Meditation

Introduction to Meditation

What is Meditation?

For centuries, people the world over have pursued the cultivation of consciousness, and meditation has stood at the forefront of tested and effective techniques. For as long as there has been an awareness of the "Monkey-Mind," our undisciplined, conflicted, distracted day to day consciousness, there has been a desire to find discipline of thought and peace of mind.

An appropriate definition of meditation as a whole should include a broad understanding of both Eastern and Western forms. Essentially, meditation in the Western form is centered around diverting the focus of the mind onto a single topic. In this style, meditation is often seen as calming and relaxing the mind and can also be an aid to a religious practice. Western meditation implies concentration of thought on a specific goal.

The Eastern form, on the other hand, involves quieting of the mind, a cessation of thinking. Focusing the consciousness on the apparent emptiness of silence and non-thought, subtle aspects of the consciousness (and even the universe) become more apparent.

What is Meditation Like?

There are many different ways in which meditation is practiced, almost as many as there are cultures around the world.

Eastern meditation has to do primarily with quieting the mind toward the achievement of enlightenment. Random thought and precise goals are eliminated from the consciousness and, while still awake, the mind is allowed to step above consciousness and beyond distraction to take in everything as a whole, without focus. This approach usually requires calm surroundings, various prescribed postures, working with the breath and, in some systems, chant.

On the other hand, western meditation is an active function where you remain alert and focus on a specific thought or goal. It functions to open the mind to different perspectives and levels of awareness, including many different sensations. Western meditation is less concerned with posture, though specialized breathing and chants can be used. Meditation is often achieved through focus on a visualized scene, object or idea, or on an external source such as a candle.

On the outside, both systems appear much the same, but the inner work is quite different. Some people prefer one approach over the other. Others may use both systems, as appropriate to the situation.

Definition of Meditation

Meditation may be defined as achieving a state of deep reflection within a mental state of strong focus. The word itself is derived from the Latin words "mederi" which literally means "to heal" and "meditari" which means "to think, exercise the mind". The Sanskrit derivation of the word, "medha", simply means "wisdom". The benefits of meditation range from mental to physical, but it is typically used to understand and resolve a certain problem or affliction to enable a clear and reasonable resolution to that issue. In essence, meditation allows for a deeper state of understanding.

This is done in two different ways, depending on whether the meditator is using the eastern or western technique. Western requires a certain line of thinking, while eastern meditation discards thinking, toward a non-thought state that is essentially an awareness of inner silence. This is not an obvious thing to achieve, and can easily be mistaken for a sleep-like or a hypnotic state. Meditation is also not simply a state of calm.

Meditation Vs. Hypnosis

Meditation and hypnosis, while different practices, have a number of similarities, such as the deep sense of relaxation. However, they occur on different levels of consciousness, and their purposes are different.

Outwardly, looking at someone who is meditating and someone who is hypnotized, it would be hard to tell the difference. However, hypnosis requires the guidance of another person, recording or active thought process in order to investigate a specific issue. Meditation, on the other hand, is self-guided and self-controlled.

Both approaches work on the inner self and altered degrees of consciousness, but they are neither the same feeling, nor the same procedure.

Meditation is Very Safe

Meditation, as a self-guided process, is quite safe. Occasionally, breathing techniques in some forms of meditation are difficult for persons with respiratory difficulties, such as asthma, and some cardiac patients. If you suffer from respiratory or cardiac illness discuss your chosen form of meditation with your physician before beginning.

Furthermore, there are some mental health issues, such as attention deficit disorder (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and schizophrenia, that may make meditation difficult and the benefit of meditation may be limited.

Should you be considering using meditation or any alternative therapy with conventional medical treatment in order to treat an illness or discomfort, be sure to first discuss it with your doctor or other medical practitioner.

Benefits of Meditation

The single greatest benefit of meditation is peace of mind. Long term practitioners of meditation have lower levels of stress, less anxiety and have learned to live life in a more balanced way. Many meditation practitioners also find the practice helpful to their spiritual goals.

There is, however, another side to meditation: health and healing. Thousands of years of practice and benefit have demonstrated the link between meditation and healing. From medical and psychological conditions such as stress, to assisting in personal development, meditation has been an effective tool. Even the most mainstream, conservative Western medical experts are beginning to recognize the health benefits of meditation.

On a physical level, meditation has been clearly shown to reduce cholesterol levels, improve breathing for asthma sufferers, ease digestive problems, assist in the management of chronic pain, increase healing, and improve the immune system.

Meditation is also effective for easing a wide range of mental and emotional complaints, including stresses and anxieties (which, in turn, are also known to exacerbate physical problems), depression, addictions, anger, and compulsive behaviors.

Meditation and Cancer

The calm and relief from stress that are part of a regular meditation practice are extremely important to cancer patients, helping to develop the positive attitude that assists healing. Meditation is taught and used in cancer centers the world over, and a growing body of research is confirming the experience of clinicians: meditation and healing work together. Meditation cannot heal cancer, but it brings peace of mind and emotional health, important elements in any cancer treatment strategy.

Meditation and HIV/AIDS

Meditation helps the mind and the body find greater calm and relaxation, and helps to obtain focus and quiet amidst our stressful and busy lives. This is an important part of health and healing for people with HIV and AIDS, where stress can play a powerful role in the function of the immune system. There is a great deal of stress involved in this illness, and meditation can help to calm feelings of being overwhelmed and helpless while gaining perspective. Studies have also shown that meditation improves immune function for HIV and other patients. While meditation cannot lengthen life for those with terminal diseases, it can make considerable improvement in the quality of life, an important factor for anyone.

Meditation and Cardiac Patients

In medical studies, meditation has been shown to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Further study continues to measure the impact and benefit of meditation on the risk factors to cardiac problems, as well. These include high blood pressure (hypertension), high cholesterol, obesity (specifically abdominal obesity), and insulin resistance. In a study published in the Winter 2007 Ethnicity & Disease medical journal, transcendental meditation positively impacted patients who suffer from congestive heart failures.

Meditation and Sports

Meditation and visualization have been used by athletes on a regular basis. During the 1970's and 1980's, the U.S. became aware that Eastern Block Olympic and other amateur competitors were using meditation and visualization techniques in training. Polish, Soviet and other athletes were trained in highly structured meditation systems that resulted in measurable improvements in athletic performance. The United States quickly followed as did other countries and meditation now plays a role in nearly every amateur and professional sport.

Meditation and Pain

While the causes of pain are physical, the experience of pain is entirely in the mind. Meditation techniques have been used with success to control both acute and chronic pain. In fact, meditation techniques are employed by soldiers around the world to manage the pain of battlefield wounds and to resist torture. Through meditation, the mind experience of pain can be controlled and even eliminated.

Meditation and Stress

We live in a stressful, fast-paced world. We are pressed to multitask, and accept information and emotions from a dizzying array of sources. Stress at home, at work, on our commute: we have become a culture addicted to stress, driven by coffee and other stimulants. Meditation is a key to managing stress, bringing peace into a noisy, conflicted mind. Through quieting the mind each day, you can gain perspective over stress. Meditation also improves creativity, sleep, and self-confidence, all useful states of mind from which to approach our busy lives. Many people, from Fortune-500 executives to students, from overwhelmed stay-at-home mothers to over-committed healthcare workers, rely on meditation to find sanity and peace.

Myths About Meditation

Though meditation and its benefits are well understood, there remains a long list of myths that are frequently, and yet mistakenly believed. The following are a few of the most common myths about meditation.

Meditation is the same thing as relaxation

This is an exceptionally common misconception. It's not just a matter of thinking of something soothing and letting your mind "go limp." Indeed, meditation is frequently used for effective stress management, however, meditation isn't just a matter of calming down. It is a specific effort, with techniques and goals.

Meditation is the same thing as self-hypnosis

Though there are some similarities between meditation and self-hypnosis, they are not the same thing.

When hypnosis and self-hypnosis are used in therapy, they involve the guidance of a hypnotherapist in order to look into a certain problem, recall a certain part of the patient's past, or address another issue in life.

There are technological shortcuts to meditation

If you perform a query at a search engine, you'll find dozens, perhaps hundreds of sites promising that their device or CD, or tape will help you to achieve the instant benefits of meditation. Perhaps they may help you to gain some benefit, but it won't be through "instant meditation." These technologies fail to recognize the fact that meditation isn't something that just happens -- it's not a switch to turn on -- it's a specific effort.

The most common form of meditation is Transcendental Meditation

Many people have heard of Transcendental Meditation because it was the meditation technique chosen by the Beatles and other famous practitioners. However, in the grand scheme of things, it is a relatively minor form of meditation. This is likely because the meditation classes for this form are simply too expensive. In the West, the most common form of meditation is Insight Meditation, also known as Mindfulness, from Theradava Buddhism. A close second to Insight Meditation is Zen Meditation and then Tibetan Meditation.

Meditation can only be performed in the lotus position

In many Asian countries it is common to sit on the floor, making their hips quite flexible, and making a cross-legged posture quite natural and comfortable. The lotus position is one of those postures. However, in the west where most people sit on chairs and have stiffer hips, it is rare for the lotus position to be comfortable enough for use in meditation. Meditation can be performed sitting on a chair, a meditation stool, kneeling, or even lying down (though many people struggle to stay awake when meditating lying down).

Essentially, meditation should be done in any posture that may be comfortably held for the length of the meditation practice.

You have to repeat the sound "OM" when meditating

Meditating with a mantra is only one form of meditation, and the "OM" sound is only one mantra, or only a part of a mantra. There are many mantras, and many systems of meditation are entirely silent.

Meditation is a religious ritual

Indeed, many religions involve meditation as a part of their religious or spiritual practices. However, meditation in itself is not necessarily religious.

Meditation is solely an Eastern practice

Many Westerners associate meditation with religions such as Buddhism and consider meditation to be Asian or somehow foreign. However, even if meditation does feel a little bit exotic at first, it doesn't mean that it is limited to any religion, culture, or geographic area. Meditation systems come from around the world, and can be practiced by anyone.

Meditation is a form of escapism

Because of the focus and clearing of the mind of distraction that is used in meditation, many people think of it as a way of escaping the real world, running away from their problems, or ignoring the way things really are. However, meditating often involves facing up to inner problems, fears, pains, and angers, and prioritizing these over the superficial concerns of daily life. Meditation is the striving for the way things really are, not as they appear to be.

Meditation means allowing your mind to go completely blank

Instead of emptying the mind entirely, meditation is a reduction in the thinking so that focus can be achieved and a specific purpose can be sought. There are some forms of eastern meditation discourage conscious thinking, but the mind is not entirely blank. Meditation is more about filling the mind than emptying it.