Meditation

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December 2006

Communicating Vessels Center for Meditation, Inc.
aligning the mind, the body, and the spirit

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MEDITATION

8 Points for Making Meditation Easy & Enjoyable

by Jim Malloy

1. Put your expectations aside regarding what is “supposed to” happen in meditation. There is not one specific experience you are supposed to have when you meditate which indicates that it is “working.” There are numerous possible experiences, and virtually all of them are ok. That includes experiencing nothing but a lot of thoughts, as thoughts in meditation are one of the ways that stress is released.

2. Put aside the idea of “getting it right.” There is really no such thing as right or wrong, successful or unsuccessful meditation.

3. Approach meditation with “relaxed effort.” While it is necessary to make some effort to focus, there is no need to try too hard to concentrate or stay focussed.

4. Don’t try to make your mind blank, or chase thoughts away. There is no need to try to relax or quiet your mind. If you follow the steps of the meditation method you are using, varying degrees of relaxation and inner peace will occur automatically. When thoughts arise, rather than resisting them, simply give them the space to come and go or to linger there, like minor characters on the “stage” of your mind, while your primary object of focus - breath, light, mantra, etc. - remains the central character.

5. Each meditation session will be somewhat different. In some sessions you will feel a little peace and relaxation. Others will be very deep and quiet. Some of your meditations may bring profound insights or interesting phenomena. Others will seem as though nothing is happening except for a bunch of thoughts. Regardless of what seems to be happening, if you are following the basic guidelines of your method, something valuable is happening each time you meditate. Even if it seems as though nothing is occurring, the meditation is catalyzing positive changes on a level that is deeper than you may be aware of. Before long you will begin noticing these inner changes manifesting in your life.

6. Meditation clears away stored up “stress” and “physical/emotional toxins.” If you find that you are releasing accumulated stress or toxins in your meditation - or outside of meditation - be aware that a valuable healing process is occurring, and will pass shortly, leaving you free of these limiting negative energies. How do you recognize this? You may experience some negativity, according to the type of stress or toxins you are releasing. If it is physically-related, you may feel a bit tired or physically “off.” If it is emotionally-related, you may experience some of the feelings or memories associated with the stress you are releasing. If this should occur, it is important to continue with your regular meditation schedule, as this facilitates the release process.

7. You will, at times, find yourself resisting meditation. You may experience this consciously, or you may unconsciously devise a variety of creative ways to avoid meditating. This occurrence is mostly due to an inner force which we all have within us that resists growth and change. You also have a force within you which gently urges you to grow and make positive changes. Try to follow this positive evolutionary force.

8. The less concerned you are about what you experience in your meditation, the easier and better it gets.

Also known as “focused breathing,” meditation is an effective tool for managing stress because it helps to lower the level of cortisol, a hormone released by the adrenal glands in response to stress. Science has found a connection between stress and illness---when cortisol levels in the bloodstream remain too high for too long, disease can occur. Meditators have been found to have a much higher coping mechanism; they visit doctors and the hospital 50 percent less than non-meditators. The activity in the brain also changes during meditation as the brain waves become longer, akin to those produced during deeply relaxed states. The mind is gathered in the present, which cuts the natural tendency to worry about future events or obsess about previous actions. Also, meditation aids the circulation of blood to the brain, helping to keep the mind lucid in later life.

HOW TO MEDITATE

Meditation is usually practiced at the end of a yoga workout, after pranayama. Like learning to play a musical instrument, meditation requires practice, for at least 20 minutes a day.

As a beginner it is important to find a peaceful spot in which to meditate that is free from external distractions such as ringing telephones or external street noise.

Find a comfortable position, either cross-legged, or in a half-lotus, or sitting on a chair with the spine upright. Wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothes and remove spectacles and watches.

It is important to maintain a passive attitude to any thoughts that arise in the mind because initially when you sit the mind is flooded by all the activities of the day, from conversations that took place to lists of things you need to accomplish tomorrow.

Simply observe thoughts as if they were clouds floating across a clear blue sky and gently bring your awareness back to the breath. Observe the natural rhythm of your breathing, and the cool sensation as you breathe in and the warm sensation as you exhale. . . . Gradually with practice the mind will become more calm and peaceful

(paraphrased from Ageless Yoga: Gentle Workouts for Health and Fitness by Juliet Pegrum)

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