It’s been demonstrated that a well balanced life where physical and emotional health is experienced leads to radiant skin and abundant shiny hair.

Let’s face it, most of us certainly could have more of that.

Poorly managed, stress is well known to affect major organs such as the heart and the cardio vascular system. Stress is also an important cause of hair loss, even making it fall out 3 to 6 months after a traumatic event in your life.

Here are three activities which won’t cost a thing to practice and will have you feel completely detached from the hectic universe in which we live:

Deep Breathing or Pranayama

Deep, controlled breathing is an effective technique for stress management. In the Pranayama tradition, there are several breathing techniques.

This is a popular one.

Simply relax for a few minutes in a quite place while sitting with your back straight. Note that you will follow a pattern of time in order to control the process. The pattern is as follows: 2-8-4 or 5-20-10 or 10-40-20, etc.

Let’s say you start with the 2-8-4 pattern in order to find your comfort zone. Slowly start to inhale while counting until 2. Try to completely fill your lungs. Hold your breath while counting until 8 and then exhale for 4. You must completely exhale by emptying your longs. This helps you rid your body of toxins. Repeat ten times. Remember to breathe from your belly.

Inhaling should start from the lower part of your abdomen and feel as if you gradually filling up your lungs with air as a bottle gets filled up. You should inhale from the mouth and exhale from the nose, although several variants of this method exist. Do this breathing exercise every day.

Meditation Techniques

Meditation has long benefited from worldwide recognition as an extraordinary tool to not only manage stress but to also master your mind.  Meditation basically occurs when you become focused on one particular thing but without having any thoughts. Not an easy thing to do but after several attempts, most people start to develop the skill to do it.

There are several ways to meditate and the web is full of helpful advice and resources on this subject. The most common practice is the repetition of a mantra while you sit comfortably eyes closed in a quite place. I recommend viewing Deepak Chopra videos which you can view on Youtube. He has a very simple and effective meditation method. This is something you practice every day for about 20 minutes.

Do not, I repeat DO NOT fall into the trap of paying hundreds or sometimes thousands of Pounds to attend a meditation course. Any Buddhist temple in your locality will provide this service for free. Monks will be more than happy to teach you and you may leave a small donation.

Yoga

The ancient India art of exercising and stretching your body, although great practitioners will tell you there is much more to it than just sweating.

We all know one or two people who practice yoga, and guess what? They’re addicted to it right? Well, that’s because it works. It rejuvenates like nothing else.

There are many forms of yoga; Raja, Karma, Jnana, Bhakti, and Hatha amongst others.

Learning a style might cost you little at first but you are sure to see results rapidly. To practice it will eventually cost you nothing.

Yoga has the capacity to restore the harmony and balance in your body and soul.

This is an opportunity for novices or experts alike to get acquainted with some in-depth meditation practice or just take a break from your hectic schedule of everyday life.

Andrew Durling, manager at the Maitreya Buddhist Centre said: “You don’t need to have come to the classes to join in and benefit from the retreat.

“During these sessions Resident Teacher Kelsang Lam-ma will be leading meditations and teaching on Universal Compassion.

“Each retreat day consists of four meditation sessions, each session being an hour long. Full guidance will be given by the retreat leader.

An opportunity to ask questions and seek advice concerning meditation will be available between sessions.”

The Maitreya Kadampa Buddhist Centre, will be the location for this event which is scheduled for the weekend of 22nd – 23rd of August 2009, starting at 9.30am. Meditation session times are – 10.00 am, 12.00 pm, 3.00 pm and 5.00 pm.

The price is of £3.00 per session or of £10.00 for the entire day.

No need to book as visitors can come in whenever they wish to attend the session of their choice.

For more information contact the centre at info@meditateinbexhill.co.uk or call: 01424 733761

Hot and cold drinks are to be provided.

We would like to thank www.bexhillobserver.net for quotes used in this article.