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Meditation

We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time...

-- T.S. Eliot --

Four Quartets

As Eliot had worded it, life is a matter of a journey that leads us in circles. In this journey, meditation is not a technique but a way of life which clears up why we make the circles. Meditation translates to “join together” or to “yoke” where the mind is free of scattered thoughts and various patterns. That is why

Meditation is known all over the world as the Practice of the Art of Peace. "Calmness is the ideal state in which we should receive all life's experiences," says Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952), who is the founder of the Self-Realization Fellowship, in the book Inner Peace. Yogananda is regarded as one of the great spiritual teachers and he writes that meditation is where one can cultivate “a wonderful inner quiet that will melt away stress and nervousness.”

Studies

There is increasing evidence that meditation is a useful and even a powerful therapy. It has been known that it has been useful for conditions such as: chronic pain, anxiety and panic, sleep disturbance & insomnia, gastrointestinal distress, fatigue, headaches, job or family stress, skin disorders, high blood pressure, and stress factors in heart disease.

Dr. Benson of Havard Medical School has tested the effects of meditation on the health and body in the book called 'The Relaxation Response' (1975). In here, he introduced the concept of meditation to many Americans where meditation can treat diseases such as cancer because it helps the patient to release tension and bring the will power for the consciousness of being in control of the life. He said that depression, hopelessness, loneliness and despair, and psychological conditions can be alleviated with meditation, as well as heart conditions, high blood pressure and most of all, it help people who have difficulty conceiving children. Dr. Benson states that with the regular practice of mediation people can become healthy and strong, more cheerful and more able to conceive children. Such meditation include using of breath control and the silent repetition of a mantra.

Also, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States enrolled 41 to test a technique developed by an American stress reduction specialist - Jon Kabat-Zinn – in helping hospital patients deal with pain and discomfort. According to them, after eight weeks, the researchers measured electrical activity in the frontal part of the brains of the subjects. This region was more active on the left side in the individuals who meditated regularly. It was concluded that meditation made these individuals equipped with lower anxiety and a more positive emotional state.

A certain Maharishi Mahesh Yogi also founded the transcendental meditation programme, which is a way to keep the heart healthy. Researchers say that this practice keeps blood pressure low. Their studies support evidence where stressed people and those prone to mood swings are at greater risk of heart disease. Scientists at the Medical College of Georgia discovered that people who practice transcendental meditation daily had lower blood pressure than those who did not. The practice is said to keep blood vessels open, thus lowering the pressure. Among other types of meditation, transcendental meditation does not involve concentration and comes naturally like breathing.

Tips

A Buddhist precept which teaches us that rust, which comes from iron, can corrode and destroy the very same iron. Like human minds, if we learned how to meditate and have minds which produce positive thoughts then we will become stronger and healthier. However, if our minds produce negative thoughts then, then like the rust on the iron, this will be a danger to us. And the brain works very much like the rest of our system. It needs rest between periods of exertion. The key to reducing brain loss with age is to relax the brain and allow it to stop and rest, where the first essential step is to be aware of our thoughts. This is where meditation comes in since thoughts are very shy, the moment you become aware of them, they dissolve.

To get you started in meditating set aside a special corner of one room that is a calm, quiet and peaceful place. You might furnish the area with spiritual meaning for you that will put you into a contemplative frame of mind. The classic posture in meditating is to sit with legs folded and hands resting quietly on the knees, however you can start with just finding a way of sitting comfortably. You can keep your eyes open to keep all of senses open. However, do not fall asleep just find a state of "relaxed alertness." Keep your eyes not focused on anything in particular with your mouth slightly open. You can meditate like this for 20 minutes, twice daily. However, keep in mind that it's not how long you meditate but it's whether the practice "brings you to a certain state of mindfulness and presence, where you are a little open and able to connect with your heart essence," as written by Sogyal Rinpoche in the "Tibetan Book of Living and Dying." You can try short sessions of four to five minutes at the start, with breaks of one minute. Try setting aside the same times every day for prayer or meditation. As David Steindl-Rast, O.S.B., a Benedictine monk and author, said: rising 15 minutes earlier than usual will give you a "contemplative dimension" where without it, "your whole day can slip away into a mad chase."

Four Basic Ways to Practice Meditation
Try to keep this practice up and you will reap rewards though the benefits of meditation are subtle. Its effects will become apparent later when you may notice that you responded to a crisis with calmness. Just trust in the process and let go of your expectations. The real miracle of meditation, is a subtle transformation that happens in your mind, emotions and your body.

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