Meditation

Tools for personal development

Meditation means to get to a state where your body is totally relaxed and your mind is at the same time both empty and focused. Meditation is most commonly associated with monks, mystics and other spiritual disciplines. However, you don’t have to be a monk or mystic to enjoy its benefits. And you don’t even have to be in a special place to practice it - all you need is somewhere quiet where you can sit undisturbed for 20 minutes or so.

Silencing the mind through meditation is not simple to achieve, especially in a very noisy society, but it can be done. When the constant streams of thoughts are stilled, a different part of the mind, which has infinitely better abilities to process information, becomes active.

Although there are many different approaches to meditation, the fundamental principles remain the same. The most important among these principles is that of removing obstructive, negative, and wandering thoughts, worries and fantasies, and calming the mind with a deep sense of focus. This clears the mind of debris and prepares it for a higher quality of activity.

How to Meditate

The place you perform meditation should ideally be quiet, comfortable and have a soothing atmosphere. It is best if possible to set up a ‘special’ place for the purpose, so just by entering this place you are setting the scene for meditation. It may be in your living room, or bedroom, or in the garden under a tree (depending on your location and the season!) or any place that you feel comfortable in.

Silence is more or less essential, at least to beginners, so you may want a quiet, isolated area far from the ringing of the phone or the humming of the washing machine. Pleasing scents also help generate the right atmosphere, so stocking up on incense or aromatic candles may be an idea. If you cannot find somewhere that is not too brightly lit and is free from noise, you may need to shut out major sensory input using earplugs and covering the eyes in some way. You can also use ambient music or white noise to blot out background sounds, although this is normally not as useful as profound silence.

It is not necessary to adopt the contorted positions associated with yoga - it is more important to be simply sitting in a comfortable position - that is, not aware of any discomfort, no matter how minor, that might interfere with the process of detachment. But do avoid lying down or allowing the head to loll forward or sideways, or you will probably just fall asleep! Loose, comfortable clothes help since tight fitting clothes have a tendency to cause small discomforts which can seem to grow in intensity while you try to still the mind. In the early stages, the chattering mind is never quite still, and firm discipline is needed to acknowledge each new thought but to prevent its growth.

Various methods are suggested, including the following

• ‘Watch’ the breath coming into the body, and watch it leaving. This means visualising the air entering and leaving, and focusing attention on the internal sensations associated with breathing.
  
• Mentally recite a ‘mantra’ - usually two meaningless sounds - in synch with your breathing.
  
• Try keeping your eyes open and focusing on a certain object such as a candle, while in darkened surroundings.
  
• Silently name every part of your body and focusing your consciousness on that part. While doing this you should be aware of any tension on any part of your body. Mentally visualize releasing this tension. This method is similar to the ‘progressive relaxation’ used in hypnosis and has similar effects.

The principle here is focus. The object of these methods is simply to give the ‘monkey mind’ something to do in order to minimise the spontaneous thoughts and emotions that it generates to try to retain control. Without the constant replaying of memories, or the worrying and ‘planning’ that are the stock in trade of the conscious mind, your mind is forced to experience the present moment without intrusion.

It is only by existing fully in the present that you can make contact with your higher faculties and experience the quietness that opens the way to inner peace. With constant practice, it becomes easier to still the surface layers of the mind and enter the contemplative state with increasing ease and depth.　

Benefits of meditation

Practitioners of this art report increased awareness, focus, and concentration, as well as a more positive outlook in life. Regularly practicing meditation soothes the mind, relaxes and refreshes the body, reduces anxiety and tension, and can open the way for sudden insights which have real practical benefits in daily life. It has also been shown that regular mediation can result in a number of health benefits, probably largely because of its ability to reduce stress, and so lower levels of the damaging stress hormone, cortisol.

People who regularly meditate are also happier! The ability to concentrate is sharpened, so that the conscious mind becomes stronger and more in control. There is also an increasing ability and capacity to enjoy the “present”. As a result confidence grows with the certainty that the answers you need are already available within, and there is no need to measure yourself against others, seek their approval, lay blame or criticise.

In short, meditation is a route to personal growth - to greater creativity, resilience, self confidence, happiness and personal power. But it is no ‘instant’ solution - it can take a great deal of time to become proficient, perhaps years of regular practice.

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