Top 5 healthy relaxation techniques

The benefits of Meditation

Many people are eager to delve into the ocean of Spirituality and Yoga, either to fulfill a desire to understand what exists beyond, or simply to enrich their life, relax and enjoy the now. As they begin to unravel the ancient practices of meditation and yoga, they often stumble upon the word “mantra†, a word that has been in vogue for some years now. Most feel unsure about the use of mantras and relate it to mysterious, occult and Hindu-related religious practices. Well, the truth is quite different — mantras are simple to master and are in fact, very useful! Mantras are merely sequences of words, i.e., phrases that contain meaning. For instance, a very useful mantra that has tremendous power in both achieving peace of mind and dissolving difficult situations is “I forgive†! It is as easy as that. Mantras are words that express the heart and they can be in any language. These words are usually uttered in a state of meditation, for that’s when they are most potent. Thereason is that when we are in mediation, we are in contact with our real potential, the real power of our Self— a very beautiful energy that lies within each and every one of us, the Kundalini. Due to the energy given by the Kundalini, the words uttered become powerful and truly manifest. Quite simple, right? Sometimes though, mantras are uttered in an ancient language, spoken in India thousands of years ago, namely Sanskrit. The reason we sometimes use this seemingly foreign and difficult-to-understand language is, we could say, of a technical nature. Science has already proven that sound waves contain energies ofspecific frequencies, and when the frequency of a sound matches the frequency of an object, the object starts to vibrate. This, afterall, explains how one can break a glass using one’s voice. Within our bodies are energy centers which have their own specific frequencies. When our words match those frequencies, the centers begin to vibrate, taking us to an elevated stateof relaxation, healing and rejuvenation. Sanskrit language is based on these very sounds that match the frequencies of our energy centers. Consequently, uttering phrases in Sanskrit opens a new dimension of beauty and power to our meditations. So, the next time you sit down for meditation, or whenever a stressfulsituation appears, or ifsomeone in school or at the office has annoyed you a little too much than usual, you can try this experiment. Close your eyes and keep your palms open facing upward, resting on your lap. Try to stop your thoughts, but do not force yourself to stop thinking. Simply watch your thoughts, do not get involved with them and pay attention to the sensations on your palms. Then, say from your heart (quietly inside), without thinking about any specific situation or person, “I forgive†. Repeat it, say, three times and then delve into mentalsilence again. Observe how your thoughts, your emotions and … the sensations on your palms change! You may notice yourhead becomes more relaxed, your thoughts become more sparse and even your ring fingers seem to feel cooler and more relaxed. Now, utter thrice the word “ksham†. It means “I forgive†in Sanskrit, while its sound matches the frequency of the left hemisphere of our brain, balances it and cools it down from the heat ofstress and anger. You may again notice peace, relaxation and thoughtlessness settle in you, while a beautiful cool breeze starts flowing on your right palm, or even on both. Finally, simply enjoy for several minutes the beautifulstate you have reached, feelrelaxed and peaceful, and then open your eyes and see that the whole situation has changed! This is a simple experiment that can help you deal with anger and stress during the day, and also give you a taste of how mantras can help you deal with difficult situations and achieve a spiritualstate of mediation. You can also try out the Omkar therapy for stress management and awakening our inner energy and potential atwhere you will learn how to use another common mantra, OM, in a very easy and yet highly beneficial way