Simple Meditations

One way to reduce stress and lessen the chance of a herpes outbreak is to meditate. These four simple meditations are so easy that you won't even feel like you're meditating.

Mindfulness

 If you've ever sat down with a favorite meal that you couldn't wait to sink your teeth into, become distracted, and look down to see your plate near empty without remembering to enjoy a single bite, mindfulness is for you.

Mindfulness not only eliminates distractions but also quiets mindless "monkey-chatter" in the brain. It can be easy to get caught up in thinking about past and future events. Worrying about the past and future causes anxiety. Mindfulness helps bring thoughts back into the present, allowing you to experience emotions and sensations and bringing about a state of calm.

You can learn mindfulness independently or practice with a mentor or digital program. The latter is helpful if you are dealing with particular health problems.

Unless you prefer, you don't have to sit cross-legged on a pillow in an empty room with incense floating on the airwaves. While you should be in a quiet space, you can practice mindfulness anywhere once you get the hang of it. What you want to do is focus entirely on the present.

Mindfulness isn't about trying to make your mind go blank. If your brain begins its usual monkey chatter, observe without judgment and bring your thoughts back to the present. The following steps will help you get the most out of being mindful. 

• Sit up straight but in a comfortable, relaxed position. Let your spine curve naturally without hunching. Pay attention to your breathing. Take a couple of deep breaths to relax the body and clear the mind. Then, focus on breathing correctly. In and out. In and out. Find your natural rhythm. Next, you'll want to perform a scan to see if any areas of your body feel tight, tense, stiff, or unrelaxed. 

• Close your eyes and, while breathing naturally, focus on relaxing the tense parts of your body. It helps to relax your toes and work up to your head and face. It might help to imagine yourself floating in warm water. 

• Pay attention to what you feel, smell, or hear (the sun, a breeze, your seat).

• You can focus on a place that makes you feel whole, safe, and loved (by yourself or someone else). This place can be imaginary or real. Again, pay attention to what you feel, smell, hear, taste, or hear in this special place. Stay a few moments and soak up the positive vibes.

• With your eyes still closed, return to the space you are in and focus on your senses and breathing. 

• In closing your mindful meditation, sit for a minute or two, take a deep breath, and slowly get up and hug yourself (or give yourself a mental hug).

Mindfulness can be challenging if your mind is always racing. The idea is to keep practicing it regularly until it becomes effortless to relax whenever you choose to. The results will lead to less stress and a happier mind, body, and spirit.

There are several Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) classes available online.

Body Scan Meditation

A body-scan meditation works wonders to help promote restful, deep sleep, but you can also perform it to relax anytime and just about anywhere. It involves systematically becoming attuned to different body parts to release tension and promote relaxation. You can sit or lie down for this exercise. Begin by mentally focusing on your toes and working your way up to the crown of your head, noticing any areas of tightness or discomfort. If you notice any areas of tension, relax that part of your body to your full extent while breathing calmly. Visualize breathing in peace and healing into any tense areas and breathing out any tension, injury (emotional or physical), or pain. Imagine the negativity lifting and floating away, leaving you feeling light and peaceful.

NOTE: If you have anxiety sensitivity, mindfulness, color-gazing, and candle meditations will be more helpful because the focus isn't on you.  

Color Gazing

You absorb color through your eyes and skin. In color gazing, choosing any color you are drawn to can help balance your body's energy centers, bringing about more peace and calm. Gold represents masculine energy and enhances one's connection to God and strength. It strengthens one's entire body, so many people "Go for Gold" when meditating. Click on the Gold circle to enlarge. However, you can choose any color to gaze at for 30 seconds or longer until your interest wanes (see below). 

Gold Color -Gazing & Meditation

Imagine, if you would, a love so pure that you felt warm and safe from head to toe in its presence. Imagine you are a child of the most loving parents in the world, parents who never fail to let you know how special you are and how much potential you have. Imagine your parents supporting your eternal survival and holding special powers to heal your wounds, dry your tears, erase all pain and suffering, and help your dreams come true. As you enter "Gold," know that this power and love surrounds you. Allow "Gold" to go wherever you need to be healed and protected within your mind, soul, and body. Gold is loving, masculine, protective, and transforming. Breathe it in and out until you are saturated. Bathe in it. Take what you need. Gold is limitless. Gold is the color of universal and eternal loving power and peace. Stay as long as you like, as long as you are comfortable.

When you leave "Gold" today, know that you are a step closer to the person God created you to be and that you are prosperous in every way.

Once you can focus on visualizations, step it up a notch and clear your mind of everything. Do this for at least 5 minutes daily, which is true meditation. If completely clearing your mind is too challenging, repeat one word repeatedly (love, peace, calm, OHM) while gently breathing in and out.

• Violet Color Gazing Meditation
• Indigo Color Gazing Meditation
• Blue Color Meditation
• Green Color Gazing Meditation
• Yellow Color Gazing Meditation
• Orange Color Gazing Meditation
• Red Color Gazing Meditation

Candlelight Meditation

The candle may be one of the oldest objects used in magic. In ancient times, after sunset, the candle flame lit a path in the darkness of night. It also symbolized a means of avoiding any possible negativity or evil that lurked in that darkness. To this day, those who practice candle magic (rituals) still believe fire holds spiritual qualities that help us maneuver between life's physical and spiritual aspects.

Candles have existed since approximately 500 BC when the Romans began making dipped candles made from tallow (animal fat). Beeswax was too high in price to be a commodity. However, there is evidence that candles were made in China using whale fat during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). Candles were also popular in ancient Japan, Egypt, and India. In the Middle Ages, beeswax became a more common ingredient for making candles. Many Europeans preferred beeswax as it naturally purified the air and burned clean without smoking up the house.

Even though candles were known to be used by the ancients in pagan rituals, it wasn't until the 1100s that some religions, such as Christians and Buddhists, began lighting candles on ceremonial alters. In Catholicism, the candle became the symbol of Christ. Before the Second Vatican Council, altar candles were made of beeswax and given a spiritual meaning. The wax symbolized Christ's flesh. The wick is his soul, and the flame his divinity. Candles were lit at Buddhist altars to show signs of respect for Buddha and one's ancestors.

• Gold: Brings wealth, charisma, and employment

• Indigo: Helps enhance love and create a more spiritual state between family members and in the home.

• Orange: Provides optimism, expansiveness, confidence, enthusiasm, friendship, and community. It also helps with nutritional issues and female sexual problems.

• Pink: Encourages love, attraction, affection, peace, close friendships, harmony, and softness.

• Purple: Adds personal spiritual perspective (between friends) and intuition and is calm, soothing, and comforting

• Red: Represents strength, courage, steadfastness, stamina, passion, sexuality, and sensuality.

• Silver: Produces enlightenment during lunar rituals

• Violet: Lends healing, better sleep, and communication with higher beings.

• White: Stands for purification, fidelity, transformation, and love of all life. Use White when you are unsure of another color to use

• Yellow: Lends expression, freedom, playfulness, clarity, study, organization, and detail

How to Snuff a Candle Properly

If your candle needs to be put out before it burns down on its own, put the flame out with your fingers or a candle snuffer. A candle snuff is a piece of equipment that looks like a small wand with a bell at the end. The part that looks like a bell is placed over the flame and brought down over the candle's edge to extinguish the flame. Candle snuffers also help to prevent the spray of wax and potential burns. Some snuffers are ornate and beautiful.

In case a candle spills, candle wax can be easily removed from cloth or carpets with a clothes iron. After the bulk of the wax is chipped away by hand, place a piece of paper over the remaining stuck wax. One layer of a paper grocery sack works well. Turn the iron on a low, dry setting warm enough to melt the wax. Iron the piece of paper back and forth slowly while holding the paper in place. The wax will stick to the bottom of the paper. More than one piece of paper may be necessary to remove larger spills thoroughly. Removing the color stain is another matter. Use a color-safe stain removal spray and follow the manufacturer's suggestions.