Meditation for Everyone

By Mariya Bullock

“The Heavens themselves, the Planets, and this centre, observe degree, priority, and place.” …William Shakespeare

We have all had times when life challenges us… Sometimes we have to resolve our problems which can be as difficult to solve as any trigonometric equation. How to get rid of anxiety, depression, and fatigue? How to improve family relationships or a relationship with a loved one? Or even how to build back self-esteem after we are divorced or the loss of a job, overcome addiction, recover from an illness? How to improve focus and sleep, decrease chronic pain? Don’t give up on yourself until you try meditation.

Meditation can be performed alone or as a part of another mind-body practice such as yoga. In our class meditation, we start with Pranayama or breathing practice. It helps to center your body and mind, also focuses on the sensation of the breathing, preventing a drifting away with thoughts about the future or memories from the past. At Anniston Yoga Center, each class starts with a short meditation to restore harmony to our often unbalanced lifestyles and reduce the pressures of modern living. According to CDC (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention), meditation is a good tool for complementary care for numerous diseases.

“The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is the federal government’s lead agency for scientific research on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Some recent NCCAM-supported studies have been investigating meditation for relieving stress in caregivers for elderly patients with dementia and for relieving asthma symptoms. A study published in the April 2009 issue of Preventing Chronic Disease researched use of meditation and other complementary and alternative practices in patients suffering from arthritis.” (Meditation and Health; www.cdc.gov [CDC official website])

Studies have shown that meditation has an anti-aging effect. Dr. Robert Keith Wallace pioneer researcher on meditation found that people who meditate have a biological age five to twelve years younger than their non-meditating counterparts. Even short term practitioners were physiologically 5 years younger than their chronological age. “There’s a reason why experienced meditators live so long and look so young. If we can affect the stress response, we can affect the aging process,” says Eva Selhub, MD, medical director of the Mind/Body Medical Institute. Meditation and relaxation transform the way we perceive stress.

Anybody can practice meditation, take a few breaths and clean your consciousness of all distractions. So, the word meditation comes from the Latin “meditation” which means to think or reflect on. There are many forms of meditation such as Zen meditation, Candle meditation, Mandala or Symbolic meditation, Visualization, Walking meditation and Transcendental (focus on mantra) meditation. An interesting fact is that Kripalu yoga classes are often called a Meditation in Motion. Senior Teacher of Kripalu Center of Yoga & Health Richard Faulds describes meditation as “a state of deep inner absorption that can occur in either the flow of yoga postures or in moments of physical stillness.”

In my opinion, which is based on my experience and some research I did on the subject, meditation as yoga supports the body-mind connection to health, happiness and well-being. Writer J. Krishnamurti , speaker on fundamental philosophical subjects, described meditation as a process when one “observes the observer”. The mind remains awake while the body goes into a deeply relaxed state. A common misconception is that meditation take years to perfect, keeping people away from a wonderful tool which may help them to encourage healings in body and mind or may even emerge from times of difficulties. With regular practice you will see benefits of meditation very quickly; you may also be wondering or recognize that you already have been practicing meditation time to time… Surprised? But when you focus on the solution of some kind of situation at work , or staring all day at your new car, or maybe all day long trying to figure out why everything turn so …awful… this is one of many forms of meditation. Just let’s make sure, that beginning today all your meditation would be absolutely positive.

Once you recognize how easy it is, you can meditate on your own. Allow yourself to be open because each time I practice meditation, my experience is different. Here is an example of simple meditation for a busy… complicated life. Let’s call it “Give Yourself a Smile”; find a quiet place to sit comfortably on the floor or chair and begin by taking a few “let go” breaths , close your eyes and fill the sensations in your body… your body works all day, fill yourself with appreciation for all of the hard work your body does for you. When you feel the smile on your face… allow the smile to be your guide into your meditation. As you are sitting quietly, breathe through your smile until you feel the smile in your heart and then once again send a blessing to yourself and appreciation for all of your hard work that you did today and then finish your meditation with a smile and peace.

I hope that this simple practice will help you reconnect with you inner resources and gain a fresh perspective on life in general. Namaste

Yoga for Healthy Living

Yoga means union, union between
body and mind, connection
between breath and movement,
connection between all of us … and
the divine universe. Yoga is one
of the ancient systems of Indian
philosophy. Literally in Sanskrit,
the language of the yoga tradition,
yoga means union.
Yoga works its magic by bringing
body and mind into a state of
harmony and balance. People come
to yoga for different reasons, some
to improve health, others to manage
stress. In reality, yoga is both preventive
and therapeutic.
Yoga is one of the very few exercises
that offer benefits for your
body and mind. To begin with, yoga
offers a lot of physical benefits as it
strengthens, tones and builds muscles,
increases flexibility, stimulates
the endocrine system, improves digestion,
increases circulation, relaxes
the nervous system, improves
immune response, decreases cholesterol
and blood sugar levels, invites
balance and grace, increases
body awareness, encourages weight
loss, prevents aging, and energizes
the body.
Also, yoga has been shown to
offer the following mental benefits
or mind benefits: relieves chronic
stress patterns, quiets the mind,
centers attention, sharpens concentration
and frees the mind. In addition,
yoga helps overcome addictions
such as nicotine, alcohol and
even eating disorders. Therefore,
yoga is not a panacea, but supports
the mind-body connection to health
and well-being.
Although there are many styles
of yoga, such as Kripalu, Bikram,
Kundalini, Iyengar and Ashtanga;
the basic Asanas (yoga postures)
and Pranayama (breathing practices)
remain the same. How they are
done, in what order and where attention
is focused while practicing
them represent the main difference
between the yoga schools.
Anniston Yoga Center has a temporary
home at the Kilby House in Anniston (1301 Woodstock Ave). Yoga classes
are based on Kripalu tradition although
it has influence from other
traditions such as Ashtanga and Iyengar
Yoga.
Yoga Instructor, Mariya Bullock
is a registered teacher with Yoga
Alliance, the national education
and support organization for yoga
in the U.S. We are offering a variety of
classes, indoor and outdoor. For instance,
Vinyasa flow, Kripalu Yoga
[gentle class], Morning Sun Salutation
which is outdoor practice at
6am, Chair Yoga for seniors, Yoga
for Kids, and Peaceful Weight Loss
will be coming soon.
We are concentrating on
modifications and variations of postures
to meet individual needs. Our
goal is to have Asana (postures)
as tools to release chronic tension,
stretch and strengthen the body and
influence self awareness.
To find out more information
about Anniston Yoga Center and the
classes we offer, visit www.yogaannistonalabama.
com or www.annistonyogacentetr.com .

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