Meditation

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Concentrative meditation     Mindful meditation       Transcendental meditation

Best time to practice meditation      Location

  Meditation postures    Benefits of meditation

1. Concentrative Meditation

In this type of meditation, the mind should be concentrated on a single object or image, could be an object or image of worship or repetitive chanting of a Mantra(word or words) eg. OM, or a Yantra (geometrical shape) eg. a candle flame. The purpose being to bring the wandering mind into focus. It is like glass gathering all the scattered sun rays and converging and focusing on a particular spot, creating energy.

In this form of meditation, posture is very important. One has to sit quietly and focus attention on the object or image and breathe slowly but purposefully, that's why it is important to have a calm mind or be in a state of relaxation otherwise if one is frightened, agitated, distracted, or tense the breathing may be shallow, rapid and uneven. On the other hand, when the mind is calm, focused and composed, the breathing may be slow, deep and regular. As the meditator focuses his/her awareness on his/her breath, the mind becomes more tranquil and alert at the same time.

 2. Mindful Meditation

According to Dr. Borysenko, Ph. D, a pioneer in the field of mind/body medicines, “Mindful meditation involves opening the attention to become aware of the continuously passing parade of sensations, feelings, images, thoughts, sounds, smells, etc. without becoming involved in or thinking about them”.

This helps the meditator keep his/her focus without being distracted by outside disturbances and gain a calm, nonreactive stage of mind. Mindful meditation is like a wide canvas containing all the details of every object but focusing on one particular object in that field of perception.

3. Transcendental Meditation

This is a particular type of meditation practiced in the west, founded by Maharishi

Mahesh Yogi. In this type, the body gains a state of profound rest, the brain and mind become more alert which is befittingly coined as “restful alertness”.  The basics of the technique involve sitting in a comfortable place for 15-20 minutes twice a day morning and evening with the eyes closed. The purpose of this simple technique is to quiet and settle the mind while remaining alert at the same time. The positive effect of this technique grows with time.

Meditation is a state of deep relaxation where the mind is emptied of negative thoughts. The object is to achieve inner harmony and peace. It is a practice of gathering and integrating the previously scattered mental energies. One has to shut out the external world during most types of meditation. With regular practice, all the scattered molecules in the body are arranged properly so as to move in the same direction, the nerve currents will flow uninterrupted to and from the brain and are in perfect balance thus becoming like a huge battery of balanced energy.

Balanced energy is the key to improved health. Most of the thoughts that crowd our mind are just clutter. During meditation the object is to try to curb and control the mental clutter. Negative thoughts are like turbulence, they distract the mind from focusing. Sense organs are like middle men between the external world and consciousness. Try to remove the ‘middle men’ and experience the bliss of joyous ruptures of meditation. The mind, as we all know, is like a breeze, always running about aimlessly. It is very difficult to tame especially if it is allowed to run loose. Only those who are experts and those that have extraordinary patience can absolutely control and tame it.

Best time to practice meditation

Meditation can be practiced any time of the day. It is better to have a fixed time of day in which to meditate, meditate regularly at the same designated time. Set aside at least 15-20 minutes daily for quieting the mind and attaining inner serenity. If you meditate in the morning, the inner tranquility can be achieved through out the working day, if you meditate before going to bed, the serenity produced will ensure sleep of a high quality. In the sublime peace of the still mind, fear, grief and stress are relieved and courage and cheerfulness are gained.

Location

The location where meditation is to be performed should be quiet, clean and without any disturbance and distractions if possible.

Meditation postures

Normally the lotus ( Padmasana) position is adopted, however, this position can be difficult for some people in which case the 'Sukhasana'(easy posture) position can be adopted. An example of the lotus position is seen on our logo on the upper left of your computer screen. In this pose, the body forces are unified. The work of the organs is made easier, the spine which houses the vital nervous system is held naturally upright and straight and the legs are crossed and the feet rest on the inner thighs. The major difference between the lotus and easy posture is that in the easy posture position the legs are crossed but the feet do not rest on the inner thighs thus making this position a little more comfortable than the lotus position. If the easy posture position is not comfortable, then one can use a straight-backed chair. The body should be still, relaxed and not tense. Research has shown that ‘feelings’ are linked to posture. If your body is relaxed, your mind is also relaxed and a relaxed mind produces significant physical benefits. Being recumbent or lying down is not desirable as it may tend to promote a feeling of sleepiness.

Benefits of Meditation

Science has recently discovered that mind and body function as a complete working unit. This belief was long held by Eastern philosophers. Scientific studies carried out in India, Japan and the USA, show that meditation has many health benefits. It has shown to slow down the heart rate, lower blood pressure, regulate breathing and metabolic rate. It also reduces adrenalin levels and may allow the immune system to function more efficiently. So, it may control stress and the sequence of negative health problems that follow. The stresses of the day, the criticisms, disappointments, anger, all stay locked inside causing anxiety, frustration, depression and muscle tension. Meditation relieves that tension. It is also used in some medical facilities to manage pain, lower high blood pressure and improve general well being of the cardiovascular system.

Benefits can be classified into three distinct categories

1. Physiological 2. Psychological 3. Spiritual

1. Physiological Benefits of meditation

A lot more health facilities are making good use of meditation for improving the health of their patients. It is widely used for stress control, pain management, chronic illnesses, lowering of blood pressure, etc. Meditation appears to synchronize the electromagnetic wave of the brain and heart. NOTE: After meditation do not rise up immediately as the drop in blood pressure may make you giddy.

2. Psychological Benefits of meditation

Most useful psychological benefit is that it may diminish screen memories, healing the old traumas of childhood abuse and other unpleasant memories. If meditation is done regularly and sincerely, it is a great tool for enhancement of self-esteem and confidence. It will broaden the mental horizon. The new science of psycho neuro immunology was developed to convince the medical establishment that mental activity has a direct effect on the body and vice versa.

3. Spiritual Benefits of meditation

The longer an individual practices meditation, the greater a benefit he will reap towards personal and spiritual growth. One becomes more open, more loving, kind and compassionate, and will develop less negative judgments towards others. The vibrations caused by meditation will prompt “Prana” (energy) to be in perfect balance and the diseased organs which are needing Prana will be positively affected. When balance of Prana (energy) is disturbed by whatever the cause, disease may be produced in that particular organ devoid of ‘prana’.

So, meditation acts like mental acupuncture bringing all the energy meridians into proper alignment and that is the key to improved health. Many well known physicians like Dr. Larry Dossey, Dr. Deepak Chopra to name a couple, use and advocate meditation for total well-being. The more complicated the world becomes, the more our lives get stressed in the process, the more intrusive it becomes in our personal and psychological mental space. Therefore, it may be important to consider alternatives such as meditation in order to get a hold on ourselves and have mental peace which most of us lack. Meditation is a process that focuses on calming the mind and body. It involves turning your attention inward to control and resolve the effects of stress. Meditation will teach the mind to be calm and replace negative and destructive emotions with positive, life enhancing alternatives. 

Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, was awakened to enlightenment while rigorously meditating under a “Bodhi Tree” and was known since then as “Buddha”. So, by practicing meditation regularly, sincerely and properly, one can broaden one’s mental horizons, activating all the faculties of the brain(as it is most of us just use 10% of our brain) and eventually reach a stage of enlightenment. Meditation provides a practical tool for articulating our inner wisdom and life-long skills for promoting health in body, mind and spirit.

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