Welcome to Day 1: The Mind-Body Connection

Only a few decades ago, medical students were taught to view the body as a machine whose parts would inevitably break down until it could no longer be repaired. Today science is arriving at a radically different understanding: While the body appears to be material, it is really a field of energy and intelligence that is inextricably connected to the mind. All of the thoughts, perceptions, memories, emotions, and feelings in our mind influence every cell of our body. When we have a loving thought or focus on a happy memory or feeling, our brain triggers a cascade of molecules that promote wellbeing in our physiology. On the other hand, when we hold onto emotions such as anger, fear, and doubt, this creates stress and damage in the body.

Through meditation, we can reverse the effects of accumulated stress and toxicity. Meditation takes us into inner silence, allowing the body to restore balance and repair itself. In today’s meditation we will practice a simple yet effective breathing practice that will help you experience the silence and peace within.

Today’s meditation is led by Deepak Chopra, M.D., the co-founder of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing in Carlsbad, California. As a global leader and pioneer in the field of mind-body medicine, Deepak Chopra is transforming the way the world views physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social wellness. He is also the prolific author of more than sixty-four books, including nineteen New York Times bestsellers.

To join the Meditation Challenge please visit:

http://www.chopracentermeditation.com/

Think of the subconscious mind as the storage room of everything that is currently not in your conscious mind.

The subconscious mind stores all of your previous life experiences, your beliefs, your memories, you skills, all situations you’ve been through and all images you’ve ever seen.

The best way to understand the subconscious mind is to look at the example of the person who wants to learn how to drive a car. At the beginning he wouldn’t be able to hold a conversation with anyone while driving as he would be focusing on the different moves involved. That’s because he’s still using his conscious mind to drive.

The subconscious mind is responsible for the automatically triggered feelings and emotions that you suddenly experience upon facing a new situation. If you were about to give a presentation then all thefear and anxiety feelings you might experience are in fact launched and controlled by your subconscious mind.

The conscious mind is, on the other hand, responsible for logic, calculations and all actions that are performed while you are conscious. The subconscious mind also controls other functions in your body like breathing and heart beats.

How you can you program your subconscious mind

When the information about driving is stored into your subconscious mind it’s stored as a program. Think of your mind as a computer and the driving information as software that can be run automatically whenever needed.

The same goes for lots of other activities and emotions. If someone annoyed you the installed program of anger is going to be launched and the result will be a behavior that you may regret later.

By programming the subconscious mind with new programs you can fix many problems in your personality. Just make sure that your autopilot is capable of running your system without ruining your life or causing you any problems.

Rules of the subconscious mind

In order to best use the power of your subconscious mind you must first know how the subconscious mind works. The subconscious mind is governed by many rules. Learning about these rules will allow you to make the best use out of your subconscious mind with the least effort.

Ego defense mechanisms

Just like your body has got its defenses against physical wounds and injuries your subconscious mind has got its defenses against emotional shocks and wounds. These are called ego defense mechanisms or unconscious defense mechanisms. The ego defense mechanisms’ main function is to protect your well-being and to help you overcome emotional shocks.

Using your conscious and subconscious mind together

The conscious and the subconscious mind can make a great team if you used them together. The first can handle some tasks then assigns them to the second while the second can send feedback and messages about the task in the form of emotions to the first.

Emotions are no more than messages sent by your subconscious mind in order to notify you about something.

By learning how to make the best use of the cooperation between your conscious and subconscious mind your life skills will improve and you will have much more control over your emotions.

So, what exactly does the subconscious mind do?

Your subconscious mind is responsible for many of the emotions that you experience. The feelings of anxiety you might experience before a presentation and the inferiority feelings that make you feel less worthy than others in addition to other emotions stem from the subconscious mind.

The subconscious mind is also responsible for involuntary actions like reflex actions, fights or flight response, and even the movement of your hand muscles while writing.

That’s why your hand writing can reveal some of your personality traits and hidden emotions.Your subconscious mind is awake 24/7, unlike your conscious mind and that’s why dreams may reflect suppressed emotions. While sleeping the conscious mind becomes dormant while the subconscious remains active.

The subconscious mind doesn’t understand logic

Trying to get through to your subconscious mind using logic may not work. For example when you experience an emotion like anxiety before giving a speech you wont be able to logically convince yourself that there is no need to be afraid.

You will find your heart beating and your fight or flight response will become triggered without being able to stop this from happening.

When dealing with the emotions that the subconscious mind generates, the best way is to dig deeply until you find the root cause of the problem instead of just focusing on apparent factors.

If you, for example, suffer from feelings of inferiority then never try to convince yourself by logic that you shouldn’t be feeling inferior but instead examine your childhood until you find out the root cause behind such feelings.

Once you do dealing with inferiority will become a simple task.

The subconscious mind stores beliefs

We humans know more than we can understand. The subconscious mind stores everything you came across.

Your subconscious mind also stores your beliefs. There are ways to change someone’s behaviour or to help him become confident is to change the beliefs he has about himself. (source: www.2knowmyself.com)

Our Behavior is Driven by our Sub-conscious Mind

We do certain things out of conscious mind, whereas most of our actions are dependent on the subconscious mind. They are like reflex action in some ways, but different in many ways. In case of physical reflex action, there is some action or disturbance in or around you, and before you know or you realize it, your body reacts to the disturbance. But immediately after the reflex action, you know how your body has reacted. However in case of subconscious behavior or the mental reflex action, most often, our conscious mind is not even aware that we have reacted to certain sub conscious stimuli.

It is said that the conscious mind is logical, analytical. Subconscious mind is illogical. And since most of our behavior is governed by the subconscious mind, you can imagine what will be the outcome.

There is a very important lesson to be learnt about our relationship with people based on our recent learning. This learning should help us judge people better and react to people better. Very often we are upset by the reactions and behavior of someone known to us or dear to us. We get upset because we feel he is doing it intentionally to upset you, to offend you, or to settle scores with you.

Whenever this happens, understand that we are all slaves to certain things in our subconscious mind. Appreciate that he may not be behaving intentionally, it may be an involuntary reaction and not an intentional calculated move to upset you. He may not be control, just as we are all puppets to certain conditions under some situations. If you appreciate that he is helpless to his circumstances, just as you are on several occasions, you will understand people better.

In our subconscious mind is hidden in some remote corner under some self-imposed cover which we prefer to keep under cover (since most of these are recordings of unpleasant experiences). The difficult part is to discover it hidden in our subconscious mind. Once discovered, it may be easy to remove it. Following exercise can sometimes help to discover and eradicate some unpleasant recordings from our subconscious mind which unconsciously influence our behavior:

Whenever you experience an unpleasantness, like an incident which made you angry, embarrassed, or uneasy, just sit back in a relaxed mood anytime later when you are your normal self. Close your eyes and recreate the same situation (in your mind’s eyes) which made you angry, embarrassed or unpleasant. Imagine that situation in great details. Almost relive the same moments and keep noticing the thoughts in your mind. Notice the sensations in your body, any sensation in the stomach or any part of the body as you relive the old unpleasant experience of the day. Again and again keep asking yourself – “What are the thoughts in the mind, what are the sensations in different parts of the body?” You will be able to uncover some of those illogical thoughts, some under-cover parts of your subconscious mind and also be able to discover what exactly made you angry and unpleasant. (source: Prem Kamble)

It is time to reprogram the subconscious mind!!!

If you joined us in our previous Chopra Center 21-Day Meditation Challenge™, you already understand the incredible power of this journey and you’re ready for more.  If this will be your first time in the challenge, get ready to discover the untapped potential that rests within you, opening your gateway to true freedom, extraordinary bliss, and the life of your dreams!

Studies have shown that it takes 21 days of consistent behavior to change a habit or create a new one, such as establishing a regular exercise routine, eating a healthier diet, or taking time each day for self-care. In just 21 days, you can also establish a fulfilling meditation practice that will give you a lifetime of rewards. You may have dipped your toe in the water with limited success, but this time, you will have daily support and guidance that will enable you to move beyond any past obstacles and experience the many gifts and benefits of meditation.

Join us for a powerful journey that will change your life.

Guided by Deepak Chopra, and dean of Chopra Center University – davidji and other master teachers – you will learn practical techniques for becoming more calm, centered, and happy.

Your devoted participation during this all new Chopra Center 21-Day Meditation Challenge™ will result in a healing ritual you can carry forward to your own consciousness and to the world’s community.

http://www.chopracentermeditation.com/

2) Imagine the experience of showing compassion.  Demonstrate you empathize or relate to concern expressed by another.

3) Discern the messages your behavior sends.  All you do echoes scales (for acceptance/ rejection), motives, principles, and values.

4) Recognize problems created in mind are only ever solved there.  In order to conquer mind, you must take steps to transcend it.

5) Awaken to the role of consciousness in all this.  Sense true nature reveals itself when you accept your role in all that you create.

Stop Complaining

Negative thoughts affect your peace in a deconstructive way and by complaining you are thinking negatively.

For that reason the first thing you can do to help yourself, is stop being grouchy and cranky, and try to keep a “glass half full” mindset. You will find that by this simple change of attitude you will feel a whole lot better and will become much more peaceful.

Don’t over analyze

This is huge. Many people over analyze situations that require little to no thinking. This way they cloud their minds and fill up their calm with a lot of thoughts.

When they are thinking about so many things they become stressed out and anxious.

So if you want to create peace for yourself, stop overanalyzing situations andlearn to calm down. This way you will have “empty no thought time” in your mind and will feel a lot more content.

Be positive and smile

You should try to smile so much that an engraved smile is always on your face. By smiling your frame of mind becomes more positive and your attitude becomes constructive.

Also always try to be positive in every aspect of your life. This backbone will make every difficulty you face easier and will likewise get rid of a lot of stress.

Be Thankful and Count your Blessings

Peace comes from being humble. So if you are thankful for your life and all the blessings you have you will become more peaceful.

 (source: Dream Builders & Code of Living)

MEDITATE

Plus by counting your blessings you will discover how fortunate you are and will you find all the positives in your life. This will make you more happy, content and peaceful.

–Brahma Kumari–

Like any skill, meditation requires practice to achieve satisfying results. More and more people are adding some kind of meditation to their daily routine either as an effective antidote to stress, or as a simple method of relaxation. By doing a little meditation every day, it soon becomes a natural and easy habit, which generously rewards you for the effort it involves.

Positive Thinking

The state or quality of being humble; freedom from pride and arrogance; lowliness of mind; a modest estimate of one’s own worth; a sense of one’s own unworthiness through imperfection and sinfulness; self-abasement; humbleness.

—

I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps. –  Gandhi

In general, people see it as a weakness. I see it as one of the biggest strengths and hardest to achieve!! People love to brag about themselves. Just join a conversation, stay quiet and you’ll be able to see it! You will be embarrassed to hear how many people love to talk about how great they are or how smart their kids are or what a wonderful life they have. Do we really need to brag when things are so great or are we suffering of a desperate need for attention?

—

Oneness & Humility

(Meditation.org.au)

There are some serious traps for every seeker that present, as you might imagine, the most wonderful of opportunities. One of the most serious traps is one’s loss of humility.

Humility is the solid foundation of all the virtues. – Confucius

    The human ego is a wonderful tool, but can also leave us in a wonderful mess. It is very common for those studying spiritual philosophy to feel that their intellectual understanding is a spiritual truth, but this is a particularly dangerous trap!

Everything understood must also be realized.

 The greatest truths are the simplest, and so are the greatest men.- J.C. Hare

   This ’realisation’ is difficult to explain. Perhaps you have ‘felt’ a revelation in meditation, or you have said “Aah that’s why that is so” or perhaps “that is what the last three months have been about” – this is approaching realisation of a particular understanding. It is a concrete wisdom founded upon direct experience that is lived and breathed from that moment.

Put simply, the difference between knowledge and wisdom is that knowledge is constructed intellectually in the mind, whilst wisdom comes from experiences of the heart. (‘aah’ moments!) Sometimes extremely wise people have very little intellectual ‘knowledge’.

For example, for many the question of God’s existence is a belief that perhaps has been constructed through reading spiritual scriptures or hearing from others, whilst there are those that have ‘realized’ that God exists through direct experience, perhaps whilst close to death or in war. They might have trouble explaining this experience, but it has left them with the infallible ‘realisation’ that God exists. This ‘realisation’ compels the seeker to live this revelation, it is impossible for him/her to try and deny this concrete revelation, and inevitably the seeker’s life is forever changed by it.

    These are the building blocks of our spiritual evolution, not our understandings (which are ego based), but our realizations (the revelations of the soul).

For the most part, I do the thing which my own nature prompts me to do. It is embarrassing to earn so much respect and love for it.–Albert Einstein

Transcendental meditation, the technique of achieving a state of “restful alertness” popularized by The Beatles 40 years ago, may be an effective treatment for depression in older people, scientists have found.

Background of Zen Meditation Technique (Zazen):

This was the meditation technique of Lord Buddha – I should have to say no more in order to motivate you to try this meditation. It is one of the most widely used meditations in the world and is the heart of Zen Buddhist teachings.  If one was to make a short list of the best meditation techniques, Zazen would most certainly make the top 10 list.

Tools required for Zen Meditation Technique (Zazen):

• Zafu (traditional Zen Buddhist meditation cushion), Smile Cushion or other firm meditation cushion.  I purchased mine fromzafu.net. I also purchased a zabuton (meditation mat) from them, a zabuton though is optional.  
  
• Loose comfortable clothing.
• An alarm clock, stop watch or other time device.

Benefits of Zen Meditation Technique (Zazen):

Primary Benefits: 

• Builds Concentration and Focus.
• Self Knowledge – both, the workings of little self (ego) and awareness of the Big Self (True Divine Nature).
• Calmness
• Compassion
• Spontaneous Joy
  

Secondary Benefits: 

• Improves health and wellbeing.
• Increases willpower and builds character.
• Bestows psychic powers.
  

Cautions for Practicing Zen Meditation Technique (Zazen):

There are very few cautions with regard to Zazen practice, but the one I would like to point out has to do with emotional storms. 

There can be periods of time, either during a single sitting or spanning across several weeks, when emotions you may have suppressed rise up to the surface and force you to deal with them.  During these turbulent times, don’t exacerbate the issue by chewing on the emotion laden thoughts that come up.  Traumatizing yourself in this way has no value.  Instead, sit with the emotions and related thoughts without resistance, then let them go and return your awareness to your breath. 

This emotional cleansing is due to the visibility of the subconscious mind once the conscious mind is quieted by the meditation.  In the short term, this can be a difficult time to go though, but in the long term its a necessary and healthy cleansing that will promote greater peace, depth, joy and clarity in your life. 

Guided Basic Zen Meditation Technique (Zazen):

• Find a quiet place and sit in a comfortable cross legged position.  If using a zafu or similar meditation cushion, sit on the forward third of the cushion.  The objective is for your hips to be raised above your knees and to form a three point base with your knees and buttocks touching the floor/cushion (leave a comment below if want to use a chair or meditation bench and would like me to explain those details).
• Set your alarm or other time device for 20 minutes.
  
• Now elongate your spine upwards and to align it with the back of your head, subtly bring your chin back and in like a soldier at attention.  There will be a slight inward arch in your lower back.
  
• Now rock gently from side to side in big arcs, making them smaller and smaller till you drift to a stop.  You should find yourself perpendicular to the floor with no tension or pull from either side.
• Have your eyes half open with an unfocused gaze on the floor in front of you.  You should be looking down at a 45 degree angle about 2 to 3 feet in front of you.  You may also close your eyes if you prefer.
• Bring your hands to your lap and place them in the cosmic mudra.  To do this rest your right hand on your lap, then rest your left hand on top of it and have your fingers overlap.  Now bring the thumb tips together thus forming an oval frame.
• Close your mouth, swallow your saliva creating a slight vacuum and place your tongue against the roof of your mouth.  After this point there should be absolutely no more movement of the body.  No fidgeting, scratching, shifting – nothing – be like you are frozen in time.
  
• Take 5 deep, slow breaths though the nose.  This will oxygenate your blood and relax you.
• Now bring you attention to your breath without trying to manipulate it further in any way, just become aware of its flow.  Spend a few minutes just observing it intimately till it starts to become regular and relaxed.
• At this point begin counting your breath.  Count an inhalation as one, then the exhalation as 2 and continue to count your breaths until you reach 10.  At which point return to 1 with the next inhalation.  If at any point you get caught in a mental story line and loose your count, gently, without passing any judgment, return to 1 and start over.  That’s it, continue for the duration of the meditation.

Guided Intermediate Zen Meditation Technique (Zazen):

Follow all the steps for the Basic Zen Meditation Technique, except for the last step a complete inhalation and exhalation cycle should be counted as 1.  So you will do 10 full cycles of inhalation and exhalation before returning to 1.  You can also increase the time to 30 – 40 minutes.

Guided Advanced Zen Meditation Technique (Zazen): 

Follow all the steps for the Basic Zen Meditation Technique, except for the last step instead of counting the breaths, just “be the breath”.  Don’t try to jump to this step too soon, first build your concentration and focus.  You can also increase the time to 1 hour.

Hints and Tips for Zen Meditation Technique (Zazen):

• Do some stretching or Yoga before sitting in zazen.  It will help your body adjust better.
• Be regular, the benefits of this meditation are vast, but they take time to manifest.
• Some good internet resources and books on zen meditation and zen teachings are listed below…
  • Charlotte Joko Beck’s Ordinary Mind Zen School and her book Everyday Zen: Love & Work
  • Zen Mountain Monastery – Mountain and Rivers Order of Zen Buddhism 
    
  • Shunryu Suzuki’s San Francisco Zen Center and his book Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
    

Secret of Zen Meditation Technique (Zazen):

The secret of zazen does not lie in the awareness of the inhalation or the exhalation.  It lies in the gap in between these breaths.  It lies when the breath is spontaneously suspended.  It is in this gap where the mysteries of the Universe are hidden.  This gap and the gap between 2 thoughts are best friends, and in this silence between 2 thoughts the absolute is revealed.  Don’t try to force this pause, just continue with your zazen, it will come about naturally.

Anmol Mehta

The once-fuzzy picture of what makes people happy is coming into focus as psychologists no longer shun the study of happiness. In the mid-’90s, scientific journals published about 100 studies on sadness for every one study on happiness.

Now a burgeoning “positive psychology” movement that emphasizes people’s strengths and talents instead of their weaknesses is rapidly closing the gap, says University of Pennsylvania psychologist Martin E. P. Seligman, author of the new book, Authentic Happiness. The work of Seligman and other experts in the field is in the early stages, but they are already starting to see why some people are happy while others are not:

The happiest people spend the least time alone. They pursue personal growth and intimacy; they judge themselves by their own yardsticks, never against what others do or have.

“Materialism is toxic for happiness,” says University of Illinois psychologist Ed Diener. Even rich materialists aren’t as happy as those who care less about getting and spending.

Because the December holidays are friend- and family-oriented, they painfully reveal the intimacy missing in some lives, Diener says. Add in the commercial emphasis — keeping up with the Joneses and the Christmas enjoyed by the Joneses’ kids — “and it’s a setup for disappointment,” he says.

And yet some people manage to look on the bright side, even if they lose their jobs in December. Others live in darkness all year for no apparent reason. A person’s cheer level is about half genetic, scientists say.

Everyone has a “set point” for happiness, just as they do for weight, Seligman says. People can improve or hinder their well-being, but they aren’t likely to take long leaps in either direction from their set point.

Even physical health, assumed by many to be key to happiness, only has an impact if people are very ill. Objective health measures don’t relate to life satisfaction, but subjective feelings do. Plenty of healthy people take their health for granted and are none the happier for it, Diener points out. Meanwhile, the sickly often bear up well, and hypochondriacs cling to misery despite their robust health.

Good feelings aren’t “all in the head,” though. Actions matter, just not in the way often believed.

Life satisfaction occurs most often when people are engaged in absorbing activities that cause them to forget themselves, lose track of time and stop worrying. “Flow” is the term Claremont Graduate University psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced cheeks-sent-mee-hi) coined to describe this phenomenon.

People in flow may be sewing up a storm, doing brain surgery, playing a musical instrument or working a hard puzzle with their child. The impact is the same: A life of many activities in flow is likely to be a life of great satisfaction, Csikszentmihalyi says. And you don’t have to be a hotshot to get there.

“One of the happiest men I ever met was a 64-year-old Chicago welder with a fourth-grade education,” he says. The man took immense pride in his work, refusing a promotion to foreman that would have kept him from what he loved to do. He spent evenings looking at the rock garden he built, with sprinklers and floodlights set up to create rainbows.

Teenagers experience flow, too, and are the happiest if they consider many activities “both work and play,” Csikszentmihalyi says. Flow stretches someone but pleasurably so, not beyond his capacity. “People feel best when doing what they do best,” he says.

Everyone has “signature strengths,” Seligman adds, and the happiest use them. Doing so can lead to choices that astound others but yield lasting satisfaction.

Signature strengths

That’s what happened to Greg and Tierney Fairchild. He was a Ph.D. candidate at Columbia, and she’d already earned a Ph.D., when they learned that the child she was carrying had Down syndrome, along with a serious heart defect requiring surgery.

In the Fairchilds’ intellectual circle of friends, some viewed having a retarded child as unthinkable — and let them know it. Lots of people, including some family members, assumed they’d opt for abortion. After thoroughly exploring all the angles — medical, practical and emotional — they decided to keep their daughter, Naia.

“We’re pro-choice, so it’s not that we wouldn’t get an abortion under some circumstances, or think that others could make a different choice here,” Greg says.

They were leading with their strength. An interracial couple, they both had long histories of taking bold, less traveled paths rather than following the parade.

Greg was the first black on his high school track team at a Southern, mostly white school; he became student body president. Tierney was the only MBA student at her university also getting a Ph.D. in education because she wanted to train executives.

And they chose each other, despite all the stares of bigots they knew they’d face forever.

“We haven’t shied away from tough choices,” Greg says, “and we’ve been able to persevere through some difficulties other people might not have been able to.”

Tierney says, “We thought having Naia would be a challenge, but we really wanted her, and just because something’s a challenge, I’m not the type to turn away.”

Their struggles are depicted in the new book, Choosing Naia by Mitchell Zuckoff.

That was a few years ago. Now Naia is a 4-year-old people magnet with a great sense of humor, the first Down syndrome child to be “mainstreamed” at the preschool for University of Virginia staff. (Greg teaches in the business school.) She walked late, talked late and is potty-training late—just as her parents expected. “And so what?” Tierney asks. “She’s brought us a huge amount of joy because she’s such a happy child.”

Tierney, who is manager of executive education at United Technologies Corp., feared she’d have to quit work to care for Naia, but that wasn’t necessary. Tierney and Greg gave Naia a baby brother, Cole, 22 months ago. “We’re so grateful for these kids,” Greg says.

Gratitude helps

Gratitude has a lot to do with life satisfaction, psychologists say. Talking and writing about what they’re grateful for amplifies adults’ happiness, new studies show. Other researchers have found that learning to savor even small pleasures has the same effect. And forgiveness is the trait most strongly linked to happiness, says University of Michigan psychologist Christopher Peterson.

“It’s the queen of all virtues, and probably the hardest to come by,” he adds.

‘More fun, less stuff’

There’s also evidence that altruistic acts boost happiness in the giver. That doesn’t surprise Betsy Taylor, president of the Center for a New American Dream, a Takoma Park, Md., non-profit that favors simple living and opposes commercialism. “The altruism part is worth keeping in mind over the holidays,” Taylor says. “Our mantra is ‘more fun, less stuff.’ Do for others, we say.”

Karen Madsen, 51, of Everett, Wash., is a believer. For several years, she’s organized local families to buy holiday gifts for needy foster children. Madsen sinks in about $1,000 herself, often trimming her own kids’ Christmas haul to do it. “You’d see these notes from foster kids, ‘I don’t really need anything, but my little sister needs a coat because she’s cold.’ “

Her son, William Shepherd, a high school senior, doesn’t mind. “It’s a lot of fun to go shopping for their toys,” he says. “I have enough, and it feels good to make sure other people can enjoy the holidays, too.”

Many parents would be amazed that a kid could be happy to get less, but surprise is the name of the game with happiness. People aren’t very good at predicting what will make them happy, cutting-edge research shows.

Even Seligman, the happiness maven, tells how he wanted no more children — he already had two grown ones — and his current wife wanted four, “so we compromised at four,” he says. His book reveals he’s besotted with these kids and marvels at them daily. “I just didn’t know,” he says.

None of us knows, says Harvard University psychologist Daniel Gilbert. “There’s a reason why Euripides said, ‘It would not be better if men got what they wanted.’ ” People expect that events will have a larger and more enduring impact on them — for good or ill — than they really do, Gilbert’s studies find.

People tend to rationalize bad things, quickly adapting to new realities. They also visualize future events in isolation, but real life teems with many experiences that dilute the impact of any one. This means winning the lottery doesn’t make people’s lives stellar, but they recover from romantic breakups much quicker than expected.

“If you knew exactly what the future held, you still wouldn’t know how much you would like it when you got there,” Gilbert says. In pursuing happiness, he suggests “we should have more trust in our own resilience and less confidence in our predictions about how we’ll feel. We should be a bit more humble and a bit more brave.”

Meditations for Quick Relaxation (Anmol Mehta)

Research has shown that in just 3 minutes meditation can help reduce stress and change the inner chemistry of the body to a healthier, more relaxed state.  So all those excuses regarding how busy you are and how little time you have can now be thrown out the window.  All you need in order to dissolve physical, emotional and mental tension is just 3 minutes of meditation.

Normally, I always suggest to meditate early in the morning, when the mind is fresh, or before going to sleep, after the day’s hustle and bustle is done, but in this case I suggest doing the 3 minute meditation right in the middle of the day or if you are facing a stressful situation.  This is so  the meditation can help immediately neutralize the harmful stress hormones and put you back in a relaxed, peaceful state of mind.

The 2 kinds of meditation I would suggest for this quick fix are below.  Try either one and see which suits you best.  They come from different schools of thought, and use different approaches, but are both pretty handy.

Be sure to check out the rest of the articles in this series below, which are also clever yoga, meditation and pranayama tips and techniques for busy people.

Kundalini Yoga Meditation for Relaxation:

For this meditation.  Sit up straight and bring your hands into namaste pose, keeping a small gap between the thumbs and keep the palms slightly cupped.  Then inhale deeply and blow out gently aiming at the gap between your thumbs, thus allowing the cool air to fill the region between your palms and circulate there.  Keep your eyes 1/10th open looking down during this meditation and keep you mind on your breath and the cool sensation when blowing into your palms.

This meditation is sure to relax you rapidly.  Continue to do it for 3 minutes.  Here is a video demonstration of this technique as well…

Breath Awareness Meditation for Relaxation:

This is probably the most used technique for generating quick relaxation and this was the technique used in the studies which measured the reduction of stress hormones as well.  

For this meditation, simply sit up straight, close your eyes and bring your attention to your breathing.  If thoughts arise, just see them as thoughts only and let them go without getting involved, and return your attention to your breath.  Continue this simple method for 3  minutes.  It will greatly calm your mind and relax all your energies.

Here is a video of this technique, including a count, which is very helpful if you plan to do the technique for longer periods.