How to Relieve Stress Using Ho'oponopono and Meditation
Are you under a lot of pressure lately, and want to learn how to relieve stress using ho'oponopono and meditation? These two techniques produce great results when combined.
Here is how to get started.
First if you don't already know what ho'oponopono is, I'll give you a short introduction. While it is quite likely you will already know what meditation is, I'll explain that too so you can avoid going wrong anywhere.
What is Ho'oponopono?
This is an ancient form of Hawaiian prayer adapted to help people to cleanse their minds of past problems, anxieties and bad emotions to free them to move forward to achieving better things that they were previously prevented from doing because of these mental blockages.
I provide a full explanation in my article that reviews Dr Joe Vitale's ho'oponopono certification course, but here's a quick overview.
When we experience grave mistakes in our past that we do not reconcile fully in our minds, the associated negative emotions remain but become buried deep in our subconscious memory. Since they remain there and have no way of release, they in turn manifest in certain behavioural problems.
These problems can include anxiety, irrational fears (phobias), greater sensitivity to stressful situations than would be considered normal, a disposition to suffering more frequent bouts of ill health than we should and even experiencing sudden outbursts of emotional energy. They also carry the disadvantage of causing mental obstacles to things we want to do, particularly things that may lead to our personal growth.
One effective method for releasing these deeply buried, emotionally charged memories is the cleansing process of ho'oponopono, either through the action of a certified practitioner or through self administration. This can be achieved by learning and often repeating the four step mantra to ourselves:
- I am sorry
- Please forgive me
- I love you
- Thank you
This has the effect of expressing the wish to no longer have to suffer a problem, whether from the past or from the present.
What is Meditation?
One of the most powerful mental techniques we possess is to be able to shut down our conscious mental activity and experience inner quiet. This is effectively a period of freedom from the constant thought activity that goes on inside our heads during our waking hours.
However, most people are unaware that they even have this ability, let alone realize that their minds are constantly active with inner conversations about whatever is influencing them. Mostly, the influence comes from external stimuli, such as verbal conversations with other people, what they hear on the radio, read in the newspapers or magazines, or watch on the television or see in a movie.
In short, we are all constantly bombarded by a barrage of media-fuelled information from all sides and many of us simply do not know that we can escape it all or even that we should from time to time.
How to Meditate?
Meditation is something that can be adopted it at any time to mentally clear out all the mental trash talk and emotionally charged frustrations and irritations associated with much of the media's outpourings. It is easier to do than you might expect it to be.
All you need to do is find a quiet spot away from distractions and potential interruptions where you can get yourself into a relaxed position that you can stay in for several minutes or longer. That means turning off the phone, no computers or electronic equipment nearby and preferably no doorbell, washing machines or other appliances that beep when they're done, etc!
To begin with, you may need to set an alarm clock if you really have to be somewhere or do something at a certain time soon after your meditation prayer session. It's better to have an alarm set than to be worrying that you might meditate longer than you should!
However, when you gain more meditative experience you will find that you can set your own internal clock to awaken after say, 20 or 30 minutes simply by telling yourself something like, ″I will fully awaken in 20 minutes,″ or ″I will meditate for 20 minutes and then awaken fully."
Sit comfortably (or lie down) without legs or arms crossed and avoid interlacing your fingers but rather let your hand relax in your lap or by your sides. There is no real need for complicated positioning as with Yoga stances, just be as physically relaxed as you can.
If you desire to learn the answer to a question you have, you should form that question in your thoughts as accurately and precisely as you can. Keep it short and to the point, then repeat it several times so you can think it without having to actually think about getting it right.
If you just want to enjoy some deep relaxation time, skip the above point and just begin to allow your thoughts to become quiet, until you are thinking about nothing at all.
Close your eyes and begin to take conscious control of your breathing, breathing in deeply and slowly and letting it out all the way, slowly. Repeat this over and over while focusing all your attention on your breath going in and out slowly.
If a thought creeps into your mind, mentally eject it and return to thinking only about your breathing.
After a while, you may find that you are no longer thinking about your breathing or anything for that matter. Don't let it concern you but just maintain an empty mental image and completely silent thoughts.
You will find yourself returning to full consciousness when the time is right without needing to do anything. It may have been only a few minutes or longer, but whatever the time will have been right for that meditative session and utilising the ho'oponopono technique.
Conclusion
By practising either or both of these two techniques on a regular basis, you will find your instance of stress reducing considerably. You will also find that knowing when to use ho'oponopono, you become more resilient to situations that previously would have caused you to experience stress, often unnecessarily.
In fact, I know from personal experience that just one session of meditation, even a short one, does relieve any stress I may be feeling at any time, leaving me feeling peaceful and more confident.
It can work for you too!
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