Meditation has been getting a lot of attention in recent years from the Western medical community and with good reason. It is finally starting to discover what Eastern traditions have known for years—that it is a powerful tool to promote mental and physical well-being. While a strong component of many spiritual practices, it is actually a very practical tool that can be utilized by anyone, regardless of belief system, or lack thereof. Ultimately, it is a tool to create healthier mind, which is something that most everyone can benefit from. As a regular meditator, I would like to share three benefits that I have observed in my own life.

Reducing Stress

Stress is a nasty little bugger that we cannot seem to totally shake and that is okay—the idea is not about complete obliteration but reducing it and learning to manage it better when it inevitably arises. Meditation has been a very powerful force in handling stress in my own life and I highly recommend it for this purpose. So much stress arises in our lives not because of what is happening exactly, but because of how we perceive and react to it. You see it all the time—two people experiencing the same exact outside reality but handling it completely differently. Meditation helps create a calmer mind and a calmer mind responds better to outside stressors—you may still feel stressed sometimes, but it might not be as intense or last as long. You might even find that in certain instances, you no longer feel stress at all.

Being Less Reactive and Sitting with Discomfort Better

We are so conditioned to react to situations in certain ways, we do not even think about what we are doing, we just do it. This is especially true when it comes to the immediate need to feel better when we experience a negative emotion—we may turn to drinking, drugs, food or something else to make that pain go away immediately. This can sabotage our lives in so many ways; a perfect example is thwarting your weight loss efforts with emotional eating. Meditation helps create a space where we can observe what is happening and when we do this, we tend to choose a different course of action that is less likely to cause us trouble. Meditation helps us truly become aware of the fleeting nature of our thoughts and how quickly they change. When we know this, it becomes easier to sit with uncomfortable feelings and avoid doing things that we may regret later or that we know are not in our best interest, solely to feel better immediately.

Gaining Clarity and Identifying Root Causes of Problems

Meditation helps us gain clarity into our thought process and what is really going on deep inside us. Most of the time, we are doing anything to avoid our thoughts and feelings, and in doing this, we miss out on the insights that will help us improve our lives. Meditation opens the door to all that hidden stuff, and while it may be unpleasant at times, it puts a process of change in motion that will make our lives better in every way. You will begin to understand why you do the things you that you may not like and you will come up with solutions on how to change.

Kelli Cooper is a freelance writer who enjoys sharing tips on how to improve your health naturally; if you are interested in finding web resources on mediation and other natural health topics, click here for a listing of great sites to broaden your knowledge.

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It doesn’t matter how old you are, whether this is your first or final exam, for many people the stress of this experience is just too much to bear. The stress not only affects the actually quite short time in which you sit the paper but also the whole period leading up to it, meaning that revision is made even more difficult than it already is.

It is very easy to say that all you need to do is prepare well, follow the instructions laid down by your teacher or professor, and then calmly complete the exam to the best of your ability. In a perfect world things would be that simple but the reality is that even the smartest and best prepared students are overcome with anxiety when faced with the prospect of that dreaded exam.

As this fear of exams is often an illogical one that grows exponentially as the date approaches, a good way to try to alleviate this stress is to think outside of the box when considering ways to overcome it. Today more and more professionals advocate the use of meditation as the best way to calm you down and get those stress levels back to normal.

It might sound like great advice, but a whole new wave of stress may come over you as you ask yourself, “but how?” Don’t worry it is perfectly normal to not know where to start when it comes to meditation. There is a lot of mumbo jumbo attached to the very concept and it is important that you first realise that there is in fact nothing in the world more simple than meditating. You can do it anywhere, and at any time.

Of course, meditation is best done in a relatively quiet environment. Many newcomers to meditation like to follow the visualisation technique. In this case, this very simply involves you imaging the exam scenario as you would like to see it happen in a perfect world. You imagine yourself sitting at your desk at home, doing some last minute cramming, then walking calmly to school for the test. You sit at your desk, answer the questions without a moments indecision or panic, and then walk home with your friends all smiles and happy that one more is out of the way.

When doing these visualisation exercises it is important that you also concentrate on your breathing. One of the basic aspects of meditation is the control of your breathing as you inhale and exhale. It is relaxing just by itself and acts as your route back to the meditation itself when you come to do the exam.  On the day of the actual exam, you sit down, close your eyes for a second, control your breathing, and all of the positive visualisation techniques will come flooding back to you.

Meditation is a great tool not only for exam stress but also as a daily one that can give you grounding and help you to feel more naturally optimistic and focused on life. It is essential, however, to remember that meditation alone will not eradicate the need for you to forgot your English literature revision books. Meditation is not magic; it simply helps you along the way. The hard work and dedication to your studies still needs to be there, it just might not seem so stressful!

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•  License: Creative Commons image source

Guest Post By York Notes – Revision notes, Chapter summaries, Books and Study Guides for English Literature.

Those who hold an interest in esotericism will already know that they are somewhat set apart from the masses when it comes to their opinions and beliefs. People interested in the more theoretical and academic aspects of esoteric movements and philosophies will often be inquisitive, however, and interested in learning about a broad spectrum of these practices, so here is a list of some of the most interesting books that cover a wide-range of subjects within this extensive field.

Magick: Liber ABA by Alesiter Crowley: This tome is the magnum opus of one of the twentieth century’s most intriguing characters. A man whose influence played a part in the founding of Scientology and whose face appeared on cover of The Beatle’s Seargent Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club album. Aleister Crowley devoted twenty-five years to writing and producing the four parts of this book, in which he systematically expounds the mystical and magical theories and techniques taught in his magical orders, the AA and the O.T.O. For those who struggle to follow the intricacies of his theories, this book is also beautifully illustrated. Magick also contains invaluable teachings for students of Yoga and meditation, practices which Crowley mastered during his studies in the East.

Whilst this book may be heavy going for the uninitiated, it is a fascinating insight into the mind and world of a truly remarkable man.

A Beginner’s Guide to Practical Astrology by Vivian E Robson: Whereas the majority of books on astrology are happy for the reader to be taught the bare bones of astrology, Robson demanded a little more of the reader. Planets, signs, houses, and aspects are all covered here as usual, but in this work the author is concerned with really educating those who come to read this book. This is not a guide that will lead you by the hand through simplified interpretations but one that is challenging, opinionated, and always interesting; the perfect starting point for anyone looking to further their interest in astrology.

A Dweller on Two Planets by Phylos: This is considered to be the best book ever written on Atlantis, as its author claims it to be a first-hand account. A book that takes awhile to get going suddenly becomes a rapid page turner as the reader is drawn into the life of Zailm as he works his way up the ladder of success. This is a book for those truly interested in the esoteric as it is unlikely that you will have ever encountered anything like this before if this is your first serious foray into the field. Aside from the main narrative, and existential and philosophical points, this is a great text for those interested in alternative energies as the author describes devices that we are still even to discover!

The Mystical Qabalah by Dion Fortune:  This is a highly interesting read for anyone that holds an interest in the Qabalah. Here the author explores all the aspects of this fascinating subject, including the esoteric sciences of astrology and tarot, which form the basis of the Western Mystery Traditions. A reading of this book gives one a practical understanding of the complex workings of this mystical system.

The Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manly P. Hall: This wonderful encyclopaedia of ancient mythology, ritual, symbolism, and arcane mysteries is a great starting point for the reader with a wide ranging interest in all matters of the esoteric and the occult. This is a beautifully illustrated and excellently written journey into hidden wisdom, ancient symbols, and esoteric traditions from all over the world. It is an indispensable handbook for anyone looking to make a more thorough investigation into the most fascinating and closely held aspects of myth, religion, philosophy, and religion throughout the centuries.

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•  License: Creative Commons image source

Gust Post by Lovereading.co.uk – Helping you to find your next book.