Relaxation Haven

I’ve written about meditation and its many benefits before here on Relaxation Haven – check out the archives for more information. Some people still find it difficult to find time to meditate or struggle to ease themselves into a meditative state. That’s why I’ve come up with these easy to follow tips on meditation.

Start With Short Sessions

It’s easy to get thrown off by the idea that you need to meditate for an hour to gain any benefit, however this is simply not true. You can experience significant benefits just by meditating for five minutes a day and you’ll probably find it a lot easier to meditate for a short amount of time to begin with.

Be Comfortable

Wherever you choose to meditate make sure it is a place that is comfortable for you. For most people this means a warm temperature and soft flooring. The way you hold your body is also important. You don’t have to sit in the lotus position if you don’t want to but that is a great posture for a beginner to meditation. You can sit however you want though, although it is recommended that you keep your back as straight as possible.

The clothes you wear can also make a difference. The best type of clothes for meditating are loose, soft and comfortable.

Breathe Slowly and Deeply

Meditation is all about focusing the mind on one thing. The easiest thing to focus on is your breathing. Breathe slowly and deeply through your nose and focus on how their air feels as it enters and then leaves your body.

Don’t Worry

One of the aims of meditation is to reduce conscious thought. However it is common, especially for beginners, to find conscious thoughts entering the mind while they’re trying to meditate. If this happens, don’t worry, your session is far from ruined. Just allow the thought to flow in and out of the mind.

Create a Routine

Meditation is most effective when it is done regularly. It is better to meditate for five minutes everyday than for an hour once a month. Find a window of time that you can use everyday and use it to meditate. You could also create a routine around this time. For example you may want to have a nice warm bath before you meditate to loosen your muscles and then perhaps read a book or listen to relaxing music for awhile afterwards.

I hope these tips will help you to enjoy meditation and all the benefits it offers.

The following is a guest post by Nicola Sanders.

Nicola writes for the baby boy names site. It has plenty of other baby related information including pregnancy advice, baby health and breastfeeding tips.

Pregnancy is a wonderful time in your life but it can also be very stressful at the same time! So how do you go about de-stressing? Here are some of the tips I used during my pregnancy.

Take a bath.

One of the best ways to get rid of the strains of the day! Get some nice bath oils and fill it right up to the top. Half an hour in there and you will feel much better.

Diet.

Diet is so important during pregnancy, eating plenty of fruit and veg and stick to the complex carbohydrates of pasta, rice, potatoes and bread rather than things like biscuits and cakes. Craving snacks is part of pregnancy so stock up on healthy ones rather than chocolate and biscuits.

Exercise.

Exercise makes you feel better – that is a fact! Don’t sit about the house, get yourself out for a walk or even just round the shops. Keeping active during pregnancy may also make it easier to shift the weight after birth. The endorphins released during exercise will de-stress you and research points to this helping the baby as well!

Take up a new hobby or interest.

Take your mind off the baby for a while and take up a new interest or hobby. Talking about the new addition to the family is essential though it can all get too much at times. Make sure that you have plenty of other things going on in your life that give you pleasure. Don’t be put off just because you are pregnant!

Talk about your problems and worries.

Talking about problems with your partner is really important. Worrying alone about how you will cope can really get you down. Planning and working around problems are things you and you partner should be talking about regularly. Friends and family will be there for you too so use them.

Tai chi is a soft martial art and is commonly practiced as a means to improving health and relaxation. With slow, flowing movements, tai chi is said to improve the movement of energy around the body. Surprisingly considering the pace of tai chi you actually burn more calories practicing tai chi than you would surfing or lifting moderate weights. Due to the slow nature of tai chi it is extremely low impact, making it perfect for anyone who suffers from joint or bone problems.

There are actually hundreds of different forms of tai chi but the most popular ones are Chen, Yang, Wu, Sun and Wu-Hao and Fa styles. While most tai chi is slow paced there are variants that are much faster paced although these are typically only taught and practiced by masters of the slower forms.

The best way to learn tai chi is to scout your local area for classes. Almost all martial arts dojos will run a tai chi class, as do many community buildings. Tai chi is one of the most affordable martial arts to learn as there’s no special equipment required, all you need is to pay for entry into the class and that’s it. It’s best to wear loose fitting clothing to allow for full range of motion and circulation. Also tai chi is typically practiced barefoot or wearing flat soled shoes to enhance balance.

There’s no official accreditation system for tai chi teachers, however as I mentioned above, teaching tai chi is hardly a get quick rich scheme and I can’t imagine there are many, if any, teachers out there who don’t have a good knowledge of tai chi and are just looking to make an easy buck. Also because of the respect people have for martial arts, a dojo won’t employ a teacher they don’t have full confidence in.

Much like meditation, tai chi is something that is best done at least once a day. When you enroll in a class it will probably be run only once or twice a week. This leaves the rest of the week for you to practice what you have learned so far. Preferences vary, but many people like to practice tai chi in the morning as it is a gentle exercise that gets the blood flowing, and gives them a reason to wake up early.

Do remember that tai chi is a martial art and was originally used as a form of combat. Please treat it with the respect its tradition deserves, failure to do so could offend the teacher.

You can follow the tai chi exercises in the video below to get a good idea of what tai chi is, and if it feels right to you.