What Is Meditation?
You’ve no doubt heard that meditation can help remedy the ills of modern living: stress, anxiety, depression, and poor health. It is also praised for its healing benefits and positive influence on personal well-being and relationships. But what, exactly, is meditation? In a nutshell, meditation is the stilling of all your conscious faculties in order to be present in the moment. This may be a foreign concept to you, or something you think only “enlightened” people do. You may also think it requires a lot of time and involves a learning curve. The truth? Meditation is a simple practice—something anyone can do,
anywhere, anytime.
Misconceptions about Meditation
When considering meditation, you might first think of a Buddhist monk wearing a robe, sitting cross-legged on a mountaintop, far from the realities of everyday life. With eyes closed, perfect posture,
and an immobile expression, the meditator appears to be in another world, above and beyond the demands that the rest of us are dealing with on a daily basis. This image seems neither possible to emulate nor worthwhile as a goal. While that is one way to meditate, it’s certainly not the only way.
You Might Already Be Meditating Without Knowing It!
Did you know that you often enter a meditative state under everyday circumstances without knowing it? You might actually already be achieving some self-awareness while performing simple,
methodical tasks that free your mind from concentrated thought.
Such tasks often disengage feelings that can distract your attention.
For example:
For example:
Engaging in challenging sports: Athletes frequently speak of the mental freedom they attain when their bodies are completely involved in meeting a challenge, such as running a long-distance or climbing a steep incline.
Nursing a baby: Some mothers find serenity while breastfeeding, which enhances the bonding process with the infant and also brings a unique connection to life itself.
Performing strenuous physical work: The rigor of a physical task, such as carrying heavy loads with great care, can bring uncommon mind-body awareness.
Washing dishes: Performing such a familiar task (accompanied by the soothing sounds of water) often frees the mind to become aware of itself.
The Language of Meditation
While certain words have established meanings, in the context of meditation practice they can take on other meanings as well. For example:
Awareness: Using your physical senses to enhance your perception of the present; involves the faculties of hearing,
seeing, body sensation, and breath.
Contemplation: Using all your faculties (the senses of sight,
sound, touch, smell, and taste) and your conscious attention to learning as much as possible about one idea or image; it allows all of your senses to become consciously involved in an experience.
Focus: Training yourself to place attention on a single idea or image—and to bring your attention back when you become distracted.
Visualization: Bringing to mind an object or scene that assists in fulfilling a specific purpose.
The Benefits of Meditation
When you first begin to meditate, you may wonder what’s so great about sitting quietly and watching your breath. You will feel useless and restless like you are wasting time. At first, you will feel an overwhelming urge to go back to frantic activity, but this will pass.Mental Benefits
After sitting for a meditation session or two, you will already begin to feel better, more content, and more rested. Once you establish a regular pattern of meditation, you will feel happier and less anxious. The world itself will seem more vibrant like you have switched from black-and-white to color. In terms of the performance of your mind, your memory and concentration will improve. You will begin to see larger connections and patterns in your life that you never noticed before. You will see how small events fit into the grand scheme of things. This will remove some of the tedium and weariness of life. It’s like hitting the refresh button on your own existence.
After still more practice, the nagging problems of your life will seem less severe and less important. Your mood will improve. Stress and anxiety will lessen. You will work fluidly and intuitively rather than obsessing over small details.
Physical Benefits
More tangibly, meditation helps you decrease your heart rate,
blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. Research conducted at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles found that individuals with coronary heart disease who practiced meditation experienced lower blood pressure and improved blood glucose and insulin levels.
Over a lifetime, meditation will reduce your risk of heart disease,
diabetes, and stroke.
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