MEDITATION

If there is one thing common in all of us, it is the flaming urge to be happy and satisfied in life. Whether a crying baby, an insecure teenager, or a responsible family person, we all seek something that would comfort us. But the question is: Are we looking for happiness in the right place?

The real source of happiness lies in the clarity of thoughts. External factors can only be pleasurable as long as we are happy from the inside. According to Buddha, meditation trains the mind to “not dwell in the past or contemplate about the future.” It lets the mind settle in the ‘now’ and allows us to see the beauty of the present. Meditation establishes a secure connection between our internal and external worlds. It awakens the body and benefits all aspects of the conscious and subconscious layers of the mind. 

Meditation is not a panacea. That said people have used meditation for centuries with the goal of reducing stress, anxiety, depression, pain, and increasing peace, perception, self-concept, and well-being. There are countless scientific studies showing meditation can help improve in all of these areas and more.

According to Swami Rama - “Meditation is a precise technique for resting the mind and attaining a state of consciousness that is totally different from the normal waking state. It is the means for fathoming all the levels of ourselves and finally experiencing the centre of consciousness within. Meditation is not a part of any religion; it is a science, which means that the process of meditation follows a particular order, has definite principles, and produces results that can be verified.”

🌀 Benefits of Meditation 🌀

1- Enhances Self-Awareness.

2- Fights Addiction.

3- Manages Stress Better… Feel Less Stressed Out.

4- Calms Anxiety.

5- Decreases Blood Pressure.

6- Reduces Chronic Pain.

7- Better Sleep.

8- Increases Attention & Focus.

9- Promotes Emotional Health.

🌀 How Do I Begin Meditating? 🌀

Find a comfortable, quiet place to sit or lie down. (BONUS): If seated, sit on a cushion or pillow (idea is to raise your hips a little higher than your legs).  If not possible, no biggie.  Do not let that deter you from meditating.

Close your eyes and start to relax.

Once relaxed, focus your attention on your breath.

Focus on the sensation of your breath within your body (how it feels when you inhale, how it feels when you exhale).

Notice when the mind/focus drifts away from your breathing and subtly bring it back to your breath.

Set a timer for 5 minutes to start per session, increasing by 5 minutes after a couple of weeks of regular, daily practice until you get to 30+ minutes as your body adapts.

🌀 Meditation Tips 🌀

Create an intention for your meditation practice.  This can’t be emphasized enough.  Basically, why are you exploring meditation?  This will also help in determining what types of meditation you should be experimenting with.

Try to create a special place within your home or in nature that you use for meditation.  Make that your happy place.

Meditations will vary, but in most cases breathe through your nose on the inhale as a means to purify and slow down the breathe.

Experiment with various meditation postures, cushions and positions to find what works for you.

As you progress with your practice, experiment with different types of meditations such as mindful meditation, concentration meditation, mantra meditation, transcendental meditation, visualization, counting meditation, guided imagery, breathing meditations or other breathwork practices such as the Wim Hof Method

Put  any cellular/wireless/bluetooth device in airplane mode or turn off if possible.  EMF exposure can make it hard for your body to relax on a cellular level by disrupting the mitochondrial function.  The cellular will affect your cellular!

Set a timer to hold yourself accountable with your session.  Let your mind go until you hear the timer and try to refrain from checking the timer until you hear the times up alert. 

Om Namah Shivay