen Meditation will bring you closer to your true self and bring about an awareness of the world around you. In the hustle-bustle life of today, this process not only brings about moments of calm and peace in your day, they also serve to relax and de-stress. But over and above these effects, is that Zen Meditation affects your ‘self’ in a profound manner. You will see your life becoming simpler, and more effective.

To put it simply, here is a story from one of the countless Zen teachings:

Daiju visited the master Baso in China. Baso asked: "What do you seek?"

"Enlightenment," replied Daiju.

"You have your own treasure house. Why do you search outside?" Baso asked.

Daiju inquired: "Where is my treasure house?"

Baso answered: "What you are asking is your treasure house."

Daiju was enlightened! Ever after he urged his friends: "Open your own tresure house and use those treasures."

By Madhavi Ghare Published: 4/9/2007

 

Be Your Own Mentor Zen Meditation
Zazen is known as the art of Zen meditation. It works by helping a person focus on their center and study themselves from within.

101 Zen Koans
For hundreds of years, the secret doctrines of Zen have been transmitted from master to student in the form of seemingly absurd riddles or parables called koans.

Delving Into Zen Meditation
Zazen is known as the art of Zen meditation. It works by helping a person focus on their center and study themselves from within.

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This is because there is no substitute for meditation. Nothing else, single handedly, bestows the many wonderful blessings that meditation brings, in fact nothing else even comes close.

In this article I will outline the top 10 benefits that meditation brings and hopefully, it will inspire all to learn and practice this timeless art.

1. Enlightenment

This is the one ultimate purpose of meditation. To help you discover the True Non-Dual Nature of Reality. To make you realize that your True Self is Divine and One with God.

2. Peace & Tranquility

The mind of one who meditates is like the easy, leisurely flow of the Ganges River, as compared to the ordinary mind, which is like Niagara Falls. In other words your mind is at peace, deeply silent and so you are at peace.

3. Wisdom

Meditation opens up the channels of communication between all levels of your being. What this means is that you have access now to the guidance that is coming directly from your Divine Self. This link gives rise to the flow of intuition and wisdom.

4. Joy & Happiness

Meditation strips away the layers of false identity that mask your True Self from shinning through. Once you eliminate these false egos and stop catering to their nonsense you can reside in your True Nature. This brings forth joy and happiness as it allows you to be at ease with life, existence and yourself.

5. Love & Compassion

As meditation reveals to you the interconnectedness of all humanity a great sense of compassion and love will spontaneously emerge. Knowing that deep within we are all divine in nature will change the way you view the apparent differences you see in others. This will also dramatically improve your relationships both intimate and casual.

6. Stress Reduction & Good Health

This goes hand in hand. As meditation teaches you the art of living in the present moment, anxiety and worry fade more and more into the background. This state of relaxed awareness is most beneficial, to not only helping the body heal itself, but also for preventing illness and disease by eliminating the poison of stress.

7. Improved Brain Function

All serious mediators know how much their brain function has been enhanced by meditation. Now, empirical studies every day are indicating this link. Meditation will undoubtedly increase your awareness and will significantly increase your intelligence.

8. Discover Your Purpose & Gifts

As you start to drop those aspects of you that are artificial and pretentious you will get a chance to see the real you. The parts that are not put on but are natural. This will give you insight into who you really are and what you really love in life. That is the secret of mastering the art of living and discovering your true talents, gifts and purpose. That which you love, you do for its own sake without the need for reward of accolades. Once this is discovered, life can be lived with passion, zeal and independence.

9. Yogic and Psychic Powers

We currently use only about 10% of our brain capacity. The practice of Yoga and Meditation awakens those regions of the Brain that normally lie dormant. When these areas of the brain are activated the powers they hold are unleashed. Such powers, used wisely, can be of benefit to others and of help to you in making progress on the spiritual path.

10. Magnificence

Charisma, Confidence, Courage, Character and Balance are all brought about by meditation. This leads to an individual who is immensely charming and magnetic. Best word I could think of to describe the collective affects of these personality improvements was Magnificent. Meditation will let your magnificence shine through.

Free Guided Meditation Techniques
Free online guided meditation techniques to help you develop your meditation practice.

 Daily Meditation

Your Daily Meditation. Amida Buddha, Amida Buddhism opened up Buddhism in Japan to all classes

Instructors stress daily meditation 

Just do it.” That’s the most important piece of advice meditation instructor
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