Category — Meditation

Meditation is a technique, or practice that usually involves focus on an object, perhaps a candle, a sound or your breath. If you are having trouble with focus or concentration?

As you meditate the number of random thoughts occurring diminishes, as does your attachment to these thoughts, and your identification with them. This is because you are usually not aware of all the mental activity that you are engaged in.

Meditation allows your mind activity to settle down and results in you becoming more peaceful, calm and focused.
Meditation is great for stress management. Remember stress occurs in your mind, that doesn’t make it less real. It means your mind is the key to remove stress from your life. You will experience, relaxation, increased awareness, mental focus, clarity and a sense of peace if meditation is practiced regularly.

The following physiological effects of meditation have been documented

* Reduced blood pressure
* Lower pulse rate
* Decreased metabolic rate
* Changes in the concentration of serum levels of various substances.

Meditate frequently and you will find that you gain a deeper understanding of yourself through the observation of what occurs in your mind. You will find that you gain valuable insights into who you really are.

When learning to meditate seekers often ask “how do we know when we are meditating well?” This is a good question to ask because for a beginner it is difficult to know what to expect. Meditation can lead to profound experiences, for example Hindu scriptures give details about various states of meditation known as Samadhi in which a seeker may lose all sense of personal identity.

However a beginner should not really think about these elevated states. Although everyone has the capacity to attain such states. In practical terms in takes many years if not lifetimes of practise. If we harbour expectations of attaining enlightenment in a very short space of time then our meditation will never be fruitful.

However generally speaking a good meditation is about feeling better, raising your consciousness. We do not rely on others and outer things for happiness, we get an inner joy that comes spontaneously. If you have a good meditation you will have a positive view of life. You will feel better about yourself and also others.

Meditation leads to freedom from incessant, nagging thoughts and worries, and to inner strength, peace of mind, a sense of bliss, and in its higher levels, to spiritual awakening and enlightenment. As you see, meditation is much more than a method for relaxing the body, as some people think.

Though it plays an important role in various religions and spiritual practices, it is actually a practice that is free from all religious connotations, and has always been practiced everywhere, from ancient times until the present day. There has always been the desire to go within, to find what is beyond the physical form, and to find the real spirit and the relation between mankind, the world and the creator.

There are many forms, techniques and traditions of meditation, which are practiced and followed for various reasons and aims, such as for gaining peace of mind, spiritual growth and spiritual awakening, as well as for relaxation, health, success, mental powers or the development of psychic abilities.

Meditation calms down the body and the mind, reduces stress and anxiety, normalizes the blood pressure and has a healing effect on the body. It improves the concentration power, sharpens the mind and strengthens the intuition. Its constant practice reduces the number of restless thoughts in the mind, brings peace of mind, happiness and bliss, and in its higher stages, enlightenment.

In order to obtain results it has to be practiced every day, at least once a day, twice better, for at least 15 minutes, though a beginner may start with only 10 minutes a day.

In a very general sense, there are two forms of meditation. One form requires that you focus the mind on some activity, such as the breathing process, a concrete object, mental image, a word or a thought, and there is what may be termed as “formless meditation”, in which you focus on the inner silence, inner self or on nothing at all. This form can only be practiced after one is well trained with the first form.

Here are a few tips and advice about meditation:

1. It is important to meditate every day.

2. A positive attitude, patience and an open mind are of great help.

3. Do not meditate when you are tired.

4. Find a place where you can be alone and undisturbed.

5. Sit in a comfortable position with the spine erect.

6. Take a few slow deep breaths.

7. Bring to your mind some pleasant memory, and enjoy thinking about it for a few moments.

8. Think for a few moments about the benefits of meditation, how it will strengthen your focus, calm down your mind and ease stress and tension.

9. Tell yourself that all thoughts will have to wait now, and that nothing is going to distract your mind.

10. Start meditating calmly, yet with focused attention. The more focused the attention is, the easier it is to ignore thoughts and other distractions.