Monday, September 3, 2012

Contemplative Practices: Not Just Meditation


Contemplative practices such as meditation promote a pure state of consciousness. Meditation is a single type of contemplative practice. It is commonly used for developing calmness and focus. The contemplative practices include journaling, yoga and prayer. The purpose of contemplative practices should be to develop awareness. In the development of awareness you can also realize an interconnectedness of all life as well as an appreciation for all that is living.

You may easily do at least one contemplative practice on a daily basis, I personally journal every day. I also have recently started taking a yoga class and meditate occasionally. I believe most importantly to your personal contemplative practices is that it is meaningful to you. If you find peace in gentle movement you might want to try Tai Chi, if stillness is most relaxing to you than meditation could be of some use and prayer might help those that want to develop a relationship with god.

In my journaling I believe I develop my awareness through communicating that which is weighing heavily on my mind and what is in my heart. I write each day and notice patterns and improvements in the subject matter of what I write. When I first started writing in my journal a lot of what I wrote was about my workouts. I now go deeper into my feelings. It is this way that over time a contemplative practice will make you more aware of yourself and your surroundings.

Take time out of each day for your personal contemplative practices and you will grow into a stronger and more insightful individual. Your practices will relieve stress and promote an overall sense of well being. Over time contemplative practices will bring different aspects of a person's character into focus. Your heart and mind will be unified in focused attention.

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