Meditation is considered as one of the best ways to reduce stress, lower your blood pressure and increase longevity. While there are several ways to use meditation as a relaxation method, self-hypnosis gives you the additional benefit of temporary behavior modification. Contrary to what you might imagine, self-hypnosis is a very simple procedure that you can learn very quickly and only requires a few days of practice to master. This is what you do in a few easy steps:

Select a comfortable position like sitting, lying down, etc, away from all distractions for at least 10 minutes.

Close your eyes and concentrate on relaxing your entire body from one end to the other.

Start at your feet, feel your toes and feet relaxing, keep repeating rhythmically to yourself the words "relax, relax" as a mantra as you feel a warm tingling sensation in each muscle in your body. Whatever happens just relax, anything you do is a plus, we are not looking for perfection, each time you do this it gets easier. Feel your feet totally relaxed, keep your thoughts focused on relaxing the part of the body you’re working on. Experience the calming down effect of letting go of all tension.

Travel up to your legs concentrating in your principal muscles, ankles, calves, knees, thighs, hamstrings, torso, abdominals, your chest, back, hands, arms, head and face. Feel pleasure as each part of your body is rid of tension. Undergo the transformation from tightness to looseness.

When you reach your chest pay particular attention toward your breathe, making sure to take deep breathes, inhaling and exhaling to a totally relaxing pace. Let go of all tensions feel the tightness disappearing from your back and shoulders, come into contact with the feeling of relaxation in each part of your body as your travel through it. Include your face muscles and your neck, following a sequence to include the entire body.

After covering all your main body parts independently go around your body a second time now at a faster pace while concentrating in larger portions of your body feeling your entire feet and legs completely relaxed. Feel the gentle warmth traveling your entire body, keep your thoughts in this sensation, still repeating to yourself to relax. As you approach your chest area go through the breathing cycle.

Once you accomplish a state of deep relaxation where your thoughts are away from your usual routine and into your body you may select to give yourself a suggestion at this point. You are in a very susceptible state, you may repeat to yourself: I will come out of my self-hypnotic state full of energy ready to do my project X with enthusiasm. Or you may say to yourself: whenever I experience anger I will feel love and trust for myself or others and I will react with compassion. I will have a strong desire to forgive myself and others. Repeat these or other suggestions several times during your hypnotic condition. Do not attempt to make multiple suggestions in the same session.

Try it now, do it today, you will see instant results; just don’t expect miracles only improvements. Develop a routine to meditate once or twice a day. Remember, the more you do it the easier it becomes. In a few weeks you will be able to relax under the worst types of conditions and very quickly. Meditation as part of a strategy to take care of your emotional health and well-being can add decades to your life and will greatly improve your ability to relax and concentrate. Additionally, self-hypnosis in particular will take advantage of the power of suggestion in practically any area of your life where you can use a little help.

Death is something that can't be explained. We are each owed a death, at
which time it will come or where is a mystery. Live each day as if it were
your last. Make amends with those you crossed or who crossed you. Tell
that special one in your life that you love them. Smile at passers by.
Help someone in need.

In Tibet, they use the word 'lu' meaning 'something that you leave behind', like baggage. Every time we say 'lu', it will remind us that we are merely travelers, taking a momentary refuge in this body and life.

When beginning meditation practice, one often wonders how meditation will help and also, what should one expect from this practice? Meditation is a form of quietly 'letting go' of one's everyday reality, and becoming silent, in the embrace of eternity. By assuming a comfortable, yet alert posture, in a quiet, undisturbed location, it is best to first let your mind wander and as questions pop to mind, try answering yourself, silently. This is for me the best way to not only clear one's mind of worries, but find solutions to what is stressful, in our lives. This would seem contrary to many meditation practitioners, but I have been doing meditation practices for years, and find this is the best way for not only myself, but others. As we begin, sitting quietly, questions that seems so large and intruding before meditation, become distant, as they seem to fade away, in our minds. One will 'hear' in his 'still small voice within', answers that at first seem to be coming from ourselves, but soon you will understand that you could not possibly have discovered these same answers, without meditation and focus. This is the main point of meditation. Quiet contemplation that soon fades away into, self discovery.