How to Release Stress & Improve Sleep, Concentration, Memory
Posted: Thursday, February 24, 2011
by Drunken Mystic
http://drunkenmystic.wordpress.com
A couple of days back, a student of Engineering from Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu state approached me on Facebook and asked me if I could teach him some methods to focus the mind constantly on God. I just told him simply that there are many ways to focus on God or attain realization, but first he must be ready to listen to his heart so he can know which path is the true path for him. Personally, I am not going to talk about listening to God’s voice or worshiping the almighty, because until we don’t learn to control our minds and increase the calmness and realize the permanent joy from within, we will never be able to focus on God’s love.
From children above seven years of age to people of all age groups can practice this basic technique of meditation which doesn’t take too long for a start. Meditation in general should be started with a minimal time and the duration shouldn’t be overstretched. The duration should increase naturally rather than try pushing to increase the time. If you try to do that, it would mean that you are not meditating and rather worried about how long you are meditating and this doesn’t do any good for restricting your thoughts to attain the state of thoughtlessness.
The key to attaining a state of mental calm is basically focusing on the breath. Yoga always stresses on breathing. Proper rhythmic breathing which should be slow, relaxed and long. The constant awareness should be on the smooth flow of the inhalation as the air moves into the nostrils, and then fills into the lungs and watch where it ends. Watch the end point where it hits to bring a gap before the exhalation begins and vice-versa. In this process, you will also realize that the awareness on the breath brings a constant relaxation in the nerves and muscles all over the body, there is a resounding sensation in the head and slowly the mind starts to calm down and thoughts begin to recede for a while.
What I have explained above is the basic process and result of the process which occurs due to the awareness on the breathing. This can be done during your yoga classes or personal yoga session at home and it is very effective. The next method I am going to explain is something which you can easily practice while sitting in a good posture or even lying down on the bed before going to sleep or even as soon as you wake up early in the morning. You are just going to love it once you get regular with it. There is nothing more than just enjoying the sensation of the breath moving in and out of our body.
If you have already practiced enough to sit cross-legged then it is good that you can sit in this posture, as this is one of the best postures for meditation. Even if you can’t, then you can choose to sit on a chair with a nice backrest which can keep your spine erect. Every meditative posture demands the spine to be erect so the breathing is easy and steady. Always make sure the body doesn’t crouch after a few minutes of commencement of meditation.
Sit straight and see to it that your face is not tilted to the side or backwards and your chin should be parallel to the floor. You can place your palms either facing downwards on your knees or even facing upwards. Try to release all kinds of muscle tension in your body and just see to it that you are not contracting any part unconsciously in an effort to make your meditation better. It can happen to most people when they try to make their posture perfect and don’t want to lose the position.
As your posture is taken care of, now you need to close your eyes and take your awareness to the point between the eyebrows. It is true that the eyes will tend to slip or maybe difficult initially to focus on the eyebrow center. But with practice, you will get it fine. As you focus your attention, just continue to breathe normally for a few seconds. Continue with the process and slowly start feeling the air entering the nostrils and moving into your lungs and be aware of the chest rising up slowly.
Watch the sensation of the air, the chillness of it and gradually you will start listening to the noise it makes. When the inhalation ends, there is a small gap before the exhalation begins. You must be aware of that gap time and again. Even when the exhalation ends, the same gap occurs before the start of the next inhalation. So each time you breathe in and out, at these extreme points you should continue to watch the gap or time interval between start of inhalation and exhalation.
This gap between the inhalation and exhalation which occurs each time you breathe in and out holds the key to still the mind as well. The complete focus on the breath and the gap which is a state of breathlessness, slowly induces calm and peace which in turn increases concentration, improves memory and brings quality sleep. The gap should slowly increase with time naturally, and as it increases the duration of inhalation and exhalation reduces and you begin to reach an increased state of breathlessness. This state of breathlessness starts to arrest your thoughts, restlessness of the mind and slowly induces a feeling of joy which starts to spread all over your being. Watch this process, enjoy it and intensify it. It is a very beautiful process. Note: Never force the retention to induce the breathless state. That is harmful. It is should be gradual, and if you are not able to attain it, just breath normally with awareness and that is good enough to bring desired results.
Practice this method for ten minutes in the morning as soon as you wake up. When you wake up, the mind is fresh after sleep and free from thoughts and this will help you develop greater concentration and also enjoy the quietude of the morning. Similarly, you can practice this before going to sleep also as it will help you relax your mind from unwanted thoughts and enjoy a good night’s slumber.
In case you want to practice it lying down on your bed, there is no issue with it. This will all the more relax your complete body. You just need to keep your face straight facing the ceiling and place your hands on the sides and spread your legs slightly apart and continue with the same process as explained above. Use a soft pillow which doesn’t raise your head too high. Practice it twice a day regularly and see the change it brings into your lives. Bring in the joy and experience a deep inner love expanding with your consciousness and this will definitely improve your relationships – be it personal or professional.
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)I love how matter of fact you are about this. I've met so many people who "meditate" and call themselves "spiritual" but actually it's just an ego trip.Well. there are many things associated with the ego. Being spiritual calls for being a good human being and respecting other beings. Just by meditating one doesn't become spiritual, just like someone teaching yoga doesn't necessarily become a guru. :-) Thank you.
Nice lesson DM. I learned these techniques early in life, but implementing them on a regular basis is where I tend to stray. I think I'm too addicted to a more rapid response from my actions. I have never had a hard time sleeping though. I hope it's because I try and live my life in a manner that leaves me relatively free from stress. Accepting my limitations of control, and a clear conscience.That's really good, sir. Even if you ever feel like doing it, it just takes a moment or two to get into the position of breath awareness. In fact you can even practice it while reading the newspaper or a book, or even when you are at work. But you have already practiced a different kind of meditation. :-)
My fellow air breather, I compliment your focus on the Divine and am exalted to know you, as the unmet friend.
PaulThank you Paul. I will always cherish this friendship between us and I always wish you peace and happiness.
In my prayers,
DM
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