Easy Meditation Techniques For Relaxation And Stress Relief

Years ago such a concept as easy meditation simply didn't exist in our society. This is because those who embraced it, they fully embraced it, practically living by it and it's principles.

Also many years ago, before getting introduced to the Western world, the people who were meditating were monks, spiritual leaders, spiritual people and those who really took life seriously in finding a true meaning of existence.

Don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean that we, Westerners do not take life seriously. However let's not forget that our modern world is all based on impulse, on getting everything NOW and on very materialistic principles.

This is because we are living in stressful times, busy times, when we simply don't have the luxury of spending hours and hours on learning meditation to attain all the benefits it can give us.

Hence the search for easy meditation techniques that can be beneficial in our daily lives right away.

While spirituality and religion have their places in this society, as a whole we are only now starting to unlearn what the industrial revolution did to our mind and spirit over the years.

Unfortunately it is very difficult to let go of 'wanting it now and wanting it as easy as possible', hence the increasing demand for easy meditation techniques.

Easy, or simple meditation techniques are those that can be done in a relative short period of time without taking years to get benefits from practicing them.

Also the benefits that you will get from easy meditation techniques will be slightly different than those that you would get if you were a devote practitioner meditator.

For example you might not get all the spiritual advantages, however you will get additional benefits by finding everything you need to live a relatively stress-free life, to find calm and peace in your life and become a better person overall.

A one minute meditation is a great way to start meditating when you have never done it before, especially when meditation intimidates you. While meditative practices are becoming more and more popular in the Western world, there are still many people who simply don't meditate because they have the wrong idea about this practice.

It's usually two things happening: they either believe that to truly gain benefits of meditation they need to practice relentlessly for years as a Buddhist monk somewhere in the Tibet mountains, or that they need to buy expensive courses (or get to an expensive meditation retreat) to reap the rewards of enjoying meditation.

While both of these are certainly possible, for the average person living stressfully in their daily lives, daily meditations with the one minute meditation exercises, are a great way to learn how to calm the mind, relax and de-stress at the same time, while achieving inner peace.

And afterall, these are the most urgent benefits that anyone leading a busy life wants to gain from these easy meditation techniques.

Btw, there is nothing religious about one-minute meditations. There is just a feeling of gratitude for the experience of relieving tension from the body and mind at the end.

The one minute meditations are also a great way to enter further, deeper meditative states, if you choose to go that route using this meditation for beginners. I have used such meditations several times to simply lead me to a deeper subconscious level before starting a more serious meditation exercise.

Image credit: Sxc

One of the reasons why it works so well is because it is a simple exercise. People KNOW that it is only one minute that they take away from their time, so they get in complete agreement with the mind, which doesn't put up barriers for such a short time.

For merely a minute, the mind doesn't start with 'but I have no time', 'but I still have this and that to finish', 'but the boss is waiting for me'...It is afterall, only one minute.

And this is where its power comes from: through lowering the mind's resistance to the meditation itself and the time spend on it.

In addition, this meditation can be practiced more than once a day. While it is more difficult for a person to even spend 20 minutes in meditation (forget about meditating twice a day for 20 minutes!), everyone can take 2, 3 and 4 times a day one minute off for the purpose of relaxation and de-stressing.

There are many examples of one minute meditation instructions for stress management that I came across, however here is the one that I am actually practicing when I simply need 30 seconds - up to a minute of silence, of quiet, peace and stillness.

You can practice this meditation exercise anywhere and at any time. You don't need to have a specific meditation posture for it.

You can do it whether you are at home, at work or on the train heading towards your workplace, or even when hiking in the mountains.

The one-minute meditation simply done this way is extremely easy and whatever thoughts on meditation you might have, you should give this practice a try.

1. If you have a place to sit down, then do so, however it is not absolutely necessary.
2. Relax your body and let your hands either limp next to your body or on your lap, depending whether you are sitting or standing.
3. Close your eyes.
4. Take a few slow and deep breaths, in and out. Feel the breath entering every pore of your body and when exhaling, feel it leave completely.
5. While breathing in, count to 4. While breathing out, count to 4 as well.
6. Simply focus on your breathing, and nothing more, while counting at the inhale and exhale.
7. If your mind starts wandering, gently focus it back on your breathing.
8. Breath in and out while focusing on what you are doing for one minute.
9. When you are ready to stop, before opening your eyes, simply remember where you are and what you did just before starting the meditation. This will ground you back into the present moment.
10. Open your eyes and enjoy the calmness that this short meditation brought you. Now you are ready to resume your previous activities with a renewed energy.

This one minute meditation technique seems deceivingly simple, however don't let its simpleness fool you. The more you practice it, the longer time you will remain calm and relaxed, which in turn will help you keep your balance throughout the day so that when you enter a stressful situation, you will be much better equipped to handle it calmly and assured.

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