Meditate yourself to Happiness!

Mindfulness or meditation is one of the easiest ways of embarking successfully on your journey to happiness. Meditation is so simple to do, and so relaxing for the mind and soul. You start by meditating for ten minutes a day. Then, the goal is to extend it to 20 minutes twice a day. Over and over again in my practice, I hear of clients complaining that they don’t have time to meditate. There are twenty-four hours in a day. That is One thousand four hundred and forty minutes a day. Hence, all you need to do it extract 40 of those minutes for yourself. That is less than three percent of the day for yourself.

Over the millenniums there is a strong correlation between meditation and happiness. Dr. Richard J. Davidson professor of psychology and psychiatry; at the University of Wisconsin–Madison as well as founder and chair of the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the Waisman Center; has done extensive research in close association with His Holiness The Dalai Lama on meditation. Dr. Davidson’s research is focused on cortical and subcortical substrates of emotion and affective disorders, including depression and anxiety. Participants in imaging experiments include normal adults and young children. Those with, or at risk for, affective and anxiety disorders. Most interestingly Dr. Davidson’s research has indicated that it is possible to learn to be happy. Happiness is a skill that can be learnt as any other skill. Such as learning to play the piano. According to Dr. Davidson’s research meditation is the gateway to learning the skill of happiness. The research done by Dr. Davidson should not be taken lightly, Time magazine recognizes him as one of the hundred most influential people in the world. Today scientists like Dr. Davidson are proving using MRI machines and advanced technologies that wise men have known since eternity and the benefits of meditation are discussed extensively in the Bhagwad Gita and the Upanishads.

I have founded guided meditations the simplest to do. You can find hundreds if not thousands of videos on the internet on meditation by some of the best trainers and gurus. Thus, among my favourite meditations are by Dr. Deepak Chopra an Indian settled in USA origin author, public speaker and physician. A prominent alternative-medicine advocate and author of several dozen books and videos, he has become one of the best-known and wealthiest figures in the holistic-health movement and has been described as a New-Age guru. I also meditate to videos by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar or generally referred to as Guruji or Gurudev. He is a spiritual leader and founder of the Art of Living Foundation, which aims to relieve individual stress, societal problems, and violence. One of my personal favourite voices to meditate to is Glenn Harrold is a British hypnotherapist, songwriter and author of self-help books, CDs and downloads. Glenn’s audio recordings of guided meditations are soothing, and his meditations on sleep, in my opinion, are among the best.

I am frequently asked on how to meditate; meditation is becoming far simpler thanks to modern technology. So, I have downloaded some of my favourite meditation audios and videos on to my iPhone, and always carry a pair of headphones with me. Sitting in my car, while I am being driven from one appointment to the other, I will close my eyes and listen to a Dr. Chopra, or Glenn or Gurudev. I reach my appointments refreshed and happy. Do not meditate while driving. Only meditate when someone else is driving. Train rides, aeroplane flights, waiting at airports become far more enjoyable when you can indulge in meditation. Also, One meditation session a day is a routine in my life. Like brushing my teeth or eating my breakfast. I fit my meditation schedule between client sessions, social engagements and other day to day activities.

Your goal is to meditate twice a day for twenty minutes each time, choose a few meditations that resonate with your personality since you are seeking happiness, it is very effective to do a root chakra meditation as it addresses your need for security.