Visualization

Visualization within meditation involves holding one–pointed attention on some form of selected imagery. This serves three purposes:

• To Increase skills in one-pointed concentration. For example, holding the image of a candle flame in your ‘mind’s eye’, then progressing to more complex images as your abilities improve.
• To facilitate specific movements or ‘openings’ of energy within the body, as commonly practiced in Daoist meditations, where pathways of ‘life force’ are influenced. Also, in raja yoga, to activate or ‘open’ one of the chakras, or energy centres.
  
• To focus our attention on the qualities to which we aspire, as embodied in the visual image of being or deity who possesses these qualities, or in a mandala that evokes these attributes.
  

Some people are able to visualize things easily whilst others find it difficult. It depends on whether or not you have a visual imagination. Either way, the ability to hold an image within your mind takes some practice. Developing any skill is best approached by starting from a point of simplicity and systematically progressing to the more complex. Therefore, taking a very straightforward image is a good way to start.

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Healing Power of Hobbies

Hobbies like Gardening, stamp collecting, even playing cards keep us healthy – in both body and mind.
Some one with serious hobby may had 3000 Barbie dolls. Her passion may seem odd, but experts agree: being an enthusiastic hobbyist is good for you.

Hobbies reduce stress, syas Alice Domar, director of the Mind/Body Centre for Women’s Health at Harvard Medical School. They distract you from everyday worries: if you’re focused on the pottery you’re making, you can’t fret about work, says Domar.

And knitting, or anything requiring repetitive motion, elicits the relaxation response, a feeling of overall serenity, marked by lowered blood pressure.

Hobbies provide a calming sense of control, says Domar, and research suggest this strengthens immunity. You may have a little say at work, but when you’re woodworking, you’re in charge.

You get the credit – and satisfaction – of a job well done.

We know that physical activity extends life, but less active pursuits are healthy as well. A Swedish study, showed people who regularly engaged in hobbies such as sewing and gardening were less likely to suffer mental decline. Similar research in The New England Journal of Medicine found that those who pursued mind-boosting activities – such as crossword puzzles – lowered their risk of Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia. “Any hobby that challenges the brain should have a positive effect on dementia risk,” says lead Author Joe Verghese, a neurologist.

Many hobbies are social. From dealing cards at bridge to swapping tips with other collectors, engaging with like-minded souls boost immunity. A Japanese study af almost 12,000 people found that men who engaged in hobbies or community activities were less likely to die of stroke or circulatory disorders than those who didn’t.

So keep fishing or collecting dolls. Other may think you’re obsessed – you know otherwise.

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