"Who Would Have Thought That Meditation Could Help You To Sleep Better?"

By: Mark Syme Click author's name for more of his/her articles

For thousands of years meditation has settled the minds of countless people, you can get a huge range of benefits, reduce your stress and sleep better. Here's a few tips to get you started:

1. Find a method that works for you

So, lots of people out there tend to get a bit confused by all the options when it comes to meditating. Is transcendental better then vipasana. Or would a guided meditation on tape be better than a class where you get in touch with your spirit guide!!!

It's all a bit confusing, especially if you've never done any sort of meditation before, so the best place to start is somewhere that you're comfortable. If you are feeling uncomfortable with what you're doing, you're not going to get the full benefit that you could out of the experience.

Have a look around and do a bit of research and see what fits for you. But don't use this as an excuse not to do anything! The health and psychological benefits of meditation are undeniable so keep in mind that any type will give you most if not all of the benefits that you're after

2. Make a specific time and place

This is something that many people overlook and it makes a really big difference to your meditation practice. By having a time and a place you make it much easier to develop a habit of doing it daily and you can find a time that is unlikely to be interrupted and a place that you shouldn't be disturbed. After all not many people can see someone sitting quietly with their eyes closed without coming up and asking what on earth you're doing!

And it's not like you need to have a whole room set aside to meditate in (although that's great if it's possible) often a good compromise is to have a corner of a generally quiet room and if you have a mat or something like that to meditate on, have it set up there. Even if you can only use the space while you're actually meditating and can't stake a claim to it all day, just having a spot makes it easier to meditate and will help to put you in a relaxed state as your mind knows what is going to happen when you sit down here.

A good time to meditate is early in the morning, it's quiet and there's not so many interruptions. Also it's a great way to start your day with a nice calm outlook, making it easier to deal with the stresses of the day. On the other hand, mediation just before going to sleep is a great way to relax and unwind, and drop off in no time.

About the only place you really don't want to have your meditation space is in your lazy boy, in front of the TV - that's just asking for trouble!

3. Some physical exercise before it

This one isn't essential but it can really help. If you've ever done a yoga session and meditated at the end of it you've probably noticed that your mind tends to be much quieter than normal. Part of this effect is simply that you've been focusing on your body, not thinking random thoughts. So going for a walk or a ride just prior to meditating can be a great help to still the mind and create a space between your day and your meditation.

4. Don't get frustrated by an apparent lack of progress

Often we start meditating and it feels great for a little while, but then we feel that we've stopped and aren't moving. This is a very common and normal experience and the trick is to be aware of what it is and that it doesn't matter. Every time you meditate from the very first time, you're doing good things. Your mind is stilling and your body is relaxing. Even if you've had a horrible day, a session of meditation will do wonders for you.

Progress in terms of calming your mind and spiritual awakening is a subtle process and often has plateaus followed by bursts of rapid unfolding. IT seems like the work is often happening far below the level of your awareness and then a great bubble just pops up and you realize that the consistent effort has been paying enormous dividends even if you weren't aware of it

5. Utilize technology with binaural audios

Now many purists would have an issue with brining technology into something as low tech as meditation, but each to his own I say. Why not take advantage of the availability of advanced brainwave research to combat the onslaught of stressful situations that are also present in our every day lives. The world has changed and we can't all spend our lives as a hermit and spend 5 hours a day meditating. Although this would be great, few people have the slightest chance of doing that in our modern world.

So if you can only spend half an hour in the evening after the kids are in bed, wouldn't it make sense to get the most that you possibly can out of that time? It's a nice twist that after you've used binaural audios, meditating with out them is better, deeper and more effective!

The brain gets used to being at a certain level of brain wave and the more time it spends there, the easier it is to reach that level again. So apart from philosophical arguments, there's no denying that using binaural audio's to give you a deeper meditative experience has no real down sides at all

Settling your mind with meditation is an incredibly effective way to sleep better. Stop the thoughts that keep you awake at night and find peace in your everyday life. I hope these tips help you sleep soundly from now on.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: Meditation has helped thousands to sleep better, so why not you? You can just press play on your ipod and access all the amazing benefits that meditation can give you. More energy, better relationships and improved health and of course better sleep. Click here for more information www.howtomeditate.biz