The Practice of Meditation
By Ann Christine Johnson
Meditation is a state of concentrated attention on some object of thought or awareness; of bringing your attention inward and allowing your mind to settle into stillness. Meditation is one of the proven alternative therapies. It can broadly be classified under mind-body medicine.
Meditation is a process of directing your attention to alter your state of consciousness; of going within to find that place deep inside you that is peaceful and calm. The practice of meditation will give you a new consciousness and a new way of looking at life. It will give you the chance to become more aware of yourself as a spiritual being. It will increase your inner strength and spiritual power to see things in a detached and loving way.
Meditation is a way to teach the mind to quieten down and slow down; to concentrate on God and the goodness within you. By setting aside time to meditate each day you will be able to discover and connect with the Inner Self – that which is perfect, pure and unaffected by the characteristics you have acquired by living in a less than perfect world. You will then be able to work on the characteristics you have acquired throughout your life that prevent you from being peaceful, happy and loving. You cannot yearn for that which you haven’t experience before. We all want to have peace, happiness and love in our lives as we have experienced these states and emotions before – our original state is all of these (and more). The process of meditation helps us to remember who we truly are.
Most people who take up the practice of meditation do so to have peace in their lives – to learn to become more peaceful within themselves and more peaceful with those around them. Some people take up the practice of meditation to have peace of mind. Whilst peace is something you can achieve and experience during meditation, peace of mind is a way of being and a way of daily living.
Meditation helps to alleviate suffering and to promote healing. It benefits people with and without acute or chronic medical illness or stress. Its effects are cumulative with regular practice. Practicing meditation routinely helps to decrease high blood pressure and stress levels; to decrease metabolic rate and lower heart rate; to increase resistance to illness and disease; to decrease anxiety and mild depression; to build self-confidence and self-esteem; to increase emotional stability; to markedly improve work and sports performance; to decrease the aging process; to improve learning ability and memory; to increase creativity and happiness. But the key reason to meditate on a long-term basis is to transcend waking, sleeping and dreaming consciousness and connect with the Soul.
Establishing homogeny with your meditation is vital. A few minutes each and every day, preferably at the same time, is better than an hour once in awhile as this creates a fixed habit. Early morning is considered the best time to meditate. If you are not a morning person it may be prudent to meditate just before going bed at night. For optimal results wait 1 hour after eating and 4 hours after drinking alcohol before meditating; and meditate for no more than 30 mins at a time if you are a beginner.
Meditation is enjoyable to children as they are naturally close to God. For adults it is a necessary tool to help them to not be swept away by the chaotic details of life; to not waste all of their energy just maintaining their sanity. Meditation in later life will help you to prepare for death – the all-important journey home to meet your Maker. The goal of meditation is to still the emotions, body and mind so that you can listen to your God.
Here are some hints to get you started: Choose a quite place in your home where you can meditate each day without being disturbed. Make sure you have a straight-backed chair and rug in this space plus candles, music etc. to help you to relax. Choose a meditation technique that appeals to you – there are lots of CD’s available to guide you – practice it regularly and observe the results. There is no point in practicing several techniques at the same time, as this will only confuse you. Proceed with caution and avoid over-enthusiasm: The practice of meditation should be in balance as part of the routine of daily living and not something that takes over your life.
Click HERE to Connect with your Daily Horoscope!
About the Author
Ann C. Johnson Assoc MAPS: General Psychologist has worked in the helping professions for the past 33 years. In the past 7 years she has published 3 books on personal and spiritual development. Motivated by posts she reads on Facebook Ann continues to write articles on a regular basis.
Ann can also be found on https://www.facebook.com/annjohnson1948
