Meditation – Page 3

Does Yoga Make You Lose Weight?

The founders of the ancient practice of yoga probably didn’t think just how far its reach would become. Today, yoga is practiced all over the world, although its popularity in the U.S. has skyrocketed only recently, with 21 million Americans saying they’ve tried yoga in the past year.

Yoga has become an industry – and a huge one at that. With yoga centers charging fees, clothing companies creating special lines for yoga, books, apps – you name it, you can find it.

That may be distasteful if you think about it, but it’s the reality, and it helps people who turn to yoga for their own reasons.

In an old post of ours, “What to Remember About Yoga“, we highlighted yoga’s focus on holistic health. It’s all about the mind and body.

People do have their own reasons for doing yoga, and its health benefits are numerous.

Better blood circulation, which can lead to lower blood pressure
Lower pulse rate, which means a stronger heart
Gastrointestinal functions are improved (especially with those who already have issues in this area)
Pain tolerance is increased and yoga has been known to help ease chronic pain
Balanced metabolism

But what about losing weight? Is yoga weight loss real? Or is it just a myth?

Different poses have their own purposes. Some help you to relax and meditate. Others strengthen your core and target other areas of your body. So if you think about it, you do burn calories while practicing yoga.

But how much can yoga contribute to weight loss?

Unfortunately, the answer isn’t straightforward. Studies have shown that yoga in itself does not burn as many calories as cardiovascular activities such as walking or jogging.

However, it does have the potential to burn a huge chunk of calories, depending on factors such as your weight, the length of the session, and the type of yoga you practice. Based on a Livestrong article, “Hatha yoga…burns about 298 calories in one hour for a 155 pound person reports Harvard Health…while Ashtanga facilitates a higher calorie burn — as much as 362 calories in an hour.”

With those numbers, we can say that yoga weight loss is not a myth.

However, I think that if you decide to practice yoga, weight loss shouldn’t be the main reason. Its other benefits such as peace and centering yourself is just as important – maybe more.

Beginner I may be, but I already am experiencing all the benefits of yoga – plus some weight loss.

Back to you: are you practicing yoga or plan to? Why are you doing it?

Also read: Why Yoga Is Good for the Mind and Body

Originally posted on July 21, 2015 @ 8:00 am

What Guided Meditation Is and Its Benefits

Meditation

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.

Source

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

5 Spiritual Tools for Addiction Recovery

Body, Healing, Spirit

Nurturing a spiritual practice is a time-honored way for recovering addicts to stay strong in their recovery. It’s the foundation of many recovery paths, including the 12-Step program. Maintaining a spiritual practice doesn’t have to mean adhering to a religion. A spiritual practice can be any practice that promotes inner peace and helps a person feel like he or she is a part of something larger than him or herself.

For people in recovery, spiritual practices can be valuable coping tools to help them regulate their emotions and deal with the normal ups and downs of everyday life. No matter how difficult and stressful your life becomes, spiritual tools can help you find a sense of clarity and inner strength. Some of the most valuable and common tools recovering addicts can benefit from include prayer, meditation, religious practice, physical disciplines like yoga or qi gong, and mindfulness practices. [Read more…] about 5 Spiritual Tools for Addiction Recovery

Originally posted on May 28, 2015 @ 5:58 am

6 Relaxing Hobbies That Will Relieve Stress

Meditation, Mental Health, Mind

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

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

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

7 European Retreats to Visit This Summer – and Beyond

Meditation

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

Tools to Develop Mindfulness

Mindfulness

Mindfulness has been a very popular concept in recent times, and with how hectic we live our lives these days, it is rather understandable. The pace we live our lives brings about a lot of stress, and we find ourselves yearning for the good old days of enjoying the moment.