Inner peace through meditation - extract

Reduce anxiety and stress by meditating While there's little argument that meditating produces some pretty  spectacular results, the problem has always been to explain exactly why it works. Some recent research has found that meditation helps open blood vessels, which in turn reduces blood pressure. And that reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke. Other studies have-found that meditators are able to control certain brain waves that help brain cells communicate with each other and make it easier to concentrate. But does it really matter why it works? Bottom line is that it's not going to hurt to give it a shot, and it could very well help a lot. OK, now that you know that meditation isn't as kooky as you'd thought, let's talk about how to make it part of your child's life. Start by making it a part of your life too. Young children learn by imitating and if you're doing it, they'll want to join. The steps below will work just as well for you as for your child.  1. Don't get bogged down by the name. There are all sorts of meditation styles: Transcendental, Zen, Mindfulness, to name just a few. 2. Block out some time, 15-20 minutes at a stretch is good for adults. For kids, 5-10 minutes is plenty, especially when you're just starting. 3. Find a quiet place. The fewer outside distractions (TV, radio, conversations, etc), the better. 4. Get comfortable. You don't have to be twisted into some painful pretzel-like pose or levitate a foot off the ground. You can meditate sitting in a comfortable chair, lying down, walking or even swimming. 5. Focus on something. That could be a "mantra" (a word or phrase) or an object. But my suggestion is that you start with the simplest thing of all your breath. Slowly count "one" for the first inhale, hold for two seconds, then exhale, then "two" for the next set, and so on. I'm betting you won't get to "three" before your mind starts heading off in 127 different directions at the same time. When that happens, resist the urge to criticize yourself for losing focus. Everyone does, so just observe that your mind has wandered and gently bring yourself back to your breathing and start counting again.