Modern Meditation - Calm and Balance For the Rest of Us

NEW YORK, NY, April 28, 2013

Nobody needs to reduce stress more than today's average Jane and Joe. People who cannot afford to take a week off in an Ashram; people who do not what to change their beliefs or their church, people who do not want to give up everything they have worked so hard to attain. Well, welcome to Modern Meditation.

Modern Meditation updated the beauty of traditional meditation so that it fits into the realities of the modern world we all live in. Gone are the hours of seated meditation. Gone are the rituals and hierarchies that so many traditional schools adhere to. Instead, there is only a simple practice designed to enrich and enhance one's life on the physical, psychological and spiritual levels.

Jeff Cannon, founder and director of The Simple Truth Project, helped to create Modern Meditation for the rest of us. It includes shorter seated meditations to create a foundation for health and happiness. It layers mindful moments to take meditation off the pillow and bring it into the rest of your life. It dispenses with theistic beliefs so that anyone can use it anywhere, without having to give up anything. There are no flowing robes or chants, to rituals or shaved heads; just Meditation designed for the rest of us.

And it is not just Jeff and the Simple Truth who are practicing it. It is being used by executives, managers, and general employees, as well as by health professionals from therapists to surgeons. Each is adapting meditation to fit their own use, by modernizing it. As Jeff Cannon notes, "I have also worked with individuals who have gone through cancer, job loss, deaths and tragedies to help them remove the pain and doubt that keeps them from moving on. Modern Meditation gives them the foundation they need to live their lives without regret for the past or anxiety about the future."

So what is it? Shorter seated meditation. Inclusion of neuroscience to create a fact-based practice, and a layering of mindfulness practices to help people maintain their balance throughout their days and their lives. Not sure if it's right for you? Why not try some of these to just see:

1. Learn to Breathe. Far too many people go through their days taking short, little breaths that top of the lungs and do little else. Doing this fails to fill your lungs with fresh air, but it sends a signal to your brain that something isn't right and that you need to be on edge for trouble. Learn to breathe deep into your lungs. Learn to pull the air in through your diaphragm so that your belly expands and your lungs fill deeply. Learn to give the air a few seconds to settle between each breath. Then take a few minutes in the morning and afternoon of your day to simply sit and breathe.
2. Learn to Focus: As you breathe gently place your awareness on the air as it comes into your lungs, settles, and then leaves your lungs. Allow yourself to ride your breath in through your nose as if you were swimming on the currents of air as they swirl around your sinuses and down your windpipe. As a thought comes into your mind, simply acknowledge it and let it go. It may sound like a voice that says "what are you doing?" It may sound like a thought that says "you should check your email." It may start a list of the things you should be doing. That is the sound of your 40,000 year old brain. The one you're learning to manage. Keep learning. Just acknowledge it and let it go as you return your awareness to your breath again and again and again.
3. Take it With You: Don't limit your deep breathing and your focus to a "meditation moment." Take it on the road with you. When you feel a panic attack coming on just breathe slow and deep while you place your attention on your breath. If that's not working place your attention on the pencil or pad in front of you. Pay attention to the color, the texture, as well as the sights and sounds around you. Learn to distract your brain with the future panic and return to the present no matter where you are, and you're on your way to taking control of your life.
4. Mindful Tea or Coffee. When your mind is spinning out of control, stop and take five minutes for a mindful cup of tea or coffee. Don't just gulp it down. Take a slow, deep breath. Breathe in the aroma. Feel the warmth and weight of the cup. Be aware of the anticipation you are feeling. Allow your breath to slow down. Allow yourself to settle into your seat and into your cup. As you sip, let the warmth spread through you and enjoy the calm that travels with it.

There shouldn't be anything touchy or scary about Modern Meditation. At least not the way Jeff is teaching it through The Simple Truth Project. There should simply be a relaxed approach to stress and anxiety and life itself. An approach that will help you return, again and again, to pursue the happiness and success you want in life.

For more information on Modern Meditation, click to: http://simple-truth.com/ny-meditation-instruction/