May 5th, 2009
Meditation
The benefits of meditation have been scientifically proven. Meditation is a powerful relaxation tool; it’s been shown to increase happiness and feelings of wellbeing, to reduce anxiety levels and help people with anxiety disorders. And it can help lower blood pressure and improve the lives of people battling chronic diseases. For me, regular meditation has helped increase a general sense of calmness and tolerance. I am less likely to get upset over small inconveniences and less inclined to be judgemental and critical.
Yet for all its benefits many people find the idea of meditation confusing or even a bit intimidating. It’s not always clear exactly how to meditate or what to expect when you do. Some years ago, when I was struggling with many issues I was advised that meditation would help me. So I signed up for a class. The teacher had as all sit in silence in a darkened room for increasingly longer intervals. She gave no information or explanations and although I persevered got nothing from the class, in fact I felt more stressed than ever. I later tried another teacher with the same results. So I checked out some books at my local library and searched the Internet and taught myself meditation.
So the simple basics of meditation are:
There are two ways to meditate – you chose a sound, word, or a mantra (something short and simple) to be repeated and used as a focus OR you watch the rise and fall of your breath as you inhale and exhale OR, you simply count each breath (up to five and then going back and start at one again).
Find a quiet and comfortable place but don’t get caught up on having perfect conditions. There will be noises and discomforts, acknowledge them and let them wash over you. I sometimes have to take the train to the city (a 2 hour trip) and can often meditate despite being surrounded by people and the noise and the motion of the train. Allowing things to irritate you will ruin your meditation.
Sit comfortably in a chair (you don’t need the lotus position) and close your eyes. Then gradually focus on your word/sound/mantra or your breathing.
There is no need for intense concentration – just awareness.
When thoughts intrude, and they will, gently let them go and return to awareness of your breathing or sound. At the beginning we all have this “monkey mind” with thoughts jumping and flitting all over the place. This “monkey mind” can feel like you are going crazy. Our thoughts are not used to being ignored and so when we disregard them they may come at us with a rush, demanding attention. This is normal – just keep letting them go.
Don’t let these thoughts worry, irritate or annoy you. As you practise meditation you will get better at it and thoughts will be fewer and less intrusive.
Expect that you will experience a cycle of thoughts intruding, letting them go, and then returning to your chosen meditation technique, then more thoughts surfacing, returning to your technique, and so on. This is how it will be at first so don’t feel that you are failing – this is the process. This is the first stage of learning to have control over your thoughts.
There are 4 stages of meditation – the first stage of intruding thoughts, the second stage of slowed breathing and a sense of quiet, the third stage of deep relaxation and feeling either very light or pleasantly heavy. The constant stream of thoughts is reduced to occasional single rising thoughts that do not distract us. Sometimes at this stage we can see colours or deep black or intense white. The final stage is the deep meditative state of quietness and an absence of thought or emotion.
To get the benefits of meditation you must be disciplined. Ideally two blocks of 20 minutes a day should be aimed for but if you are short of time snatches of 5-10 minutes whenever you can grab them are better than nothing.
And more is not always better. Meditating for hours will not necessarily bring any more benefits than 20 minutes.
Like any new skill, it will take time to learn to meditate so be patient and don’t expect overnight miracles.
Don’t fight any thoughts or emotions that arise – just let them float by – the aim is not to eliminate them but to gradually slow them down until we enter the full meditative state.
If you happen to fall asleep (even though this is not the aim) don’t feel that you have failed. It is a sign after all that you have reached a fully relaxed state, which cannot be a bad thing.
NOTE: For people who are extremely stressed, anxious or depressed trying to learn to meditate can sometimes make their conditions worse – usually because the thoughts that arise while trying to meditate can be disturbing and/or frightening. I strongly recommend starting with a series of relaxation exercises or using guided meditation tapes or CDs, which help block negative intrusive thoughts.
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