Meditation

Meditation: Improve Your Life

At the Pilgrimage of the Heart, we offer free meditation classes. Our time-tested meditation techniques are simple and effective. Over 20,000 people have learned meditation using our methods. Meditation is just one aspect of healthy living.

Go Within

Take some time each day to explore your inner dimensions. Do some daily prayer and meditation to cultivate and expanded awareness of the Source of creation, That which sustains creation and That into which creation is transformed. Mere philosophy cannot compare to the actual experience of that inner dimension. Put in the time; in the beginning its tough but the effort is rewarded a hundred times.

Get Moving

Do some daily exercise: take a walk, a run, go for a swim, a bike ride or whatever moves you. It's a great way to reduce stress (the major cause of heart disease) and have some fun. While you’re exercising try to focus as much as possible on your breath; this will ground and center you, and get you beyond your mundane thoughts.

Step Away

from smoking, alcohol and non-medicinal drugs; there's nothing better you can do for your body and awareness. There is plenty of energy in your body and nervous system for everything you want to do. Nature did an incredible job of creating you, so let your body work the wait it was designed to.

Read

The thoughts of humanity's greatest philospohers are available to us all through the world of books. Turn off the television and spend some time with some of history’s most interesting minds. Start anywhere you're inspired and follow the train of thought; it’s an exciting ride. Great thinking gives rise to incredible actions. Your thoughts and actions can change your world and help others in theirs.

Find Your Connection

The earth and everything on it (that includes you) is linked by the universal creative urge. Expand your awareness of reality beyond the physical. Step back and watch the cosmic flow of energy pulse through your body, mind and emotions. Its and incredible show. Follow it to the Source …that's true release.

Teach Respect for the Earth and All Living Things

That is a bumper sticker I put on my suitcase and into my mind. Dwell on it and see what it resonates with in your own life.. Try living a day, or an hour, or even a minute in without harming others in deed, word and thought. It's a challenge but someone- about 2000 years ago- said it was a way to become perfect.

The 10-Minute Relaxation Plan

By learning to consciously relax your mind and body, you can reduce the level of stress in your life. Stress is the major cause of heart disease and can lead to unhealthy habits. Check out our “Lifestyle for the 21st Century” for some suggestions regarding daily habits to reduce stress.

In just 10 minutes a day, you can consciously reduce stress and bring peace and harmony into your system. The Focus-Relax-Peace CD offers you four 10-minute guided meditations with soothing background music. The following is a script that you can print out and adapt for your own use. Remember: daily practice is the key to learning the art of relaxation and focusing of the mind. It is just like developing any skill: it takes practice. A healthy mind is the result of regular effort. Here goes:

The first step is to find a comfortable but alert position. If you do this exercise lying down, you will most likely fall asleep. Sit up either in a chair or on the floor to learn the exercise. Your position should be firm but pleasant. Let your hands rest on your thighs or lap. Gently close your eyes, or keep them slightly open if you start to fall asleep. Try to keep your eyes still by focusing on a single point. Now focus on your breath; if possible breathe in and out through your nose, it is easier to be conscious of your breathing as it moves through your nose. If you are congested, use your mouth as much as necessary to compensate. Now come the key to the exercise: each time you breath in you are going to focus on a particular area of your body; as you exhale consciously release and relax the muscles in that area. It is as simple as that: breath in awareness, release tension as you exhale. The results will amaze you!

Begin by breathing in an awareness of the muscles in your forehead; release those muscles as you exhale. Devote 7 or 8 breaths to each area. The majority of your daily stress is held in your forehead, around your eyes, in your cheeks and jaw and in the back of your neck and shoulders. Each of these areas will take you 30 seconds to 2 minutes to relax.

You can extend your relaxation technique- and I highly recommend this- to your chest muscles and the muscles in your abdomen. These are two areas where we take quite a bit of our deeper emotional stress. This is clearly documented through heart disease and ulcers. Remember: your heart is a muscle and your body reacts to your state of mind. You can also use this technique to relax groups of muscles in your back, arms, hands, legs and feet.

Once you have relaxed specific areas of your body I suggest spending a minute of two and allow yourself to fell the sensation of being relaxed. The more you can impress this feeling upon your mind and body the more easily you will be able to enter and maintain that relaxed state of body and mind.

Remember: regular, daily practice is the key to learning this skill.