Since ancient times, people have practiced meditation for the numerous benefits it offers. Incorporating meditation into your everyday life could make a huge difference in your mindset and attitude.

Most forms of meditation call for the spine to be straight and the posture to be erect. The explanation for this is that sitting upright encourages the movement of your spiritual energy. This is considered to be your life force.

A straight back is essential to most of the meditation traditions, and is a standard component of the various postures used in this practice. Let’s take a look at some of them.

1. Seated position. The individual sits upright while maintaining a straight back. The head and spine are in alignment and not tilted. The thighs are parallel to the floor. The hands are placed on the arms of the chair or on the knees.

2. Cross legged posture. This is a very common posture; the lotus position is included in this category.

3. Kneeling position. The individual is on the floor in a kneeling position. The buttocks rest on the heels and toes, which are placed side by side. The hands are placed on the thighs.

4. Lying down position. In yoga this is referred to as savasna; it’s also known as the corpse position. The person lies down on the floor keeping the legs unbent and at ease. This posture isn’t that common since it so closely resembles the sleeping position. A person might doze off at times. This is better as a means of reducing stress more so than for meditating.

In addition to these postures, there are several gestures and movements that can be incorporated into the practice of meditation. Among these are hand gestures called Mudras. A theological meaning is at the root of these gestures. Coming from the yogic philosophy, they can impact your consciousness. One illustration is the typical Buddhist hand placement. With the thumbs touching, the right hand is positioned on top of the left hand.

Integrating assorted repetitive actions like chanting, deep breathing or humming also assists in bringing on a state of meditation. Some people practice walking meditation. It’s common to keep the eyes closed or partially open while meditating. However, Soto Zen practitioners perform their meditation with their eyes wide open in front of a wall.

To achieve the advantages of meditation, stick to the advice and training of the kind of meditation you have chosen to practice. Be aware that persistence and acceptance are required to achieve success. This could be of help at times when you find difficulty in meditating, and it will also improve your concentration in daily life.

Tags: meditation, meditation postures, meditation techniques

There are countless techniques that claim to help you quit smoking. But do they work? Following is an overview of some of the more common ways to quit. Find out for yourself if they can live up to their promises.

Medications

Many people who decide to stop smoking give nicotine patches a try. They work by slowly decreasing the amount of nicotine that you ingest each day. This helps to ease the symptoms of withdrawal once nicotine is gone from your system completely.

A hot new pharmaceutical product is Chantix, a quit smoking pill. This medication causes the release of dopamine, a feel good chemical in your brain. Your brain gets the sensation that nicotine is doing its thing. Using this form of treatment, withdrawal symptoms are virtually nonexistent.

It’s important to note that using medications to help you stop smoking isn’t always the complete answer. The reason is that it’s not only the physical addiction that’s the problem. Smoking is also psychologically addictive, which is equally difficult to deal with.

Cold Turkey

This is one of the most popular methods among people who decide to quit smoking. Essentially, it involves simply quitting, without any gradual tapering off or pharmaceutical assistance. Even though it’s a favorite technique, it isn’t always the best choice.

Most people who smoke are addicted to the large quantities of nicotine that are contained in cigarettes. It’s an extremely addictive substance, and if you don’t get your fix, you’ll exhibit withdrawal symptoms right away. Quitting cold turkey heightens the withdrawal effect, and your symptoms will go on for at least two weeks.

The hard part is to learn how to take your mind off these symptoms when they come over you. Smokers usually have too much difficulty with this approach and end up succumbing to the craving.

Substituting

This method typically replaces the act of smoking with a substitute. Many people have found success by sucking on hard candy or chewing gum when the urge to smoke hits. This can help ease your oral craving by keeping your mouth occupied.

Others have substituted certain activities such as exercise in place of smoking. When they crave a cigarette, they simply go for a run or get on an exercise bike.

Any ex-smoker will tell you how hard it is to quit. And anyone who has been successful will probably tell you that it took several attempts to quit smoking for good. However, it’s important that you don’t give up. After all, your life is on the line.

Tags: quit smoking, stop smoking