Introduction .
Introduction
Are you finding it hard to relax? Do you always feel stressed andexhausted? Do you feel like life is just flying by? If you do, then youre oneof many. Unending stress and feeling like youre just constantly racing againstthe clock can take a toll on your physical, mental and emotional health. Theseare all modern day problems, but you can look to the past for a solution.
Meditation is a practice that has been in existence since antiquityand the positive benefits have stood the test of time. Meditation andmindfulness have proven effective in combatting depression and chronic pain,and it can certainly do wonders to help you deal with day-to-day stress.
This book will show you:
How to find out the causes ofstress in your life and how meditation can change those;
How taking a little time foryourself every day can guide you to your true nature and change your entireoutlook;
How to create strongfoundations for your practice, such as the correct attitude and intentions thatyou should foster;
How to gain confidence, developself-discipline, and strengthen concentration and focus through meditation;
And, finally, clear, simple,step-by-step guides on simple to intermediate techniques that can help youstart your practice and deepen it, along with some tips on how to develop theperfect practice.
Meditation is a very simple practice that wont cost you much. Allyou really have to spend is time and effort in building your practice. This isa small price to pay for such life-changing benefits. Through meditation, youcan learn self-love, powers of concentration, inner peace, goodwill to all, andan unshakable sense of happiness.
Meditation can empower you to experience life in the best waypossible and savor every aspect of life with positivity and loving-kindness. Sowhat are waiting for? Grab this book and delve into the wonderful possibilitiesof meditation!
Chapter 1: The Troubles That Hound You
Practicing meditation and mindfulness is a personal journey. It is asimple, practical, subtle, and yet deeply transformative experience. Thejourney can be different with everyone, as any person can choose to take adifferent path for his or her own reasons. However, if done regularly and withsincerity, the physical, mental, and spiritual benefits abound for everyone.
This ancient Buddhist practice, along with other Buddhistphilosophies, has been gaining ground in the modern world. It seems as if thepeople of today are looking for alternative ways to handle and cope with theproblems that they have to face daily. Certainly, meditation and mindfulnessoffer a wholly different way of managing stress and finding happiness, andmillions of people have found it effective. But before you can start to learnhow meditation can help you, you first have to know what aspect of your life youneed help with and delve into the stressors that have a tendency to exhaust you.
Stress and Modern Man
Stress has become a daily staple in this fast-paced, materialisticworld. Hundreds of millions of people struggle with depression and anxiety andthe numbers rise every day. Worse of all, it has become the norm to livemechanically, going through life rather than truly experiencing it.
There have probably been plenty of times that youve felt stressedand overwhelmed by everything in your life, whether it is your job, your relationships,or your personal, inner life. There are many factors that contribute or causestress and its important to root out yours.
High-standards and theDesire for the Ideal
All your life, societal standards, the media, your personalexperiences, as well as education have all helped form an image of what lifeshould be and who youre supposed to be. These expectations may already be inplace before you were even born, such as expectations from you parents, or theconditioning you get every day from mainstream media that tells you how and whoyou should be. Expectations and standards like these can cause a lot of stressfor the people who are led to believe that anything less is not worth having.
Your personal desire to reach a certain ideal can also be a hugecause of stress. This ideal can be the image of a white picket fence in a greatneighborhood with kids playing in the front yard, it could be a million-dollarcondo and an expensive car, or it might even just be the image of the perfect,romantic couple.
This ideal can encompass your whole way of life up to the smallestdetail. Whatever image it is for you, this ideal becomes the standard ofcomparison. You end up striving so hard to reach and achieve this ideal orstandard that you miss out on simple pleasures.
Coping with RegretfulMistakes and Mortifying Failure
Mistakes and failures have to be faced throughout life. No one inthe world, no matter how successful, is immune to facing failure. Inspirationalads may lead you to believe that you can do anything you set your mind to, butthe reality is you will have to face your fair share of failure. Having yourcarefully laid out plans fall apart before your eyes can be devastating andpeople are rarely ready to cope with it.