Focus on breathing the key to meditation

and the body and the soul.

Now back to our meditation. Close your eyes. Sit comfortably with your back straight and your feet flat on the floor or crossed legged–the most important thing is for you to be comfortable and your spine straight but at ease. In your mind as you breathe in say ‘I am breathing in’ and as you breathe out–’I am breathing out’.

And continue. You can focus on your voice in your head, the breathing process or how the breath feels as you are inhaling and exhaling, the space between the in-breath and the out-breath.

There are so many elements to focusing on the breath. The more you do it the more you will realise. The point is to engage as much of you in the process–feeling it, focusing on it breathing it in and ‘ being’ it.

Try it for 10 breaths now. And again at the end of the article you can do the same.

Initially it takes a lot of courage to meditate. Everything we have been avoiding all our lives shows up when we close our eyes–things we do not want to think about. This happens, but very quickly we find solutions to the problems we have been avoiding and they get solved. And we find peace.

When starting to be meditate or anything in life, it’s best to just start.

The benefits of meditation are subtle and immediate. Over the last few years, my students have experienced a huge range of mental, physical and spiritual benefits including overcoming anxiety and depression, improved sleep, focus, improved relationships, higher energy, peace, happiness, calm, greater problem solving abilities, and significantly the courage to live a life true to themselves saying yes to what life has to offer and no to things that are not in their higher good.

What exact benefits you will get–only practice will tell. But you will definitely have a clearer mind, more energy, greater focus and peace and happiness.

And now return to I am breathing in, I am breathing out... breathing in happiness and breathing out any aches, pains or stresses. And continue tomorrow.

The flu is caused by a virus, so now is a good time to remind you about the anti-viral remedies that you might have in your cupboard. Anti-viral remedies include Echinacea, Comvita Olive Leaf, Vitamin D, and Elderberry and are all excellent to take. Times like this you need an arsenal so if you have a combination of these remedies in the cupboard I would take them all. You can also take Vitamin C and Zinc if you have them.

A Vogel Echinaforce Echinacea is a herbal remedy that customers trust for immune support and use every winter. This and their new product Echinacea Hot Drink are both well-researched in the treatment and prevention of cold and flu infections when taken for a period of time. Echinaforce can also help to prevent recurrent infection.

Complications of the flu can include pneumonia, which can be life threatening for elderly people or people with certain medical conditions. Other complications include bronchitis, laryngitis, sinusitis and middle ear infections. Talk to your doctor if your symptoms are not improving.

Look after yourself. Always check if you’re on medication before taking supplements.