Perfecting Peace: 4 Tips to a Better Meditation Session

If you’ve been looking to improve your mental health, you’ve likely read about meditation. This is a practice that’s so simple, it seems difficult. Meditation involves concentrating on the breath and observing thoughts as they arise. It allows us to gain better control over our emotions and actions. These four tips to a better meditation session will be of great help to you.

Eliminate Distractions

In our world of constant notifications and instant responses, it’s hard to imagine being completely isolated. When meditating, you need to be focused on yourself and your breath. Set a timer (no longer than ten minutes to start), close your eyes, and just watch your breath. You will become distracted by other things. There might be sounds outside of your room. A surefire distraction will be your thoughts. They’ll come to you in waves, often about things that frustrate and anger you. Let them be. There’s no shame to be felt in emotions. What’s important is monitoring them so that they don’t gain control of you.

Use Accessories

If you want to get the most out of your meditation session, you might introduce some trinkets. There are things you can use, such as an aromatherapy necklace, which will help you relax all the more. You want your meditation experience to be as comfortable as possible. While you shouldn’t fall asleep, you can still use these tools to help you. Look for stores that specialize in new age products. They’ll help you determine what can help you the most on your journey towards enlightenment. Something as simple as a mat could go a long way towards making your experience more gratifying. Just remember to not feel like you need to fill a void. You can meditate well with nothing as long as you are devoted to the present moment.

Read

The concept of mindfulness is so complex. While you don’t need to become a scholar in order to meditate, you want to learn as much as possible. There are all kinds of texts you can find to learn more about this ancient practice. You can find these at your local bookstore or public library. You can also find out a great deal online. Check out forums that deal with meditation. Here, you can learn from experienced practitioners about what helped them on their journeys. Feel free to share your experiences with them. They’ll be welcoming to you, as everyone starts out as a beginner. With more practice, you might find yourself eventually giving advice to new meditators.

Be Consistent

Imagine if you went to the gym a couple times then never went again. You wouldn’t get anywhere, right? Similarly, you need to meditate on a regular basis. Some people get the idea that meditation is only beneficial when they’re particularly stressed out. Adhering to this will only get you into trouble, as you’ll be too agitated to focus properly. Even if you feel on top of the world, you can benefit from meditation. You want to be as in tune with your mind as possible. Over time, meditation can become as natural to you as brushing your teeth. Consider it your way of refreshing your mind. The more you meditate, the clearer your mind will become. And the clearer your mind becomes, the more enjoyment you’ll be able to wrest from life.

Meditation is such a rewarding process, because it allows you to get to know yourself. By adhering to a regular practice, you can open your mind to such wonderful and enlightening sensations. Take this tips to heart and realize how much potential is waiting to be unleashed

Hey Guys!

This prep I have been focusing more on my mental state and stress control. A LOOOOOOONG time ago MUSE sent me a headband. What is muse?

We've all had trouble sleeping and know how crazy that can make us feel...but a recent poll shows that some of the cures to that insomnia are what are REALLY crazy.

Rubbing dog's earwax on your teeth has been voted the strangest insomnia cure ever, heading a strong field of bygone and present cures ranked in an international poll.

https://www.calm.com/mindfulness-tips/weirdest-insomnia-cure-ever

The Strangest Insomnia Cures – (as voted on by respondents to a Calm.com poll)

Rank    Insomnia Cure
1.     Rubbing dog's earwax on your teeth
2.     Eating sea slug entrails before bed
3.     Drinking a potion containing the bile of a castrated boar
4.     Rubbing dormouse/field mouse fat on the so les of your feet
5.     Lathering your hair in yellow soap
6.=    Eating fried lettuce before bed
6.=    Drinking a brew of lettuce opium
8.     Eating a raw onion before bed
9.     Pointing your bed northwards
10.    Watching a video of a crossword puzzle tournament
11.=    Curling and uncurling your toes
11.=    Drinking cinnamon and banana and tea

The idea that smearing your teeth with the earwax of a dog would cure insomnia is credited to Gerolamo Cardano, a 15th century doctor and mathematician in Renaissance Italy whose other credits included being a founder of probability theory.

The Japanese folk remedy of eating sea slug entrails before bed ra nked a close second in the survey of 4,279 Americans and Britons conducted by pollsters on behalf of the meditation app, Calm.com

"Insomnia may be a modern epidemic but it's far from a new problem," says Alex Tew, co-founder of Calm. "Everyone from the ancient Egyptians to our medieval ancestors had their own cures."

Indeed, Calm itself recently launched its own new natural sleep aid, in the form of bedtime stories for grown-ups called Sleep Stories.

The 23 sleep-inducing tales have been listened to five million times in their first three months.

https://www.calm.com/meditate/sleep-stories

One of Calm's Sleep Stories offers Ben Stein of Ferris Bueller's Day Off fame reading a long extract from The Wealth of Nations, the classic 18th economics text by Adam Smith, the Scotsman known as the father of economics.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

"This cure might strike some folks as strange," says Alex Tew of Calm. "But it's already been listened to h alf a million times and is our most popular non-fiction story. It does genuinely seem to help people wind down and fall asleep."

CALM is an app from the leader in the meditation space -- with over eight million downloads to date and an average of 20,000 new users daily.

www.calm.com

Provata Health Launches Groundbreaking Virtual Reality Guided Meditation App

PORTLAND, Ore. (November 22, 2016) -- Leading digital health company Provata Health announced the launch of Provata VR, a virtual reality (VR) guided meditation app available on the App Store. The app signifies the Portland startup’s aim to pioneer a new category of digital health: Virtual Reality Preventive Care.

With Provata VR, users escape to a variety of stunning locations around the world, including tropical waterfalls, secluded beaches, dazzling Northern Lights and even underwater coral reefs. Selecting from a collection of guided meditation exercises, users train their mind to positively impact their productivity and mood in immersive, idyllic settings.

The app also introduces meditation biofeedback, a patent-pending system that leverages advances in physiological monitoring to enhance the meditation experience. Users can sync popular wearable devices, such as Apple Watch, to visualize the effects of their meditation sessions on their heart rate. Through smart feedback, Provata VR helps users better understand which meditation exercises, locations, and times of day have the greatest impact on their heart rate.

“Virtual Reality presents an opportunity to expand digital health to new frontiers,” said Alex Goldberg, CEO of Provata Health. “The typical guided meditation approach—an audio recording instructing you how to meditate—hasn’t advanced much technologically in decades. Combining VR with mindfulness meditation and biofeedback monitoring lets users transport themselves to relaxing environments while seamlessly tracking their progress, bringing new dimensions to the meditation experience.”

As mindfulness meditation grows in popularity, scientific research reveals its benefits are widespread, including increased productivity, lower stress, as well as improved focus, cognitive skills and memory. The effects extend to physiological measures as studies indicate that meditation can help to lower risk of strokes and heart attacks. Studies suggest mindfulness meditation may even alleviate chronic pain by activating brain regions associated with pain control.

Provata Health provides the first commercial digital health program proven to improve both the physical and mental health of participants in a peer-reviewed medical journal. “Given the mounting evidence of the positive effects of meditation on our mental and physical health, Provata VR truly embodies our emphasis on providing holistic digital health solutions that address our total health,” Goldberg explained.

Currently the fastest-growing private tech and healthcare company in Oregon, Provata Health partners with employers, health plans, and hospital systems to provide evidence-based programs proven to improve the health of employees and lower medical costs. Provata VR marks the company’s first product available to both employers and consumers alike.

Anyone can download the app for free and upgrade to the premium version, which will be available at no cost to employees participating in Provata digital health programs through their employer or health plan.

Watch the Video: http://provatahealth.com/vr-health#provata-vr-video

Website for the app: http://provatahealth.com/vr-health

Download the app: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/provata-vr-guided-meditation/id1121506806?ls=1&mt=8

Link to Release: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161122005302/en/Provata-Health-Launches-Groundbreaking-Virtual-Reality-Guided

Float Stress Relief and Wellness Centre

Last weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to go float at the Float Stress Relief and Wellness Centre 3477 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4N 2M2. My friend and photographer extrodinary Ajani Charles has been talking about it for months so I had to try it for myself. He kindly invited me to go. Upon arrival I loved the calm atmosphere. The owner was very knowledgable and friendly  and talked me through the whole process. He even offered me tea. 10/10 for welcoming atmosphere and knowledge about the idea of floating for stress relief.

The multi-purpose facility features float rooms, which measure 8 ft long x 4 feet wide x 8 ft tall, registered massage therapy and naturopathic doctor services. Each room offered a beautifully laid out area with a shower, towels I even got to choose the nature sound I wanted to float off into relaxation and meditative space. I think its great to be able to choose because what I may find calm and soothing someone else may hate. I also loved that it was an enclosed tank. I wouldn't recommend this if you were clostrophobic. Although you always have the option to leave your door open. The talk starts off with a light that slowly softens and eases you into a good darkness. There were times when I was floating that I fell asleep and when I woke up I would be on the complete opposite side of the tank. Speaking of tanks the tanks are filled with pounds and pounds of epsom salts. So much so that you just float in them. The salts help extract toxins from your body, exfoliate your skin and tons of other good things for you. The water contains close to 1000 lbs. of medical grade Epsom salt (magnesium sulphate), giving the water a relative density of 1.25 (regular water is 1.0, so it’s 25% denser than regular water). But what is the best part of this experience is the pure stress relief that you get from relaxation caused by floating. I have been in the dead sea but in now way was it relaxing with the bright light, heat and other visitors.

Thank you so much for the great experience and I definitely will be implementing floating into my regular Train It Right routine.

They can be found: https://www.facebook.com/comefloat and http://www.comefloat.com

Check out the pictures of my experience below. All photos by: Ajani Charles

Do you have someone on your holiday gift list that loves health and fitness? Not sure what to get them? Here is your solution. Well here are the Train It Right Top 10 gifts for the fitness enthusiast this holiday season. Happy Holidays! Train It Right!

1. Blue Tooth Winter Hat - http://bluetoothbeanies.com/collections/all

Many styles available and all equipped with wireless blue tooth for all of your outdoor fitness activities.

2. Omega8005  Juicer - http://www.healthyplanetcanada.com/omega-juicer-8005-chrome.html?gclid=CjwKEAiAkpCkBRCtstKQo5ia5nESJACsCikR64bq60k-VM9Zcomu9YKkzr9B-WaM1GzL1y6vPFbXvhoCt1Hw_wcB

This juicer is quiet, easy to clean, No heat build up, allowing for no loss of enzymes so that you can enjoy nutrient-rich juice full of live enzymes, doesn't foam or clog, and User friendly - easy to assemble, operate and clean.

3. Jabra Wireless headphones - http://www.jabra.ca/products/bluetooth/jabra_revo_wireless/jabra_revo_wireless

You can't go wrong with a set of wireless headphones for your fitness enthusiast because if they workout hard they don't what any messy wires getting in the way of their workout. Freedom to move is a blessing during a tough sweaty workout.

4. Gaiam Muse: the brain sensing headband - http://www.gaiam.com/muse-brain-sensing-headband/05-61561_2.html

According to the website it reduces stress, improves your concentration to take your meditation and yoga to the next level.

5. Nike Pro Tights - http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/pw/womens-tights-clothing/7ptZbgdZ8s6

These are available for both men and women and they are one of the most comfortable workout pants out there. Your workout will love to get a pair of these as a holiday present. They also are available in many colours and patterns.

6. Quest Nutrition Bars - http://www.questnutrition.com

Low Carb, gluten free, high protein, many flavours. We can't get enough of these. They would make a great stocking stuffer for any fitness lover.

7. Polar Heart Rate Monitor - http://www.polar.com/ca-en/products/get_active/fitness_crosstraining/FT7

Affordable, counts calories, monitors heart rate, and comes in different colours. This would be a great gift for the runner on your holiday list.

8. Six Pack Bag - Expedition Backpack 500 - http://www.sixpackbags.com/expedition-backpack-500.html

This is a great bag for the fitness competition or the business man who is always on the go. It allows them to pack their food in a stylish backpack and bring it with them wherever they go.

9. Core 150 Shaker - http://www.core150.com

This Protein shaker allows you to store protein or other supplements right inside the core. It saves space and lets you bring protein or supplements with you all day long.

10. Online Personalized Training from Train It Right - www.trainitright.com/blog/online-programs 

Alicia Bell at Train It Right provides a great online personal training program that you can access anywhere. The workouts are personalized for at home or in the gym. You have access to videos from apps to see the exact exercises and it is completely affordable.