Meditation?

Whatever you're doing is probably fine. I sit and watch my breath and practice bringing my attention back to my breathing whenever it wanders. There's lots online about meditation; if you are really interested, find a meditation teacher; my first teacher was a Buddhist nun who taught me to watch my breath.

Good question, stress management is a necessary part of the lifestyle change weight loss usually demands.

I’ve practiced medication for quite some time now. I really enjoy it. I started out similar to you by doing it primarily at night before bed…def helped with sleep especially when paired with a little yoga beforehand. I still have a bit of a hard time staying focused on ‘nothing’ though so I started delving into Mindfulness Meditation and Guided Meditation. I absolutely love it! Mindfulness can be done all through the day it’s just really being in tune with what you are doing. For example; when washing dishes by hand…I take my time, really notice how the bubbles feel on my hands, the warmth of the water the scratchy-ness of the scrub pad or when walking, noticing and focusing on the breeze blowing on my skin, the warmth of the sun…it’s really freakin stress relieving!! I love it! If your interested in either of them just google them and you’ll find more info than you can shake a stick at!! Good luck!

I was really glad to find this string/conversation. Starting today, I am aiming to meditate at least 5 minutes a day. It helps me feel a lot less anxious and just more aware of where I am both physically and mentally. I've meditated on and off for years, but never on a regular basis. Sometimes, I use a guided imagery. You can download a free 15 minute one at Health Journeys (http://www.healthjourneys.com/free_audio.asp). I also like to listen to the Buddha Machine. I downloaded some mp3s for free (which you can do here: http://www.fm3buddhamachine.com/site/?page_id=29). While I consider myself agnostic, I have found that reading Hanh's The Heart of the Buddha to be a very relaxing exercise (for my mind and spirit). Also, in a few yoga classes, the teacher reminded me to relax the muscles in my face and soften my tongue (i know, I know... sounds funny). I never realized how often I walked around with a tense face and how amazing it felt to let go of that tension.

Funny enough, in addition to actual meditation, reading about meditation and mindfulness relaxes me. If anyone has resources they would like to share, I welcome them.

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