For Stress Relief, a Calm Mind, and Improved Focus

Posted March 30th, 2007 by Alexander

Meditation

The world of today places immense stress on the individual - stresses linked to the workplace, to relationships, to debt and family worries - stress that can lead to health problems like heart disease, or to mental issues like depression. Stress relief is important.. the guided meditation technique given below on this page is very relaxing; it is recommended for stress relief - it can also calm the mind and improve focus. We sincerely hope this will be useful to people. Besides it's use in stress relief, this meditation technique also includes a form of transcendental meditation - in other words, it also attunes you to the universe - gradually, with time, this meditation technique will give you a more insightful viewpoint of the world around you.

Procedure - A guided meditation technique:

To do this meditation, sit or lie with your body in a comfortable position. The room should be either dark or the lighting dim. If this is not possible, make sure your face faces away from the light. The room should also be quiet..
Now tighten all the muscles of your body, and fix your gaze on a spot straight ahead. Slowly begin to count down from hundred to zero - at the same time, begin to completely relax the muscles of your body, starting with your toes and moving upwards.. First relax your toes, then the feet, then the calves, the thighs, stomach and back, arms, etc. - all the time, while you're doing this, continue to count down from 100 to 0. When the muscles of your face are relaxed (and of course, by this time, your whole body is relaxed as well), gently close your eyes. Now your body is completely relaxed..
With your body tense, it is difficult to calm the mind - now, with your body relaxed and your eyes closed, we can begin to calm the mind..

Now, with your eyes closed, imagine yourself in a crowded place, full of people, full of bright, glaring lights and loud noises. Imagine yourself sinking through the floor, leaving the people, lights and noise behind.
Beneath the floor is another level - here too there are people, lights and noise, but it is quieter - there are less people, less lights, less noise. You sink through the floor of this place too, and leave it behind.
Beneath is yet another level, and it is even quieter - there is hardly anyone about, not much noise at all, and the lights are positively dim.
You continue to move downwards, level by level, and each level is darker and calmer and quieter.. until you come to a point where it is perfectly dark, perfectly quiet, and you are completely alone.

There is nothing in the universe now but you - in a sense, at this point, you ARE the universe - YOUR universe. You lie down on a bed (you don't see it, you just know it's there) - it is so comfortable, you are so calm and relaxed, so detached from everything, just a calm, calm being resting in the center of darkness, at the center of the universe. There is nothing but you.

Remain this way for some time. Feel peace. Then, when you are ready to 'leave', rise again, level by level, to the regions of light and noise and indeed, the region of life :) The meditation is complete.