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Dean Ornish
Articles & Books From Dean Ornish
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Here are ten meditations that provide a range of different practices for you to sample — from elaborate visualizations to basic mindfulness techniques. With regular practice, they offer a taste of the meditative experience.
Exercise for practicing relaxation
To reduce your stress and reap the other benefits of relaxation, try practicing this simple exercise for 15 or 20 minutes each day.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
While there are no hard, fast rules about what you should eat before meditating, there are some broad guidelines you should follow. Big meals can make you drowsy, especially when they’re high in carbohydrates, so eat lightly if at all before you sit. Or wait at least one hour after a major repast.
You may even consider following the traditional Zen guideline to eat until you’re two-thirds full instead of bursting at the seams — in addition to aiding your meditation practice, it may not be bad for your waistline.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
You can follow a few simple guidelines for carving out a special place for the practice of meditation. You’ll find that the space you set aside will enrich your life in ways you can’t imagine.
Perhaps you’ve seen those Chinese paintings where a bearded sage in a flowing robe sits in deep contemplation at the base of some majestic peak with a waterfall thundering beside him.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
You may prefer your meditation short and quick or long and slow. If you can’t schedule a half-hour, then meditate for a few minutes. Sitting for five or ten minutes every day is much better than sitting for an hour once a week — though you may want to do both.
Digital alarm watches are an accurate and inexpensive way to time your meditations precisely without watching the clock.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Meditation is like most things in life. Everyone experiences it differently. Developing and directing your awareness may be the foundation of effective meditation, but like any good foundation, it’s only the beginning. The next step is to build your house brick by brick, meditation session by meditation session, discovering what works for you and what doesn’t, until your practice is grounded and stable.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
If, as the old saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, then the journey of meditation begins with the cultivation of awareness, or attention. In fact, awareness is the mental muscle that carries you along and sustains you on your journey, not only at the start but every step of the way.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
If you can sit in meditation for 10 or 15 minutes each day without discomfort, congratulations! You needn’t spend any additional time learning how to stretch and strengthen your body — unless, that is, you’re so inclined. But if you’re like most people, sooner or later your body will start clamoring for your attention.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
When you’re settled into a comfortable meditative sitting position with your pelvis tilted slightly forward, you can turn your attention to straightening your back. Of course, straight is a misnomer when used to refer to the spine because a healthy spine actually has several distinct curves: one at the lumbar region or lower back, another at the thoracic area or midback, and a third at the neck or cervical spine.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
As meditation and the emerging field of mind-body medicine remind people— and yogis and sages have been saying for millennia — your body, your mind, and your heart form one seamless and inseparable whole.
When your thoughts keep leaping from worry to worry, your body responds by tightening and tensing, especially in certain key places like the throat, the heart, the solar plexus, and the belly.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Many people ask what they should do with the parts of their body that are generally restless during meditation. This is especially difficult for beginners. Some people become obsessed with the “right” positioning of their hands, mouth or eyes. Once you forget about them, they won’t bother you again.
To save you similar confusion about your eyes and other salient body parts, consider the following guidelines:
Eyes: Initially, you need to decide whether you want to sit with your eyes closed, wide open, or half open.