The Daily Mind

Daily Steps To Mindful Living

Meditation

15 Quotes About Meditation

We all know that meditation is good for the health – physical and mental. This sweeping statement is backed by both anecdotal and scientific evidence.

Sometimes, though, we just need some simple words of wisdom to help encourage meditation. Here are some of the best meditation quotes that will not only urge you to meditate but also help you understand the concept more clearly. More so, these quotes will make you think and perhaps see meditation in a more practical way instead of an esoteric practice.

Best meditation quotes

1. As gold purified in a furnace loses its impurities and achieves its own true nature, the mind gets rid of the impurities of the attributes of delusion, attachment and purity through meditation and attains Reality. – Adi Shankara

2. If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath. – Amit Ray

3. Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor. – Thich Nhat Hanh

4. Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better, it’s about befriending who we are. – Ani Pema Chodron

5. Meditation is not a means to an end. It is both the means and the end. – Jiddu Krishnamurti

6. Meditation brings wisdom; lack of mediation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom. – Buddha

7. The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind. – Caroline Myss

8. The things that trouble our spirits are within us already. In meditation, we must face them, accept them, and set them aside one by one. – Cristopher L Bennett

9. Mental problems feed on the attention that you give them. The more you worry about them, the stronger they become. If you ignore them, they lose their power and finally vanish. – Annamalai Swami

10. Meditation is not a way of making your mind quiet. It is a way of entering into the quiet that is already there – buried under the 50,000 thoughts the average person thinks every day. – Deepak Chopra

11. We live, in fact, in a world starved for solitude, silence, and private: and therefore starved for meditation and true friendship. – C.S. Lewis

12. Reading makes a full man, meditation a profound man, discourse a clear man. – Benjamin Franklin

13. The whole of meditation practice can be essentialized into these 3 crucial points: Bring your mind home. Release. And relax! – Sogyal Rinpoche

14. All of man’s difficulties are caused by his inability to sit, quietly, in a room by himself. – Blaise Pascal

15. Work is not always required. There is such a thing as sacred idleness. – George MacDonald

Don’t miss: Feel the Meditation Space

Originally posted on September 15, 2015 @ 8:00 am

4 Guided Meditation Apps to Help You Get Started

In my last post, I talked about guided meditation and how it can benefit you. I also promised to share some guided meditation apps that will help you get started.

Meditation is not an easy thing, and some people really can’t get the hang of it. To be honest, I cannot do it alone for a very long time – hence my foray into guided meditation.

I also have a confession. Even though I use guided meditation apps, I find that in order for them to do the trick, I have to do them repeatedly. That means every day, or several times a day. That’s not to say they do not work, but if you have anxiety (or other similar) problems, you might want to get some help on top of using guided meditation apps.

That being said, here are four guided meditation apps that you might want to try.

Oh, and one last thing, most of them are free, but they have in-app purchases to unlock more sessions.

Guided Meditation Apps

Pure Meditation – 20 Guided Meditation Techniques with HD Video Backgrounds & Ambient Meditation Music

App description:

“These guided meditation techniques (yoga based program) can be done anywhere and at anytime, and you can notice results in seconds. You need calm, you need relax time. Now you can learn how to meditate with this fantastic meditation app.

Perfect for all levels from beginners to highly advanced meditators.

There’s a variety of guided meditation techniques so you will be certain you will find one that is perfectly suited to your lifestyle and needs. From quick meditation techniques that can be done in seconds to nice long relaxing meditation sessions.

Featuring a continuously updated library of guided meditation, the app allows you to choose from a wide variety of different tracks to accompany you to sleep.”

My experience

I got the free version, so there was only one 25-minute session. I found it relaxing, but I had to get used to the narrator’s voice. The instructions were simple and did help me relax, but as a beginner, I found 25 minutes to be a little long. If you’re comfortable with that period, however, give it a try.

And, it’s free for today!

Get Pure Meditation.

Mindfulness Meditation – Guided Mindfulness Meditation

App description:

“Guided meditations – This application will help you practise meditation with a series of audios adapted to the different needs of your everyday life. It will guide you from the beginning to an advanced level.

Timer – The timer allows you to meditate without listening to the narration. A bell will alert you whenever a quarter of the time has elapsed.”

My experience

Just like the previous app, Mindfulness Meditation is free. What I like about it is that it has sessions with different lengths – 5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc.

The problem is that only the 5-minute session is free, and you’ll have to pay for the rest. Try out the free session first, and if you like it, then go for the in-app purchase.

Get Mindfulness Meditation.

Complete Relaxation: Guided Meditation for a Happy, Stress Free Life

App description:

“Set to the stunning music of Australian composer Christopher Lloyd Clarke B.Sc, Msc.D. Complete Relaxation features a bespoke mix of his hypnotic tracks “The Essence of Peace” and the angelic “Heavens Gate”.

With each composition working seamlessly alongside the relaxation script, you’re taken on a guided journey through the body, relaxing each and every muscle before being invited to float down into Complete Relaxation, where the positive affirmations begin.

With the latest meditation and relaxation techniques, this app will ease every muscle in your body, offering you complete relaxation…”

My experience

One thing I can say: it does help you to relax. And, yes, the music is a very nice touch.

I like doing these sessions in bed, so I feel relaxed even more.

There is a lite version, and a full version for $1.99.

Get Complete Relaxation.

Guided Mind — Guided Meditation, Relaxation & Mindfulness for Stress, Depression, Anxiety, Insomnia & More

App description:

“Relax and get guided through meditations on a variety of topics dealing with the stresses and challenges of day-to-day life.

Updated frequently with new guides and meditations.

FEATURES

  • Easy & effective step-by-step, voice-guided meditations
  • Short (~5min), medium (~15min), and long (30+ min) meditations
  • 8 different meditation guides (speakers)
  • 20+ FREE high quality meditations
  • 150+ high quality meditations
  • 14 FREE nature soundscapes
  • 20+ instrumental tracks
  • Looping for continuous play
  • Download any meditation and listen without an internet connection
  • Easy-to-use interface
  • Instructions on how to use the app to meditate
  • Information about each guide
  • Meditations for both beginners & experienced meditators”

My experience

I saved this app for last because, in my book, it is the best. It is the app that I use most.

It offers a lot of guided meditations based on various topics. If you are dealing with a particular problem, you can search for that, and you’ll probably find a guided meditation session targeting that issue.

Additionally, it has a good number of free sessions, which I find really useful. There are some topics which are in-app purchases, but they’re well worth your money.

Get Guided Mind.

Do you use guided meditation apps? Maybe you can share them with us!

Originally posted on June 9, 2015 @ 8:00 am

What Guided Meditation Is and Its Benefits

Meditation is a popular practice in many parts of the world today, but its origins date back to approximately 5,000 to 3,500 BCE when archeologists discovered signs of meditation in wall art.

Indian scriptures, as early as 3,000 years ago, highlight meditation techniques, and as time passed, other religions and sects developed their versions of meditation.

Today, from the east to the west, people practice meditation for various reasons, one of which is to attain spiritual development.

Guided meditation

Guided meditation is no different from regular meditation except that there is someone else leading the session. This is particularly useful for beginners who may have difficulty meditating. As the name says, guided meditation needs a guide to help an individual or group to reach a deeper level of consciousness and reap the benefits of the practice.

One of the most common ways you can practice guided meditation is to go to a yoga center or a similar place. They offer sessions or classes for guided meditation. If you’re fortunate enough, you can even find a personal guide for your meditation session.

guided meditation benefitsSource

During a guided meditation session, the narrator will start with asking you to find a comfortable position – sitting or lying down. He or she will then verbally help you go through visualization processes with the aim of relaxing your body and your mind. As you go along, you will get more and more relaxed, and your mind will become calmer.

How can guided meditation help?

Guided meditation is not much different from meditating on your own. It’s the presence of a guide that helps you focus, with the ultimate goal of you being able to – at some point – meditate on your own.

Guided meditation benefits are numerous, the main one being targeted at those who struggle with sitting still and quieting their mind. If you find it difficult just to sit there and find inner peace on your own, then guided meditation will make it much easier.

There are many variations of guided meditation, most of them with specific goals.

Here are several examples:

  • Guided meditation for relaxation
  • Guided meditation to relieve work stress
  • Guided meditation to quit smoking
  • Guided meditation to start the day
  • Guided meditation for “grounding” yourself
  • Guided meditation for self-healing
  • Guided meditation for coping with divorce or breakups
  • Guided meditation for forgiveness
  • Guided meditation for dealing with guilt.

And the list goes on and on.

Whether you are going through a rough patch in your life, or you simply want to improve your current state of mind, meditation is one of the most effective things to do. And, if you are not comfortable meditating on your own, or you are uninitiated in the practice, then guided meditation can help you achieve your goals in ways you may not imagine.

Are you ready to make a huge change in your life? Try guided meditation. In my next post, I’ll be sharing tools which you can use for guided meditation.

Get your meditation place ready: 9 Cheap Ways to Make Your Place Peaceful and Conducive to Meditation

Originally posted on June 3, 2015 @ 8:30 am

6 Relaxing Hobbies That Will Relieve Stress

Are you living a life of stress? Does it seem that stress is all you can feel day in, day out?

Then you need to examine your lifestyle. Perhaps your work is taking over your life. Perhaps you have issues about taking on the burden of everyone around you – even if you don’t have to. Perhaps you just need to take a break from everything and carve out some “me time”.

When was the last time you spent time doing something that you really enjoy? If you can barely remember, or if the instances are far and few in between, then I suggest making an effort to make time for this activity.

If you think you need something new, here’s a bit of help: some relaxing hobbies that will relieve stress.

Painting

Not everyone is skilled in painting, but even if you don’t know anything about color palettes and brushes and whatnot, it’s worth a try. Look for classes in your area, sign up for one, and find out if painting is for you. You might be surprised at the results.

Photography

relaxing hobbies

 

These days, everyone can be a photographer. While the hardcore hobbyists have expensive equipment, which you might not want to invest in just yet, you can easily use your smartphone. Photography is definitely a relaxing hobby, as there are endless choices for subjects – and there should be at least one that you are interested in.

Cooking

If you like your food, why not up the ante and challenge yourself in the kitchen? You might already be making your meals every day, but if you see that as a necessity – one has to eat after all – it probably isn’t relaxing at all. Instead, you might see it as a chore.

Why not turn things around and make cooking a hobby? Browse cooking/recipe sites and buy cooking/foodie magazines. Look for recipes that make your mouth water, and go for it!

Gardening

It has been proven time and again that gardening is one of the best relaxing hobbies. Before you ditch the idea, give it a try. Gardening outside exposes you to the health benefits of the sun. The mere act of tending to your plants (you can even talk to them) also helps you relax.

And, who doesn’t like seeing flowers grow and brighten up your surroundings? If you grow some vegetables or herbs, you’ll have the added satisfaction of consuming them.

Ikebana

relaxing hobbies

 

Ikebana is the ancient art of flower arrangement, a distinctive part of Japanese culture. Learning and practicing Ikebana will not only help you relax, but give you a sense of achievement and an appreciation for beauty for it is not simply putting a bunch of flowers in a vase, but an art form and philosophy that highlights how nature and humanity come together.

Transcendental Meditation

Founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 1950s, Transcendental Meditation, or TM, is a technique that requires the use of sound or a mantra that is practiced twice every day for 15 to 20 minutes. The TM technique is supposed to bring your body to a relaxed state and profound rest. If you take up this as hobby and do it regularly, you’ll find that your life doesn’t have to have much stress.

Originally posted on May 13, 2015 @ 8:00 am

Using Meditation and Mindfulness to Deal With the Aftermath of Divorce

With divorce comes the inevitable jumble of emotions that you can’t seem to sort out. From the moment the topic of divorce is brought up, the emotions start raging. When you and your spouse start the process with a divorce lawyer – and all throughout the proceedings – everything will even become more tangled; and after everything’s said and done, those emotions will continue ebb and flow.

It may even seem that you can’t see yourself getting back up, much less being happy again.

You will keep analyzing, overthinking, and in all likelihood live a disrupted life that just doesn’t make sense to you. This will result in a feeling of being overwhelmed.

“I’m going to try anything to feel better.”

That’s a mindset that can go either way. You may find yourself going out every night to forget, and to tire yourself out so that when you come home, you just crash.

On the other hand, you may want to try this suggestion: look to meditation and mindfulness to deal with the aftermath of your divorce.

How exactly do you do this?

The essence of mindfulness is consciously choosing how to think and act. Consciously being the operative word.

In the context of divorce, here are some concrete steps to take.

1. Make a decision.

With all the emotional turmoil you are experiencing, how can you expect yourself to make a sensible decision? I’m telling you now, you will probably make a wrong turn or two, but one decision that will definitely be right is this: To take steps to see things from a different perspective, and believe that you WILL be better at some point.

That is a very broad statement, to be sure, but it is a start. Once you have made that decision to start sorting out your ragged emotional state, you can proceed to even more concrete actions that will ease the aftermath of divorce.

2. Start a meditation routine.

meditation mindfulness divorce

Source

If you’ve got experience in meditation, then it should be a bit easier for you. You know how to calm yourself down and center yourself during those panicky moments when you feel overwhelmed.

If you’re new to meditation, start slowly.

First, begin your day by meditating. Don’t rush around to get things done. Instead, set aside a bit of time to gather your thoughts, calm yourself, and get ready for the day. Start in small increments – 5 minutes is enough.

Here is a good step-by-step guide for people who do not meditate.

Meditating doesn’t have to be limited to the start of the day. The chances are that you will feel those emotions rage in the middle of day, especially when you don’t expect it. When this happens, if you can find a quiet spot to meditate – even if only for 5-10 minutes – then do so.

3. Live by the day, even by the hour.

Sometimes, it’s by the minute. When my husband left me, often, I didn’t even know what I was going to eat for dinner – if I was going to eat at all. When I started to think about the next day, or anything further than that, I would get panic attacks so bad that I thought I would suffocate.

Then I realized that the only way to handle it was to take it slow. Just do what you can for the day. If that’s too much, do what you have to for the next hour. Once that’s done, go on to the next hour, and so on.

On bad days, that span of time could be by the minute!

My mantra back then was:

First do what you have to do,

then do what you are able to do.

Pretty soon, you’ll be doing what you want to do.

It wasn’t easy. It took a while. But being more aware of what I did each minute, each hour, and each day helped me get through the most difficult time of my life.

Remember: Meditation and mindfulness can ease the burden of a divorce or separation.

 

Featured image source

How to Become a Better Husband, Boyfriend or Life Partner
How to Become a Better Wife, Girlfriend, or Life Partner

Originally posted on February 20, 2015 @ 8:30 am

7 European Retreats to Visit This Summer – and Beyond

The benefits of meditation have long been established. For example, more than having a calming and stabilizing effect, it can also help in managing pain. While meditating on a regular basis is the best thing to do, there is an added benefit to setting aside a specific, extended period where you can really focus on meditating, reflecting, and even doing yoga and other spirit-nourishing activities.

With summer here, you’re probably making plans to get away from the hustle and bustle of life – if you haven’t already. With how busy things can get at work, it’s understandable that many still haven’t made arrangements for their summer vacation, but it’s not too late to make bookings, and with sites such as Uyora, affordable rates are still to be found.

If you don’t have plans yet, there is still time to plan and consider visiting a retreat, which may be different from your usual summer trip. There are a lot of choices out there, but here are some of the best European retreats.
[Read more…] about 7 European Retreats to Visit This Summer – and Beyond

Originally posted on July 1, 2014 @ 9:04 am