Thursday 27 September 2007

Meditation 101: Pillow, Pillow which is the Softest of Them All

The Meditation Pillow


Customary pillows are usually utilized as head or neck support. Normally, the said pillows are used when sleeping or resting. These days however, pillows are also used to support one’s buttocks and back while seating and meditating. The said pillows are termed as a meditation pillow.


A pillow is a necessity while doing meditation since it aids you to maintain proper posture all throughout the session. In general, there are two types of pillow suitable for meditation use.


1. Donut Pillows – donut is the shape of this type of pillow. The space in the center provides relief while sitting on the tailbone area.
2. Lumbar Pillows – this is used to maintain and support the lower back. 


Donut and Lumbar pillows fall under the category of orthopedic pillows that serves its purposes for support and treatment.


Any other pillow may not be appropriate for you and the task you will be undertaking. There are considerations you need to mull over when choosing a meditation pillow. One important pillow factor to consider is the place of meditation. 


Where to Meditate


The place of meditation is an important consideration when choosing a pillow. You will have to select the appropriate pillow that will be well suited with the place.


Many practitioners undergo their meditation process on hard surfaces. A floor made of concrete or wood are examples of a hard surface area. A two-stage pillow is apt for this kind of flooring. A firm foam is the usual base of the said pillow while the top is filled in with synthetic materials.


On the other hand, there are individuals who prefer to meditate on grass or grass-like areas. A gentle pillow that is filled with smooth material is well recommended for grass areas meditation. It is also best to choose a pillow with nylon as its base. Additionally, machine-wash compatible pillow is recommended since such pillow is prone to dirt. 


Other considerations that can be taken into account are:


What’s In a Pillow?


There is wide-array of pillow fillers. You must choose a pillow with the appropriate filler to use for meditation. Foam may be hard for you or perhaps feather-fillers may be too supple.


The most common pillow filling are feathers, foam, and synthetically made fillers.


Pillowcases cover the pillow fills. The choices of pillowcases vary from one person to the other. You need to choose a pillowcase that will not be infuriating. If a green pillowcase adds bothersome to you, why choose green when you can opt for purple or any other color.


An inappropriate type of pillow can cause uneasiness that will then lead to distraction. Use a pillow that can withstand your weight and most importantly can provide support to your back. If you are slumping on the pillow or you feel yourself moving into the floor, then those are signs that the pillow is badly chosen. Instead of meditation, you might end up accumulating more worries. 


Several pillow manufacturers offer meditation pillow. All you need to do is assess its features for you to decide which will best suit your need. The internet is a good venue for you to scout meditation pillows.


Denis Kermode has a number of sites , one of which is http://thegreatmeditation.com/ where you will find a selection of Meditation articles on all aspects of meditation, its FREE  join

Monday 3 September 2007

Can 8-Minute Meditation Give You

A Quiet Mind and Change


Your Life Forever?



What exactly is meditation? It seems that so many people nowadays are hooked up with this form of activity. By definition, meditation is often used to describe the individual's state of intense attention on an object of awareness or thought. The individual tries to turn his or her attention inward. Meditation is said to be of Vedic Hinduism origin. This is usually practiced in the eastern religions but now even the western culture is already involved in such activity.


People want to practice meditation so that they can focus their mind to God for their personal development, to attain peace of mind, and to be healthier.


Many Americans are now involved in some form of meditation. According to Time Magazine there is one meditation practice that can be used by almost anyone. This can be considered as the basic primer of Americans wanting to begin meditation but have no idea where to start.


There was a book published last November 2005 authored by Victor Davich that is all about the 8 minute meditation. If you purchase the book and study it carefully, you will learn a lot of things about meditation, and you can do it in just 8 minutes.


Almost every individual who starts with anything new to him or her will often have lingering questions, hopes, and doubts about it. There are even people who hopes that when they begin to meditate, they will be enlightened. Or perhaps you're one of those individuals who think that meditation is just like an exercise or diet that you've been trying to do for the past few months. But these things are normal; so don’t be surprised if you're also like that.


The best thing to do is to face all the positive and/or negative expectations, and after doing so, forget about them and start with a clean slate. If you want to try the 8-minute program of meditation, you should learn how to approach it one minute at a time.


While many people think that meditation is a simple practice, then you'd better think twice. You might not notice it, but your mind is always racing from here to there. You can't concentrate. According to the book's author, you must watch your breath. This is the very first step to meditation. Do your inhalation and exhalation by breathing deeply. If you always do this and just keep on practicing, you can become good in meditation.


As a word of reminder, if you catch yourself thinking about other things, or in other words your mind strays off, focus again on your breathing. After all, meditation is all about concentrating and if you realize that you're not on the right track, you can always return to that state of mind gently. Don’t get discouraged easily and just keep on practicing. There is a popular saying that says practice makes perfect; so always keep that in mind. If you quit easily, then you will remain a quitter.


Meditation can help you in achieving peace of mind. With all your problems at work, in your family, and the entire world, you should at least experience a few minutes of peace. Don’t miss this chance to attain personal development at no cost at all.


Denis Kermode has attempted to collect a fine array of all types of Meditation articles so you can find what you are looking for at : -  http://thegreatmeditation.com  Hundreds of different articles gathered togethered for you, all  free.