Many believe that meditating is an arduous, complicated, lengthy process, but this is not true . You can choose to meditate anywhere from two to twenty minutes a day, utilizing any of the techniques to be discussed below. I would recommend starting with the simplest and moving forward after you become familiar and comfortable with each form of meditation. You will most likely find the one ritual that suits you best and which you will choose to practice regularly. You will be amazed at the difference you will feel, mentally as well as physically. With the harried, hurried lifestyle women of today experience, it is important to be at peace with yourself and your world as well as in touch with your inner self.

Meditation has been and still is used for spiritual growth. However, in today's world, it has become a useful tool for relaxation and stress relief against the demanding, fast-paced life we lead.

Meditation can be used as a healing process, to develop intuition, to unlock creativity, as a way to attain emotional cleansing and balance, to intensify concentration and insight, to manifest change, to find inner guidance, and to explore higher realities. In other words, meditation is for everyone.

There is no fixed criterion for the right or proper way to meditate, so there is no need to worry about whether you are doing it right or not. However, there are several things to keep in mind while meditating. Try not to force anything to happen. Don't try to make your mind blank or thoughts go away. Don't overanalyze the meditation process. And lastly, do not put too much emphasis on doing it properly.

Also, remember that it is not advisable to meditate on an empty stomach, which can be too distracting. Find a quiet, reasonably comfortable place for meditating. Do not feel that it is necessary to sit cross-legged but place your legs in the position that is most comfortable for you. Try to choose an area with as few potential distractors as possible, such as excess noise or movement. While meditating, sit in a comfortable position, with your spine as straight as possible. If you prefer to lean against the back of a chair or a wall, this is perfectly acceptable. If it is not possible for you to comfortably sit up, you may choose to lie flat on your back. Also, be sure to place your hands in a position that is comfortable.

One common misconception about meditating is that it is very difficult and requires a vast amount of concentration. Meditation is, in fact, easily learned and is only difficult if you become overly concerned with practicing it correctly. Although the ability to stay focused becomes easier with practice, it is not a requirement for a beginner. Don't become disappointed if you do not feel you are focusing in the proper way when you first begin to practice meditation.

You may wonder how often you should meditate. Optimal results will come from daily practice. I would suggest once or twice daily. However, many choose to meditate on an as-needed basis. The meditation should last, particularly for a beginner, ten to fifteen minutes once a day, increasing to twenty minutes daily or ten minutes twice daily. Remember that meditation taps into powerful inner energies which are healing and uplifting, so it is best not to overmeditate. You might want to set some sort of alarm, such as a watch or clock, to let you know when your time for meditating is over. However, it will not bring you completely out of meditation if you look at a clock. Remember that it is best to set a specific time aside each day for meditating. You might want to experiment at first to see which particular time of day suits you best.

Experiences during meditation are based on "clearing" and "clarity" cycles. Clearing is simply periods when we are releasing accumulated psychic toxins, and these experiences are more thought-filled and do not seem to be very deep. When there is less clearing, there is more clarity and depth with fewer thoughts. Both of these cycles are important to the process of intense growth and transformation.

If during meditation you fall into a state that seems like sleep but is not, do not become alarmed. This has been called "Yogi Blackout" or "Yoga Nidra", which means that you are in a deep state of consciousness but your inner senses are not aware enough to experience this with clarity. Continued meditation will gain you more clearness at this level of consciousness.

The first and perhaps easiest form of meditating is Relaxation Meditation. Sit or lie in a comfortable position with a straight spine. Gaze downward without focusing on anything, dropping your eyelids to a level that is most comfortable without closing your eyes. Continue to look downward - this act is your primary focus, rather than what you are gazing at. Your breathing will become rhythmic. Let your attention drift, and if your eyes grow heavy, let them close. If you begin to come out of your meditation, bring your attention back to the downward gaze. This form of meditation is relaxing and stress reducing. A bonus to this is that you can meditate for only two minutes and feel relaxed and recharged afterward with a sense of increased alertness.

Another relatively easy form of mediation is Mindfulness Meditation, taught by Gautama Buddha over 2500 years ago, which focuses on breathing. The goal is to maintain a calm, nonjudgmental awareness without becoming entrapped in flowing thoughts, feelings, and perceptions. Sit or lie in a comfortable position with your eyes closed and your spine straight. Focus your attention on your breathing. If any distractors arise, such as feelings, thoughts, physical sensations, or outside sounds, be aware of them and allow them to pass without becoming involved or analyzing them. If you do become distracted, focus once more on your breathing and continue. This form of meditation gives you the ability to maintain a calm inner cognizance, balance, and clearness and to shift gradually to a higher level of awareness with increased insight and clarity and tension reduction.

Inner Light Meditation allows you to connect with your inner spirit, which releases spiritual energy. Spiritual energy nourishes and enhances all levels of life: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. It also allows for increased flow of fuel to the brain and a gradual opening of the 6th chakra, or the Inner Eye, which gives clear insight and inner vision. Sit or lie comfortably with your eyes closed. Stare at the patterns of light on the screen filling the space behind your closed lids. Focus your attention on this light without interpreting images or trying to focus clearly. Just look at the light with your attention relaxed. If you feel that you are going into a dreamlike state or that your consciousness is shifting, go with it. If you find your thoughts drifting, bring your attention back to the light.

Energy Healing Meditation is a simple form of meditation where you can direct a healing life force to an area that may be troubling you . Sit or lie in a comfortable position with your back straight. Breathe slowly through your nose and exhale through your mouth. As you breathe in, feel as well as envision yourself inhaling a white light, a healing life force. As you breathe out, direct this healing light to travel throughout your body, or to a specific afflicted area. Continue to breathe in this way until you feel your body or the specific area has received enough of the healing energy force.

Color Healing Meditation is another form of healing meditation utilized to cleanse, balance, and heal spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. It also helps develop concentration and visualization abilities. Sit or lie in a comfortable position with your eyes closed. Envision a large ball of golden light hovering over your head, then visualize that ball of light gently descending through the top of your head and filling your entire body with golden light. Now imagine your being absorbing the light as it nurtures, cleanses, and heals your spirit and all of your bodies, while dissipating all blocked and poisonous energies. Now, repeat this form of meditating but envision a ball of red light, then continue throughout the light spectrum, visualizing a ball of orange light, yellow light, green light, blue light, indigo light, and violet light. Do this at whatever pace feels right to you. End by taking the time to envision yourself in a state of perfect health.

The ultimate goal of meditating is referred to as enlightenment, nirvana, or ascension, to name a few. The more popular term, ascension, would be described as the highest level of consciousness achievable, or a permanent union with our higher self and the universal spirit - in other words, becoming one with life.

Ascension meditation connects you with your inner spirit, or your core self. The object of focus is the light that is already within you. Sit or lie in a comfortable position, as straight as possible. Envision your higher self as a golden-white light, human-sized, hovering just over your head. Imagine your body slowly rising to merge with the light of your higher self so that your entire being will be converted to brilliant golden-white light. Envision your surroundings growing brighter until there is nothing but a vast expanse of golden-white light, or a sea of spirit. Now imagine your consciousness expanding to become one with this ocean of cosmic light. Remain immersed in this light until you come out of the meditation.

You have seen the word "chakra" throughout the exercises. There are seven major energy centers, called chakras, located in our body. These seven chakras, located at intervals along the spine, play a variety of roles. The 1st chakra, at the base of the spine, directs energy to basic survival instinct, or self-preservation. The 2nd chakra, located just below the navel, directs sexuality and pleasure. The 3rd chakra, the solar plexus: sensing safe or unsafe circumstances and power and control. The 4th chakra, the heart: love and compassion, of course. The 5th chakra, at the base of the throat: communication and pragmatic, systematic though process. The 6th chakra, the brow area between the eyes: inner vision and abstract thought. The 7th chakra, top of the head: entering and leaving the body and spiritual union.

Many times while meditating, I will incorporate visualizing into the process. If there is a goal you are trying to reach, whether it is professional, personal, or health-oriented, visualization can be utilized to help achieve that objective. I myself can personally attest that visualizing works (I visualized becoming a published author).

This is the method that works best for me. Sit or lie in a comfortable position with your back as straight as possible. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Imagine a bright, white light hovering around your body, then coalescing above your head. Feel the light enter the crown of your head and travel throughout your body, slowly, as if it were a heavy, thick, warm liquid. Imagine this liquid traveling back up through your body, then out through the top of your head, to envelop you in its warm light.

Visualize yourself in a peaceful place, on a sandy beach at the ocean, beside a lazily flowing river, in a calm, pastoral field; anyplace that feels peaceful to you. Visualize walking in this place, feeling at calm and at peace with yourself. Imagine you see a door ahead of you. Walk toward that door, open it, and you will see fifteen steps descending. Step onto the landing, close the door behind you, and watch yourself move down the fifteen steps, slowly counting each one as your foot is placed there. At the bottom of the steps, there is another door. Open this door and imagine the most beautiful room you have ever seen. It may be a large, open room with a blazing fire, a room with glassed walls overlooking a panoramic view; whatever appeals to you. Inside this room there is a large, overstuffed chair in front of a screen resembling a big-screen television. As you sit in the chair, you will see a remote lying on the arm. Pick it up, point it at the screen, and click on. Visualize yourself achieving your goal. (Example: Say you want to successfully run in a marathon, you would watch yourself participate in the marathon and cross the finish line.) If you desire, you can visualize more than one objective, but be sure to click the remote between each one to end one and begin another. I wouldn't advise more than three, however. After you have finished visualizing yourself successfully engaged in each activity, click the remote off, lay it on the arm of the chair, and stand. Move to the door, open it, and you will see the fifteen steps going upward. Close the door behind you and ascend the steps slowly, counting each one. At the top, open the door, and you will once more be back to the peaceful, beautiful place you envisioned. End visualization, end meditation.

Christy Tillery French
Ctfrench252.AOL.com