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Meditation

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Psychic and Spiritual Development. Six Steps to Meditation. This meditation lasts 15 to 20 minutes. It is a meditation of SIX steps. Each step will take roughly two and half to about three minutes. I will first explain to you all the steps and then you can start. The FIRST is the step of rhythmic breathing. Breathe in slowly, easily, evenly, and deeply and then breathe out slowly, easily, evenly, and deeply. The SECOND is the step of detached observation. Then we come to the THIRD step. Then we come to the FOURTH step. The FIFTH is meditation on your immortality. And now we come to the FINAL, the last, the SIXTH step.

And now if you are ready, we shall begin with the meditation. The FIRST step, the step of rhythmic breathing. Now we come to the SECOND step; it is the step of detached observation. We move to the THIRD step. We now come to the FOURTH step: It is the step of realizing the oneness with all that is; all human beings, all creatures, all birds, all animals, fish and foul, insects, even mosquitoes, all trees and shrubs and plants. Healing the Body with Mindfulness of Breathing « Metta Refuge. This excerpt from a talk by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh explains how to use mindfulness of breathing to bring loving-kindness to our dear bodies.

Healing the Body with Mindfulness of Breathing « Metta Refuge

The physical effect of this can be truly remarkable. As Thây says, “You should really love your body. You should really take care of your body. Mindful breathing, with rest, can do miracles. The First Exercise of Mindful Breathing My dear friends, yesterday I spoke about the first exercise proposed by the Buddha concerning mindful breathing: “Breathing in, I am aware that I am breathing in; breathing out, I am aware that I am breathing out.” We should always start with our physical bodies, because our physical bodies also needs peace, harmony and rest. We should realize a true rest. Animals in the forest, every time they are wounded, know how to rest. Deep relaxation here is one of the methods of resting. The Second Exercise of Mindful Breathing. Meditation May Protect Your Brain. For thousands of years, Buddhist meditators have claimed that the simple act of sitting down and following their breath while letting go of intrusive thoughts can free one from the entanglements of neurotic suffering.

Meditation May Protect Your Brain

Now, scientists are using cutting-edge scanning technology to watch the meditating mind at work. They are finding that regular meditation has a measurable effect on a variety of brain structures related to attention — an example of what is known as neuroplasticity, where the brain physically changes in response to an intentional exercise. A team of Emory University scientists reported in early September that experienced Zen meditators were much better than control subjects at dropping extraneous thoughts and returning to the breath. The same researchers reported last year that longtime meditators don’t lose gray matter in their brains with age the way most people do, suggesting that meditation may have a neuro-protective effect. Where does all this lead?