In the modern world it seems that worrying has been the standard. With the financial crisis that the world has confronted and several people out of jobs, people will naturally start to worry about their future. This will lead to stress and anxiety. Ideas about the stress often lead to more ideas about something that may or may not happen.
Mental distractions tend to take away from what is happening at the moment. The vast majority of people in the Western world have heads that wonder elsewhere rather than being at the present. I doubt that they even reside in the present. One’s physical being may be there, but their minds aren’t.
Even recent studies, like the one done by Ulrick Kirk and his colleagues at Baylor Medical College in Houston, have shown to increase rational thinking. Rational thinking and living in the present moment, go hand-in-hand.
Zen meditation allows one to have the ability to concentrate their thoughts. Distractions diffuse them. When you’re able to concentrate your mind becomes concentrated, much like a magnifying glass that concentrates sunlight into a very small beam that could burn through a sheet of paper. Master practitioners of Zen meditation have that type of concentration.
It is also an awakening. As soon as you realize that living and being aware of each moment, you will truly be alert. My friend Jerry McGowan described his endeavor and discovery to Zen Meditation this manner. Rather than focusing on something, you become it. He used an orange in this way. That is like what Buddha discovered. He became one with the Universe.
Zen meditation is a means to enlightenment. Zen is not about the intellect; rather, it focuses on the simplicity of life. It is more about the experiences we’ve rather than the knowledge we possess. It is not about judgment, just staying in the present moment.
Here are some pointers in Zen Meditation which Can Help You wipe away worries when put into action:
· Become the thing that you are concentrating on. It’ll enable you to stay focused. Bring all of your awareness to it. Jerry McGowan stated he became a seed inside the orange. And he guessed what it would be like to be inside the orange.
· Deep breathing is fundamental to all meditation. When you use your diaphragm with your abdominal muscles. If you do not breathe deeply, then it will take some focus at the beginning. You will when you breathe and your belly will rise instead of your shoulders. Most people breathe shallowly. That’s because of stress and anxiety. It is only when we begin experiencing distress and anxiety, including worrying, do we stop breathing properly. Eventually it’ll become our norm. When heavy breathing, count to 10 as you breathe in, hold for a count of 10, exhale for a count of 10, hold for a count of 10 and repeat. Eventually it will become natural to you.
· Learn to let go of the past and the future. Only focus on what exists and that’s the present. As each moment passes, it becomes part of the past and does not exist anymore. We can create it through goals and planning and that is it. Still, we never will know what will truly happen.
· You begin with the inside and eventually will go to the exterior. That’s the way to enlightenment in Zen.
These are a number of ways which should help. Find a Zen master to help you further in your quest to a worry-free life. Though, it should never be a quest. Instead, just living in the now.
Living an optimal life wants a life that is healthy and fit. Knowing what you need to do in order for that to happen is essential. And taking action towards becoming fit and healthy is the most important key. Individuals who are successful are constantly action-oriented. They will simply put in the action the ideal knowledge for them. That includes getting fit and healthy.