Category: Meditation

3 Ways Breathing Exercises Support Sleep, Creativity and Spirituality

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A young woman is in profile against a dark background, gently blowing dandelion seeds.

Breathing exercises improve relaxation, focus, and oxygen flow to the brain, enhancing creativity. They reduce stress and anxiety, remove major roadblocks to clear thinking, and boost overall cognitive function. In other words, they make life feel better. In this article, we’re going to touch on 3 main ways you can use breathing exercises: to prepare for sleep, to stimulate creativity, and to support spiritual pursuits such as meditation and prayer. Breathing Exercises and Sleep Many people seek out breathing exercises as a natural and non-pharmaceutical way to promote better sleep. There are several reasons why breathing exercises may be helpful…

How to Keep Meditating When You’re Angry at Social Injustice

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A close-up of a pair of hands appearing to hold fire sparks that glow bright orange and yellow. The half-face seen above the hands appears to be male and is calm and relaxed.

How do you keep meditating in the face of rage against injustice? It isn’t easy to consider anger and outrage in a meditation practice. Any meditation practice. And certainly not one in which you try to focus on universal love. I mean, who wants to love their enemy? Someone who destroys the values that you hold as important. No one, that’s who. But are the benefits worth the effort? The answer to every question is always love. I believe that, I know it to be true. But when you feel the breath of the enemy on your face, do you…

5 Easy Ways to Stop Unwanted Thoughts in Meditation in 5 Minutes or Less

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A person with short hair and dangling earrings sits with eyes closed, thumb to forehead, fingers point upwards.The background appears to be a bedroom with white walls and soft sconce lighting.

When many people first begin a meditation practice, the biggest questions often circle around the logistics. How can I create a space of time to make a meditation practice? Do I have to do it every day? How long every day? How can I make it a regular habit? Will I be able to do it? These are all valid questions, and answering them becomes a highly individual experience. But there’s a bigger, more long-lasting challenge to growing your meditation practice. Nearly everyone grapples with this, not only in the early days of creating a practice but often during every…

8 Common Meditation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them, Part 2

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A young man is seated, fingers interlaced in front of his face as if to meditate. His eyes are open and he seems caught in thought. There are cardboard boxes in the background.

In Part 1 of this 2-part series, we explored 4 of the 8 most common mistakes people feel they make in their meditation practice. In this second half, we’ll look at 4 more common mistakes and how to fix them or avoid them all together. Plus, be sure to read to the end to discover the secret bonus mistake that’s super common yet can be fixed in less than 30 seconds. Yeah, less than 30 seconds!  Okay, onto the next common misstep people make in meditation. 5. Meditating at the Wrong Time Finding time to meditate, let alone the best…

8 Common Meditation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them, Part 1

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A young woman with long brown hair is seated outdoors at a peaceful riverbank, her hands folded as if to meditate, but her brow is furrowed.

There are many scientific benefits of meditation, including stress relief, increased self-awareness, and even a longer lifespan! However, without the proper meditation techniques, you may not be able to receive all of these benefits as you meditate. In part 1 of this 2-part series, get ready for a deep dive into just 4 common meditation mistakes and specific suggestions for how you can avoid them. 1. Holding onto Your Thoughts Meditation is a practice that allows you to clear your mind. Or, perhaps better said, it can allow you to allow your mind to clear.  Often, the chatty mind seems…

What Is Higher Consciousness and How to Achieve It Through Meditation

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Have you ever wondered about higher states of consciousness? What they are, and how some people reach them? Do you ever wonder if you could reach a higher state of consciousness yourself? And if you could, what would that look like? Many people have different notions or ideas about what it means to achieve states of higher consciousness.  Some imagine yogis living high in the mountains, devoting their lives exclusively to the pursuit of higher consciousness. Others imagine it as a spiritual practice that leads to a sudden and complete awakening, or so-called enlightenment. And of course some people think…