Learning How To Meditate To Relax

Learning meditation is a great stress reliever. However have you ever wondered why people want to learn to meditate? To relax is just one of them. Many people, especially in the Eastern countries practice spiritual mediitation to attain enlightenement and spiritual growth.

Then there is also holistic meditation which helps you heal from a serious illness, aiding the body and mind recuperate and regenerate.

Then there is the meditation for relaxation, which we will be focusing on today. This is the most common type of meditation learned and practiced in the Western world. To meditate to relax is easy, fun and can be learned much faster than spiritual meditation, for example.

No wonder, since the goals of meditation and the benefits of meditation are different, depending on which one you practice.

Since we have become so interested in various relaxation meditation techniques, these days there are many easy ways to meditate to relax to choose from.

From a 1 minute meditation, to various guided meditations that help you achieve an alpha state of mind within practically a few minutes, you can learn and use whichever technique you want.

While initially it is ok to try a few techniques to see which ones is mostly suitable for you, once you found the meditation for relaxation that you think you can practice, it is best to stick with one, at least for a couple of months.

This way you teach your body and mind to become relaxed much faster, because it doesn't have to always learn something new, every time you sit down to meditate.

Maybe one of the easiest ways to meditate to relax is the breathing technique, which you can follow along below.

(image credits: purchased at istockphoto.com)

This is a very simple way to meditate to relax and it can be done by everyone. An easy technique that helps you ease gently into the practice of meditation.

Here are the steps to this simple technique to relax the way I do it at home.

1. Find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed for at least 20 minutes or so. If necessary, switch off your mobile phone (cell phone) and unplug your home phone.
2. Find yourself a comfortable position that you know will not strain your body while meditating.
3. Wear some loose clothes, avoid wearing jeans and other tight clothes as they will distract you from your goal of meditation.
4. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.
5. Next take a slow and long breath while counting up to 3
6. Now hold your breath to the count of 3
7. Next exhale, again to the count of 3
8. And now, hold your breath to the count of 3
9. If you find that you feel you need to breath faster or slower, increase or decrease this count as appropriate. However once you found the perfect number and rhythm, keep at it for every step of the inhaling and exhaling.
10. At some point you will notice that your mind is full of chit chat that is common in your regular waking state. Simply clear your mind and focus on your breathing. Focus on the number you are at.
11. If the thoughts return or if you suddenly remember a problem to solve or a worry that you were having before, gently push them aside, knowing that they will come back after the meditation anyway. Now it's your ME time.
12. When the meditation session is over, slowly return to your normal waking state (still keep your eyes closed). Remember what you did and thought just before starting the meditation. Remember exactly where you are.
13. Now open your eyes, take a long deep breath, stretch your body, and go drink a glass of water for grounding after meditation.

If you are new to meditation, then initially practice this breathing meditation to relax for 5 minutes. Eventually you can gradually increase up to 15 and 20 minutes.

One of the questions people ask me when I discuss with them my meditation practice is 'Can I learn how to meditate to relax? My mind is always busy and I think I can never relax enough to meditate - which in turn will keep me from relaxing'.

I can honestly say that everyone can learn to meditate to relax. Think about meditation as a sort of daydreaming. You are daydreaming every day, isn't it? When you daydream, your mind goes into the alpha state, into an altered state of consciousness. And this is exactly the state your mind is when you are meditating.

It is a kind of trance, just like when you are so absorbed in the film or TV show you are watching that you are totally unaware of your surroundings until you get out of that trance.

You don't need to start with a difficult meditation technique. There are many easy meditation exercises available on my website that you can start with, or simply try to do the breathing technique I showed you above.

Over time, the mind and body learns this new way of being, and just within a short couple of weeks you will find yourself relaxing more and more, faster and faster, with each meditation session that you do.

(image credits: purchased at istockphoto.com)