Mindfulness

Thank you to Meditation Matters - St. John's Center, for this quote:

"Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience. It isn't more complicated that that. It is opening to or receiving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is, without either clinging to it or rejecting it."
-- Sylvia Boorstein

The role of meditation in mental health

Thanks to Sr. Ellie Finlay of St. John's Center for Spiritual Formation I found this interesting article on the role of meditation in mental health.

"Clinicians are increasingly looking for effective, preventative, non-pharmacological options to treat mental illness. And meditation techniques – such as quietening the mind, understanding the self and exercising control – show promise as an alternative tool to regulate emotions, mood and stress.

Meditation enhances positive emotions and mood, and appears to make people less vulnerable to the stresses and upsets of daily life. Research shows that meditators are better at regulating immediate responses to negative stimuli and have reduced activity in the amygdala – a region implicated in response to threat. These findings reflect greater emotional resilience among meditators as well as less psychological distress and anxiety."

 

Maranatha

For some time now have I started my day with exercising.

The wii fit introduced me to Yoga - something which I have not done for many, many years. So I have started replacing my morning exercise routine with gentle Yoga stretches and postures. I have found this 21-day-Yoga challenge, which is giving me a clear and easy introduction to Yoga.

I follow these exercises with a time of meditation, reading the Bible and prayer.
I was recommended a 'Christian meditation' method by a friend. The principles of focusing on ones breath is similar to other methods of meditation, but the words repeated in ones mind is Maranatha, an Aramaic word meaning 'Come, Lord'.

To aid the meditation and to prevent myself from distracting myself by counting the repetitions I made myself these simple meditation beads - made from some wooden beads which I still had from another project. The bracelet consists of 27 beads, knotted at an interval of three beads. With relatively slow breathing and each bead representing one count of 'Maranatha', moving round the bracelet takes approximately 13-15 minutes.