Meditation Made Easy

My Little Headache, 1994

Do you ever find it hard to concentrate? Is your mind ever muddled? Are you too wound up to settle down to bed at night or to concentrate on a project requiring mental exertion during the day? Do you feel overwhelmed, anxious or even terribly angry at something your child has done? I have tried counting to ten or twenty, or going for a walk or reading the scriptures--but sometimes I need something fast and simple to put me in the "right frame of mind" to deal with an immediate concern. The following is an exercise that has helped me to "think straight," probably by bringing an extra dose of oxygen to my brain through this relaxing breathing exercise:

Sit in a comfortable position. Straighten your spine, relax your shoulders and take a few deep breaths. Gently close your eyes and allow your body to become still. Then begin counting your breaths from one to four. (Count on the out breath, or the exhalation.) Try not to manipulate the breath in any way; simply observe and count. You might find that outside concerns race into your head--an appointment you need to schedule, what you're planning to make for dinner. Don't allow distractions in. Gently bring the mind back to 'one' whenever it starts to wander. Remember, too, that you don't need to be perfect. All you have to be is in the present, something we already do at varying points throughout the day without realizing it. "Meditation is meant to show us what is already ours, " points out Clark Strand, author of The Wooden Bowl: Simple Meditation for Everyday Life (Hyperion, 1998). ("Mind Enhancers," by Angela Ebron, Jennifer Pirtle and Joanne Van Zuidam, Family Circle 5/11/99)

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