About Me

I have been a teacher of fitness and health for thirty years. In 1989 I was certified for personal training with the National Acadamy of Sports Medicine. I had a gym in Santa Barbara for eight years. Co-owned and created a spinning bike company which manufactured bikes for five years. Also I have worked with nutrition companies for twenty years. Along with many wonderful non famous people I have trained many celebrities, and members of the Royal Family. My own athletic past consists of long distance running, long distance cycling, cross country skiing, down hill skiing, rollerblading, hiking, sand running, track work, and weight training. I have authored two fitness columns in local papers, and have been writing this blog since January 2010.

Monday, May 2, 2011

The Power of Meditation




There is so much going on in our world today that is stressful and hard to deal with, whether it is our natural disasters, or political upheaval, we can find fear and stress everywhere.  Meditation is a tool that everyone should be using, not only to cope with all that there is, but to help change all of the negative in this world into positive.




As I have said before, the Dali Lama has stated that if every child alive today at the age of five and under began to meditate on a daily bases, we would have world peace in two to three generations from now.  That is a powerful thing....and it could be a reality if everyone began to participate in meditation.
  




Meditation is not about religion.  It does not matter what your religious beliefs are, you can meditate by connecting to your source, what ever that is for you.  When you are meditating, it is not so much about emptying your mind of thought, as it is emptying your mind of thoughts that are about the past or future.  When you are focusing on your breath, or being present in this very moment, you are unable of thinking about past or future thoughts, which is where a lot of our fear and pain comes from.




When you have emptied your mind of all of your thoughts of past and future, you will no longer be torturing yourself with that which is not here anymore, or that which has not happened yet.  What you will be thinking about is what is here in this moment, which is your breath and the quiet space that you are meditating in.  That is where you are able to find your inner peace and rid yourself of worry and fearful thoughts.  Remember that we choose all of our thoughts, and in our meditation we are choosing to not think of anything that has come before our meditation, or after it.


Meditation is place of peace and non judgement.  It is a time to let go of all of the mind chatter and negativity.  Meditation can leave you feeling  relaxed and refreshed.  It is a vacation away from worry, stress, and fear.  As you become more adept in your meditation, you can find answers to your problems, and guidance for your life.  It happens when you learn to quiet the mind chatter and listen to your inner being, or your source as some call it.



I have written many times on meditation that you can find in the archives of this blog.  Please re-read them if you are looking for more information on meditation.  There are many different forms of meditation, and I suggest that you find one that resonates with you.  I personally practice several types, such as focusing on my breath, visual meditation, or guided meditations.  Some days I am better at it then other days, but I know that being consistent with it is what is important.




Many people I have worked with in meditation express that they can't stop there thoughts from coming in, or clear their mind of thinking.  I have heard the analogy of thinking about your thoughts as a cloud passing by....Say to yourself, "Oh, I am having a thought", and then let it go, just like a cloud passing through, and then go back to your breath.  Don't let your thoughts control you....instead, control your thoughts.  As in our mindfulness practice, we "practice" controlling our thoughts on a regular bases.  Meditation is the same.  It is a practice...a daily practice to become good at it.



Don't be discouraged if you can't get it right away.  Just keep practicing, and it will become a tool for you to find inner peace and tranquility.  You are not only helping your mind when you meditate, but you are helping your body to be healthier as well.   There are scientific study's that show very positive effects on patients who meditate.  It helps to lower blood pressure, stress levels, and assists in many other healthy results.  There is nothing negative about meditation....just positive.








You will also be helping the world to be a better place by practicing meditation.  Our thoughts are tangible things that create the world around us.  When we practice peaceful meditation, we are helping the world to be more peaceful.  If every human being on this planet stopped right now and meditated on "peace and love" for all of mankind for the next thirty minutes....I guarantee that we would see incredible changes in what happens around the globe....and they would be peaceful, loving, and amazing!



We are in a very interesting time, and taking care of our body, mind, and spirit, will be essential to being happy and healthy during a time of what can appear to be scary and stressful.



I hope that you are meditating, and if you are not, I hope that you begin to.  I would love to hear from you about any topic that you want to discuss.  Please leave me a comment or request information that you are interested in.  




We can create a world of peace and tranquility with our thoughts and beliefs.  With meditation this can happen.  








Wishing You Health,
Queenie



1 comment:

  1. It sure takes practice, but I am trying to meditate upon waking.

    ReplyDelete