I've recently started meditating again. I've never done it faithfully, and I haven't done it at all for a number of years. But I re-discovered a book I have on the subject and it lists soooo many potential benefits (weight loss being among them!) that I wanted to give it another shot. I've done it each day the last three days, and do notice feeling less stressed.

I'm wondering if anyone here meditates, and in what ways it has helped them.

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Staci

i havent ever... but whatever helps ya ...
what is the name of the book staci?

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I w/ out reading anything about meditation..have many times sat in total silence w/ my eyes closed and have cleard my head... i dont know realy what is contained in meditation but i have done this alot recently when endureing alot of stress.. it helps me relax i usualy do it sitting on my bed.. and when i have relaxed enough that i feel i could pass out.. i lay down and go to sleep... sleep better and wake up well rested

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01/02/04-248{ 4/29/04- 218} 6/30/04- 204
7-05-04 198 8/30/04 - 190 (got lost after that-)
4/03/08- 261 -
Goal-140-145

Clearing the mind and spirit will allow for the body to be cleared as well. I have meditated for about fifteen years and found that the times that I go without this very important practice are the times when my body reacts to stress and stimulus by padding itself with fat. It's all a balance, though... meditate for your soul, not your waistline! Meditation can be almost anything, from formal, chakra cleansing, to running on a treadmill and zoning out to the rhythm of breath and movement, to sitting by a tree and emptying your mind. It is about honoring yourself, blessing yourself, healing yourself, with peace. What a great topic! Yoga as a preclude to meditation is excellent, also... Positions can be difficult to do perfectly for some, but it's really all about doing as much of the position as you can comfortably, and focusing on the breath and the moment. Hmmm... I should do it more...


Zephyr

Kim, the book I have is called "The Best Guide to Meditation," by Victor Davich. It's sort of written in the "Idiot's Guide to..." tradition - easy to read, broken down into small bites. It teaches the basic idea right off the bat, pretty much like you do it gilley, then gets into different ways and reasons and traditions.

Zephyr, thanks for the feedback. I most definitely do it for my spirit - for the peace of mind and calmness it seems to provide me with. But it's really amazing to read about the many benefits that researchers have discovered about meditation. These include: improved mental health, greater emotional stability, lessened anxiety and depression, reduced dependence on licit and illicit drugs (hmmm... do carbs count?), better judgement, creative thoughts, improved memory and intelligence, more energy and stamina, faster recovery, significantly lower blood pressure, significantly less pain.

In one paragraph, Davich addresses how yoga can help with weight loss by making you more aware of what you are doing each moment, including moments when you are eating. "That's how it starts. ... just an increased awareness of what you are doing and a sense of being that much closer to your body's desire to be healthy."

And I do combine it with yoga. I have a book called Om Yoga (by Cyndi Lee) that gives routines for each day of the week. I've taken yoga classes in the past, but they are not available where I now live. This book has simple stick-figure drawings, with lots of helpful comments, to demonstrate each posture. I'm slowly learning them.

This all makes a lot of sense to me. Obviously, all the aspects of our lives are intertwined. We can learn about nutrition, and have a desire to be thinner and healthier, but the addition of AWARENESS - of our physical and spiritual needs, and of our spiritual connection with our body, and the resulting desire to honor it - I think can make a big difference.

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Staci