Mindful Meditation for Healing and Wellness

Practicing the power of now in mindful meditation and at other times throughout the day greatly benefits your mental and spiritual well-being as well as your physical health.

Meditation mindfulness is an inherent part of all meditation practices. The key is to bring mindfulness or presence into the rest of your day.

When your mind is focused on the present moment it is free of stress. In these relaxed moments it can focus its energies on healing and manifesting your present conscious desires.

For healing and wellness, your goal is to be in this state of mind more often than not.

Unfortunately, less experienced meditators often get discouraged by a common plague of mindfulness meditation called 'monkey mind'. We sit with the best of intentions, only to be distracted by constant mental chatter that makes it impossible to focus on the breath or anything else in the present moment.

Not to be outdone by monkey mind, I figured there had to be a way to enjoy the benefits of mindful meditation and practicing the power of now without this frustration. Here's what I learned:

• Mental distractions are to be expected.
• The principle of "what you resists persists" applies to mindful meditation as well as anything else in life.
• There are meditation practices that minimize this issue and make the process more enjoyable.
• Mindfulness meditation practices aren't "one size fits all."
• It's better to experience any moments of meditation mindfulness over none. You may not achieve the deep states known to those who meditate for hours, but the benefits are still appreciable.
• Practicing the power of now can be done any time, and any place and while doing anything. It may be part of mindful meditation practice or a moment of contemplation. Likewise, it is also just paying attention to what's going on inside and around you as you go about your business.

When your mind wanders, gently bring it back to your point of focus. Remember, even a few minutes is better than no minutes. The results are cumulative. Eventually you will notice that you are calmer and more focused. Be patient with yourself and persist.

Audio and Visual Guided Meditations

You can find a few of these meditations on this site. Choose what you like or try them all.

• Chakra Healing Meditation
• Guided Meditation for Stress Relief
• Spiritual Meditation and Soul Meditation

Guided meditations are also available as audio alone. They are geared to any number of purposes. Some of these are based on very old meditation practices such as the loving-kindness meditation. I encourage you to try a variety of healing meditations as well as any others that interest you.

Hypnosis audios guide you into a meditative state and then let you meditate on your own for a while before bringing you back.

Brain entrainment audios either have a sound like a metronome keeping the beat, or a technology called bi-aural beats that slow your brain waves. Brain entrainment simulates true meditation and helps you reach brain wave frequencies that experienced meditators achieve only after years of practice.

Mindful Meditation on Your Own

Don't worry about sitting up straight or crossing your legs for long periods of time. It probably isn't a good idea to meditate in bed, as you will probably fall asleep, but do find a comfortable spot. A recliner, massage table, a cushion or two on the floor or a nice chair all work fine. I like to use my brain entrainment CD while taking a hot bath.

Walking meditations are great because they give your body something to do. It's easy to practice the presence of now in mindful meditation when you have different things to see and hear. My most enjoyable meditation routine came together as I was riding my bicycle.

Here's what you do:
Focus on one sense at a time and just notice for a little while. You can start with any sense you like. It's usually easiest to begin with seeing or hearing. Begin by noticing everything you hear. Give your full attention to each individual sound for as long as you like. You'll be amazed how you start hearing more and more sounds coming from within you, near you and further away.

When your mind starts to wander, or you feel ready, move on to the next sense and then another. To end, become aware of all your senses. Be aware of what you feel, see, hear, taste and smell for a few moments.

You can do this meditation while walking, riding a bicycle or sitting on your porch. Take a minute to notice all you see while waiting for the light to change as you sit in your car. At the next light, notice what you hear. Perhaps at another light, focus on your breath. How does it feel going in and out, how does it sound? Feel it in your nose, throat and lungs. Don't control it, just observe.

Some people like to do a similar exercise while eating. You can make a mindful meditation of eating a meal. Give your focused attention to each bite. Notice the smells, tastes and texture of your food. Be attentive as you lift the food into your mouth, chew and swallow it. Do this for each mouthful for as long as you like.

As you can see, this isn't about any particular method. It's just one approach to mindfulness meditation. It doesn't really matter what you focus on or for how long. What matters is that you are training your mind to attend to the present moment, which is all there really is.

Affiliate Resources:

Healthy? Happy? Relaxed? Matt Clarkson has created a no cost mini course teaching simple meditation exercises for busy people. Each part gives you an exercise, inspirational message or tip to help you calm the mind and reduce stress. If your health is important to you, click here