Meditation is something that everyone can benefit from. Whether it is peace, a sense of direction, a reduction in stress, or a way to collect your thoughts (and so much more!) that you are after, meditation can get you there! Meditation is something that I started looking into within the last two years. The more information I found the more interested and fascinated I became. Digging deeper and deeper I found myself wondering how much of what I was reading was true and how much of it was crap.
I, like many people, was very hesitant to try meditation. There was something almost scary about it for me. The thought of letting yourself go and intentionally placing yourself at the forefront of the present and your feelings/emotions seemed like a lot to handle.
One of the best things about meditation is that it is so diverse and there are so many different ways to do it. If one method doesn’t prove effective or feels uncomfortable there are many other options. Some common practices include but are definitely not limited to: mindfulness meditation (the practice of being fully aware and present in what we are doing and our day to day lives), sound therapy (using sound (maybe a bell)) as an aid to bring yourself into and out of meditation. Himalayan bowls for example may be used to create sound that the mind can focus on), reiki (a non-invasive form of touch therapy that is very much focused on energy, balance and focus), massage therapy, prayer, yoga, visualization, guided meditation, mantra meditation, and breathing.
There are many different ideas about what meditation is, what it takes to do it, and what should come from it.
After attending lectures on meditation and personally researching and practicing it I believe that meditation is the intentional setting of the brain on one “thing” for an amount of time in an attempt to be calm and present in the moment.
There are many misconceptions that to meditate you have to be some kind of trained professional or someone with “super powers” with the ability to stop the brain. In reality, all it takes is the desire to meditate and the want to get something out of it. Usually, a calm, safe and comfortable environment is encouraged but it can be done anywhere. That being said, I believe that you get more out of meditation when you are in an environment where meditation can be the sole focus.
A lot of people believe that meditation should lead to some kind of hypnotic state that results in “supernatural” or “superhuman” abilities. Meditation is a cycle of forgetting and remembering. that should lead to a sense of calmness, peace, and grounding. During meditation, the goal is not to stop the brain or let all thoughts go un-thought, but to notice the thoughts as they pass through the mind and simply let them pass through while staying focused on what it is you are trying to focus on (maybe it is breathing).
One of the simplest meditative techniques I have learned is the 4-7-8 breathing technique. Preferably while sitting or lying down (though if you find yourself in a trying situation and need to try and ground yourself then and there – this exercise can be done just about anywhere any time) in a comfortable position slowly begin to breath in for a count of 4, hold your breath for a count of 7, and finally, slowly breath out for a count of 8 until the lungs are emptied. I usually repeat this cycle a few times until I am feeling calmed and relaxed, but this can be done as many times as needed. This technique provides a great opportunity to focus the breathing and practice letting those “endless, chattering thoughts” pass into and out of the mind without distracting us.
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