"Prayer is the state of speaking to God, either out loud or silently, meditation is the state of silently and calmly listening to hear insight, enlightenment and empowerment from our Divine creator! Together, your mind accomplishes elevation and peace!"
"When you combine the power or prayer (which many times either is showing gratefulness or asking our LORD for help in a given situation) with learning to understand our inner selves and learning how to pause, how to slow down or recognize specific emotions and thoughts and change them, we open a door to access a part of us that can change our overall wellbeing and that promotes reaching deep within our minds and spirit. I call it being in tune with yourself." By DAYREN DE PEDRO SANTOS
What is Meditation and what is Prayer?
uMost people think of meditation as an exclusive Eastern Tradition, but in reality, It is also seen and used in Western concepts.
uIt uses relaxation techniques to help us go beyond our current conscious state of mind.
uBy having access to the mind daily, we become more in tune with understanding life and living with others.
uPrayer, which for all of us present is an imminent part of our daily lives, is a mean to reach out and elevate our spirits to God creating a direct channel and relationship. Not specific to a particular culture or religious/spiritual group.
uPrayer can be simple and direct OR can be formatted and ritualistic using specific prayers, or can be long and formal. In essence, it takes a variety of forms depending on who is praying.
“As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you shall use whatever gift he has received to serve one another”
1 Peter 4:10
Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success”
Exodus 35:10”All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the LORD has commanded”
Psalm 1:2 “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night”
Psalm 19:14”Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer”
Psalm 119:15”I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways”
Psalm 104:34”May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord”
Types of Meditation
uMeditation can fall within any of these categories, depending on where is learned and from which standpoint. Each of these, have different techniques which we will discuss in another class…………..
uConcentration Meditation (helps build focus and cut distractions)
uReflective Meditation (Discipline thinking, choose a theme or topic, Ex. Prioritizing, pain management, and Self strength and purpose)
uMindfulness Meditation (Helps you to pay attention to specifics and anchors your thought)
uHeart Centered Meditation (Helps you release fears and sadness and becoming more loving and compassionate)
uCreative Meditation (Enables you to consciously cultivate and strengthen different qualities of your mind)
Tips to make meditation easy
uFind a quiet place
uFind a comfortable position
uState your intention before you begin(calm, enhance a mind quality, to relax before prayer)
uFocus on your body (feet to head or head to feet/Arise your body awareness)
uFocus on breathing
uBe Neutral towards the topic (you can feel but don’t elaborate on your thoughts)
uMake your sessions short (5-10 minutes)
uTry to make meditation a routine, with specific time of day, preferably in the morning
Benefits of Meditation
uIt allows you to establish a better relationship and channel with ourselves. God gave us the ability to find joy, peace, hope, motivation, forgiveness…Learning how to evoke this ability can be achieved with meditation and an open mind, with an ultimate goal of helping others achieve what you have achieved (DUPLICATING)
uHelps you to remove negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones
uIt helps you prioritize, Align and ground ourselves becoming more self aware
uImproves concentration and Keeps you in the NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
uReduces stress (often due to jumping ahead to the future or going back to the past)
uImproves our overall health
How does it impact our health?
webMD
uhas gained millions of followers, helping them ease chronic pain, anxiety, stress, improve heart health, boost mood and immunity, and resolve pregnancy problems.
uAny condition that's caused or worsened by stress can be alleviated through meditation, says cardiologist Herbert Benson, MD, well known for three decades of research into the health effects of meditation. He is the founder of the Mind/Body Institute at Harvard Medical School's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
u"The relaxation response [from meditation] helps decrease metabolism, lowers blood pressure, and improves heart rate, breathing, and brain waves," Benson says. Tension and tightness seep from muscles as the body receives a quiet message to relax.
uThere's scientific evidence showing how meditation works. In people who are meditating, brain scans called MRI have shown an increase in activity in areas that control metabolism and heart rate. Other studies on Buddhist monks have shown that meditation produces long-lasting changes in the brain activity in areas involved in attention, working memory, learning, and conscious perception.
How does prayer impact our health?
uThe pharmaceutical industry makes millions from the marketing and sale of antidepressants and other mood enhancers. While these medications have their place, it is concerning that they are being prescribed at a higher rate than ever before.
uThere is one age-old method that can reduce stress levels. It’s free, doesn’t require a prescription, and has zero side effects or drug interactions. You will know it as faith, and millions of people around the world rely on it to see them through hard times. The results are not just anecdotal, there is evidence that it works. Faith and spirituality are abstract concepts, but they can lead to concrete results in mental health improvement and stress reduction.
Meditation builds brain cells (study)
uResearch has now demonstrated that meditation builds brain cells and increases gray matter in the brain
uUsing magnetic imaging (MRI), Harvard researchers found that meditation produced physiological changes in the brain's gray matter. Some areas in the brains of the study participants thickened after only eight weeks of mindfulness practice. For an average of 27 minutes a day, the study participants listened to audio recordings of guided meditation during the eight-week trial
uThe research findings
uStudy participants reported feeling less stressed after the eight-week period. MRI scans revealed decreased gray matter in the amygdalae and increased gray matter in the hippocampus. The amygdalae are the parts of the brain that help the body deal with anxiety and stressand controls the "fight or flight" mechanism. The hippocampus, which showed an increase in gray-matter density, is the area of the brain that controls memory, learning, self-awareness, introspection and compassion.
Praying and meditating with Essential Oils
EOs have been an integral part of the spiritual practices of many religions and cultures throughout history. At least 19 aromatic plants and oils are referenced in the Old and New Testament as anointing oils, perfumes, incense, medicinal purposes, and personal use (hair and skin) ex: Bible quotes
To purify the house his is to take two birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop..."
— Leviticus 14:49
I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it."
— Isaiah 41:19-20
uGrounding oils - Cedarwood, Frankincense, Myrrh, patchouli, sandalwood, spikenard, vetiver
uCleansing and purifying-cypress, Sage, Juniper Berry, Lemon, Lime, Myrrh, Pepermint, Spearmint and Cedarwood
uExpressing Gratitude-Bergamot, Grapefruit, Jasmine, Lemon, Lime, Neroli, Orange and Ylang
uEos to cope with grief-Frankincense,Helichrysum, Neroli, Rose, Sandalwood
uEO’s for Spiritual Healing-Cassia, Cinnamon, Clove, Fir, Ginger, Lavender
uBiblical Oils-Cassia, Cedarwood, Cinammon, Cypress, Fir, Frankincense, Juniper, Myrrh, Sandalwood, Spikenard
uEnlightenment oils-Cypress, Frankincense, Helichrysum, Rosemary, Sandalwood, Spikenard, Sandalwood
u1. Frankincense:A holy fragrance if there ever was one, it’s believed to help you increase your faith and connection with spirit.
u2. Myrrh: One of the highest sesquiterpene contents in an essential oil, myrrh directly stimulates the hypothalamus, pituitary and amygdalin glands to help reduce stress and bring focus. It’s uplifting scent can assist in deep spiritual “opening” while bringing calm and tranquility.
u3. Cedarwood:Focus inward a bit more clearly with the help of cedarwood. It can also help to illuminate your need for meditation and return you to your spiritual path when obstacles have made it difficult.
u4. Sandalwood: This oil is very helpful in healing, particularly emotional/spiritual wounds. It opens the heart and helps to promote trust.
u5. Vetiver: This oil is extremely grounding and can be especially beneficial if you have a tendency to wander and lose focus in meditation.
u6. Neroli:The potent floral fragrance of neroli can help you to be more self-accepting, face your fears and accept the work you need to do for yourself. It’s incredibly sensual and transformative, and the fragrance can also inspire creativity, particularly as it pertains to a spiritual practice.
u7. Rose:The fragrance of love—both the human and the Divine, this romantic and sensual oil opens the heart to receive love–particularly self-love—and a deeper connection to the spirit world.
u8. Sage: It cleanses and purifies, removing negative energies. It is grounding and restores both balance and energy.
uAlign
u
uArise
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uAnchor
RECIPES FOR PRAYER/MEDITATION/PURIFICATION
uBlend #1
u•20 drops Lime Essential Oil
u•14 drops Bergamot Essential Oil
u•4 drops YlangYlangEssential Oil
u•2 drops rose
uBlend #2
u•15 drops Clary Sage Essential Oil
u•9 drops Lemon Essential Oil
u•6 drops lavender
