The guided meditation experience

Guided meditations are usually experienced with the help of a meditation teacher, or by listening to a guided meditation recording.

Your meditation guide will ask you to sit comfortably, or in some cases, you may be asked to lie down. You then listen to your guide while they lead you through a series of relaxing visualizations. As you gradually relax and become more and more still, stress fades away, and your mind becomes clearer and clearer.

While you are in this deeply relaxed state of mind, your subconscious is open to positive suggestions, and your guide will use this time to take you on an inner journey that is designed to improve one or more aspects of your life. For example, a guided meditation might be tailored towards personal empowerment and positive thinking. Another might focus on emotional healing or spiritual development. You might be taken on a guided journey to unleash your full potential, or you may choose to go on a guided meditation journey simply for the sheer pleasure of experiencing profoundly deep relaxation.

As you can now see, a guided meditation can be an experience that is not only relaxing, but one that enhances your sense of self, that transforms your perspective in positive ways, and that inspires you to live your life to the fullest.

It’s an effortless and very enjoyable experience that results in deep relaxation, elimination of stress and a heightened appreciation of life.

At the conclusion of your guided meditation, your guide will gradually bring you back to a state of normal awareness, leaving you feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and relaxed. A guided meditation might be as short as 5 minutes, or as long as an hour, depending on your personal preference. In most cases, a guided meditation of 20 minutes or longer is recommended if you wish to experience a truly deep state of relaxation and maximize the positive benefits.

What makes guided meditation different?

Most traditional meditation techniques require you to take command of your own awareness by concentrating your attention on a single point of focus. This point of focus might be your breathing, it might be a physical action, or more commonly, it may be on a mantra – a sound, word or phrase that you repeat to yourself mentally.

While these powerful meditation techniques are wonderful for achieving inner stillness and for enhancing your ability to concentrate, some people find them difficult to master.

One of the main reasons why guided meditations are such a popular alternative to traditional meditation techniques is because they require no previous training or effort to enjoy. Even if you are someone who finds it extremely difficult to let go of thoughts, even if you are highly stressed or overloaded with mental activity, you will quickly achieve inner stillness and peace of mind when you listen to a guided meditation.

Because guided meditation is so easy, it is very useful for people who are new to meditation. However, guided meditations can also be of great benefit to people who are very experienced at meditation. Experienced meditators will still use guided meditations in order to experience a deeper or more vivid meditation, to delve deeper into their mind than they are normally able, or to target a specific aspect of personal development that they wish to address.

Guided meditation also differs from traditional meditation in the way that it uses music and nature sounds to enhance your meditation experience.

The role of music and nature sounds in guided meditation

Guided meditation recordings usually include tranquil meditation music that helps you to relax while you are guided through the meditation. Think about how much difference a good soundtrack makes to a movie. Guided meditations benefit from music in a similar way. Music adds another dimension of expression and depth to your guided meditation journey, whilst soothing your mind.

It’s also not uncommon for Guided meditation CD’s and MP3′s to include nature sounds. These sounds are very relaxing, and they may also be used to enhance the vividness of the visualizations that you experience during the meditation. For example, if you are guided to visualize yourself standing on a sandy beach, then your experience of that visualization will be more authentic if you can actually hear the sound of ocean waves.

In contrast to traditional meditation, in which your aim is to achieve mental stillness through concentration exercises, guided meditations rely on a vivid tapestry of visualizations, music and environmental sounds to relax you, to captivate your attention and to immerse you in an inner journey. Because this inner journey can be tailored to achieve specific outcomes, guided meditation may be even more powerful than traditional, passive meditation techniques when it comes to effecting positive personal changes in your life.

Meditation really is one of the most powerful ways to experience inner peace and to improve your quality of life. For more information about guided meditation and to learn how to meditate for free, please visit The Guided Meditation Site.

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The first year of parenthood is a memorable time. You’re getting to know your baby and becoming acclimated to your role as a parent. You learn how to feed your baby, how to clothe him or her, and even how to medicate your baby. Every few weeks, you check with your pediatrician’s office to chart your baby’s growth. It is, in fact, an incredible period of growth for both you and your baby.

However, there is also a great deal of stress associated with new parenthood. You often have to toss aside your pre-conceived notions as you actually experience motherhood or fatherhood. You may be stressed out by the endless diapers and mounting piles of laundry y the constant feedings and by your newborn’s continual crying. At times, you may even wonder whether you’re really cut out for parenthood.

The important thing to remember is that every new parent feels stress. It is, in fact, part of the job. And the stress will continue once your child is in school, once your child becomes a teenager, and once your child starts college. In essence, the moment your baby is born begins a lifetime of stress for you and your mate.

How can you best combat new baby-stress? Recognizing the amount of stress you’re under is an important first step. Many new parents become frustrated and irritable, never realizing that they are simply reacting to stress. Given the fact that new parents often get little sleep, the stress can be easily compounded.

Once you recognize your stress, it is important to engage in some stress relief. For many parents, this will mean calling Grandma and Grandpa to take over during the rough times. Just a few hours away from your baby can help you to re-charge your batteries, enabling you to improve your coping skills. It can be particularly helpful if you and your mate arrange a date night while your baby is with the grandparents. This couple time can be extremely relaxing and beneficial for your relationship.

A simple technique you can use is to play lullabies not just for your baby, but for yourself as well. There is something so soothing about a pleasant lullaby it can take a great deal of the tension away. Singing with your baby can also help to cement the bond between you and can help to eliminate stress.You might even try dancing with your baby the best dances include both parents! Taking the time to relax with your baby can help to reduce the tension you feel.

Books can be another helpful resource. There are a number of books on the market that tell you what to expect during your baby’s first year. For instance, many offer doctor’s recommendations on when it is necessary to call the pediatrician, and when a home remedy will work just as well. Reading such baby how-to books can take a great deal of the stress out of first year parenting.

Arranging play dates for your baby can also be quite therapeutic. In some cases, you might be able to drop your baby off at a friend’s house while you do your shopping, cleaning, or other chores. In other cases, arranging a play date offers you the opportunity to get together with other mothers and fathers who share similar stresses. Just talking with other parents might help to ease your worries tremendously.

Another tried-and-true formula for dealing with new baby stress is to put the baby in a stroller and start walking. Just a short walk around the block can help to clear your head, helping you to better deal with the demands of new parenthood. You might even enlist a friend to walk with you. Some mothers and fathers even buy special jogging strollers so that they can run while their babies roll along. Such exercise can be quite relaxing, especially after a hard day around the play pen.

Your new baby should be the light of your life. Therefore, you shouldn’t let stress ruin your relationship. By employing some simple coping strategies, you can learn to love your new life despite all the stresses involved. You’ll wake up each day refreshed, and ready to take on the day’s challenges.

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1. In the New School Year How Will You Reduce the Stress?
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3. Stress Management For New Parents

Whatever your personal circumstances, with the continuous onslaught of negative news recently, many of us, including many of my life coaching clients, are having trouble hushing our minds and relaxing. The truth is, though, our bodies, minds, work, and lives eventually suffer from keeping ourselves in a condition of extended stress. The secret is to grab hold of yourself when feeling stressed, choose to do something to relieve the stress, and commit to an action that will improve the way you’re feeling. And, while there are a multitude of things we can do and people we can turn to help us manage and reduce stress, these are 5 easy 15-minute stress-busters we can integrate into our lives now that can be amazingly successful for reducing stress.

1.    Meditation: Most of us have heard about the benefits of meditation, but don’t integrate it into our lives for a number of reasons. One of the greatest things about meditation, though, is that it’s easy to integrate it into almost any part of your day no matter where you are. Implementing a fairly brief, simple practice can provide tremendous results in eliminating stress and producing a relaxed mind and body. If you’re not sure where to start, there’s a lot of information on the web, but it’s also as simple as stopping for 15 dedicated minutes.  One simple way to start is by placing yourself in a quiet place where nothing or no one will disrupt you. Set an alarm for yourself so you’re not worried about time and sit tall and comfortably in a chair with uncrossed legs and arms or sit on the floor in a comfortable position. Then close your eyes, and begin to breath deeply through your nose.  Focus your mind solely on your breathing. And, breathe deeply and evenly. If your mind wanders, bring it back to the sense of your breath. It’s that easy.

2.    Music: If you stop and think about how much music you listen to on a daily and weekly basis, what would your answer be?  Because of our fast-paced, multi-tasking lifestyles and the diminished presence and accessibility of pure music (by “pure” I mean delivered completely through your ears and not synched to images) in our culture at the moment, it wouldn’t be uncommon for you to answer that you’re not listening too much pure music…especially without interruption. Like meditation, though, the research around the positive effects of music on the human body and mind is remarkable, specifically around the dissipating stress and promoting physical wellness. Here are a few suggestions for incorporating music regularly into your life: Listen to your iPod or a CD during your commute rather than listening to or reading the news (if you “need to know the news,” spend the last 15 minutes of your commute listening to a favorite CD or collection of songs); Listen to music you love during your lunch hour-by yourself; Start your morning at home with music you love-you can use this time to share the encounter of music with your children or your partner; ask your friends what internet radio stations and online music subscription services exist that you might want to assist you with your work and home life (you might be excited and inspired about all the wonderful new music that you didn’t even know was out there!) ; and/or, replace the habit of switching on the TV every night with listening to a favorite album or music on the radio.

3.    Outdoor Breaks: Don’t let a day go by without going outside because regular workdays like this begin to diminish us.  Schedule a daily 15-minute outdoor walk break in the afternoon, and really make it “a break” (no work!). Make it something you commit to and something you’re serious about by scheduling it into your calendar (this goes for any other stress-busting exercise you decide to incorporate into your afternoon).  Not only is breathing fresh air rejuvenating, physically moving rather than sitting and changing our surroundings is energizing.

4.    Laughter: If you’re having trouble getting rid of stress and tension and you feel that some light-hearted laughter is really what you’re desire, take a laughter break. If you’re at home, the sky’s the limit for belly-splitting material on the internet that will get you rolling (Youtube show postings, The Onion, The Comedy Central, iTunes podcasts by comedians, etc.), and if you’re at work, start collecting work-appropriate humorous books, papers, or magazines that you can have ready. You’ll be able to reach for a favorite piece whenever you’re in need of a laughter break.

5.    Express and Connect: Whether it’s calling someone who is upbeat and positive in your life for a 15-minute talk or journaling your feelings for 15 minutes to unite with your feelings, expressing yourself can help unshackle you from your stress. Before you dial that number, ask yourself if you can expect that the person you’re calling is likely to be an uplifting presence and resist the urge to call someone to simply kvetch. More often than not, that adds to the stress you’re already feeling.

Maria McKenna is a Life Coach with the Institute for Coaching

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Stress is commonly defined as physical, mental or emotional strain or tension. When events occur that disrupt our physical or emotional balance, we feel stress. This can be a very real psychological and physiological condition. In other words, stress isn’t just in our minds, it can affect us physically as well and lead to serious problems including migraines, ulcers and depression.

As we move through our daily lives we have to deal with obstacles and the tension and pressure that come naturally when trying to overcome them. We may get that “stressed out” feeling when trying to live up to the expectation of others or meeting all of our responsibilities. We are a busier and more stressed society than ever before.

Stress is not always a bad thing, however. From another perspective, it is stress that drives us to do our best and accomplish our goals in life. It motivates us and helps us to stay alert and focused on the task at hand. It’s when we start to become overwhelmed with our many responsibilities that stress starts to impact us in a negative way.

While they can vary greatly from person to person, many signs of stress are easy to identify. Stress can severely affect our body, mind and emotions. Stress can manifest itself as fatigue, mild to severe headaches, stomach problems and ulcers, skin rashes, hypersensitivity and irritability.

There is no quick fix or pill you can take to immediately cure or prevent stress. The following are a few tips that will assist you in managing and relieving the stress that can interfere with your daily life:

* Deep Breathing. This doesn’t have to be full blown meditating. Slowly, take several deep breaths through your nose. Concentrate on letting the air fill your lungs. Clear your mind and envision the tension draining from your muscles. Do this for several minutes. It seems simple but deep breathing can be very relaxing.

* Laughing. There is perhaps no saying that is truer than “laughter is the best medicine.” Laughter naturally relaxes your body and allows you to release tension by taking your mind off of problems.

* Relax your tongue and other muscles in your mouth. If you grit your teeth while working or driving, make a concerted effort to relax your jaw and let your tongue and mouth rest without tension. Try to maintain these relaxed facial muscles throughout the day.

* Listening to Music. Find something soothing or uplifting to listen too. Singing along with your favorite songs can distract you from your problems, allow your muscles to relax and relieve stress.

* Exercise. This is a tough one for a lot of people (myself included) but is a tried and true stress buster. Don’t try to force yourself to go for a run if you hate running. There are hundreds of ways to exercise that don’t cause excruciating pain. Go for a swim or a walk, wash the car or play in the park with your kids. Anything that gets your heart rate up will get your stress level down.

Pick one or two of these tips and give them a try. Find ones that you like and stick with them. Actively practice your stress management techniques and you will increase your mood and productivity while decreasing your chances of stress-related ailments.

For more tips and resources for stress management and stress relief visit http://betterstressmanagement.com. Visit today and get 404 Self Improvement Tips absolutely free!

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3. Yoga for Stress Relief: Learn Some Simple Techniques

Yoga is considered to be an extremely effective method for relieving stress. Many people avoid yoga with the idea that they either can’t or don’t wish to maneuver their body into a pretzel. However, these positions are for advanced practitioners. Yoga has many postures that are simple to perform. For example, the thirteen exercises, which are recommended for awakening the body, consist of gentle backward bends, forward bends, and an exercise resembling push-ups.

Yoga is a very old program that comes from India, dating back some 4000 years. It supposedly originated from watching the movements and stances of animals. The main goal of the yoga practitioner is to achieve harmony of body, mind, and spirit, which results in inner peace in all areas of one’s life.

Yoga is divided into eight parts. The first two emphasize an attitude towards life, which should be to live in peace and harmony, observing cleanliness, following a simple diet and studying.

The next two parts are concerned with the movements and their proper execution. They combine various exercises with breathing techniques. Some are strength building and some develop balance and flexibility. Others are designed to help one focus the mind. The underlying premise is to calm and rejuvenate the body, mind, and spirit through performing simple exercises.

The last four are devoted to the training of one’s mind together with the development of spiritual qualities. The final goal is enlightenment at which time the trainee acquires deep insight into the nature of the universe.

Yoga masters emphasize the importance of patience and persistence. One must practice the routines on a daily basis in order to realize any benefits.

Most people learn yoga by taking a class although there are various books and tapes available. Classes are commonly divided into beginning, intermediate and advanced sections.

It is recommended that a prospective student seek out classes that are welcoming and friendly. They should emphasize cooperation, not competition and should be encouraging. Before signing up, visit the class and sense the ambience. If you feel comfortable, join the group. If not, continue to look for the right class for you.

Also, there is a newly emerging yoga practice known as yoga therapy. In yoga therapy, you visit a therapist who, after careful discussion with you, will design a yoga program to fulfill your personal needs. This field of yoga is relatively new so there are not many skilled therapists available.

However, many yoga masters are accredited and yoga societies keep a list of accredited teachers. The society in your country can recommend a therapist if one is available. In addition, many physicians recommend yoga therapy to their patients and they maintain lists of available therapists in your area.

But yoga may not be for everyone. People with certain health conditions should not attempt yoga on their own. Women who are pregnant and patients with hernias, low back pain, back injuries, and high blood pressure should consult with their doctor before attempting yoga. And even with their doctor’s approval, they should only attempt the exercises under the expert guidance of a highly qualified yoga master.

There are many devotees of yoga but the bottom line is that you should enjoy it and it should relieve your stress. If it causes you stress, than you need to pass it up and seek other alternatives.

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