Meditation - What is it?

[LightWorker1967]

Meditation, like exercise, takes many forms, belongs to nobody and everybody, isn't religious by nature, and is experienced by all people at some point in their lives. But experienced by some much more than others.

There is no definition of meditation that comes close to holding it – much like there is no definition of love that fully contains the experience of love. But there are many things that meditation is connected to:

• Meditation is a way to deeply rest – while you are still awake. The practice of meditation increases your capacity for silence. For listening. For peace. A moment of reflection and integration – what is happening in your life? What does it mean? What does God have in mind for you today?

• Meditation tends to produce a greater awareness of the body - how is your body feeling, where are you holding stress, what is your present level of vitality, what emotions need releasing – and many other things that we often fail to notice until something abrupt, like disease, wakes us up.

• Meditation is connected to an awareness of breath. Is your breath shallow? Is it quick? Is it even? Simply bringing more awareness to breath improves health. (It can also help your child do well on his or her SAT test!)

• Meditation is connected to the awareness of your heart – the physical heart in this case. As you become more conscious of your heartbeat, you become more conscious of your life. Your heart is your Life-Line.

• Meditation isn't tied to a sitting position, an amount of time, a routine, music or the absence of, incense, a special room, or a special bench. You can meditate twice a day in routine, or you can wing it and simply notice something, like your breath, a few times during the day. You can walk and meditate – golf and meditate – I supposed you can even play Rook and meditate! (I had to throw one SDA icon into the mix!)

• Meditation doesn't eliminate thinking – it brings you into relationship with your thinking. Expressing more choice instead of jumping on a runaway thought train.

• Meditation doesn't put you out of control, it brings you into relationship with what you care deeply about in your life. It brings you In-To not Out-Of.

If this is starting to seem a bit familiar – it should. You are already doing it – to some extent. Having said that, meditation is also the journey of a lifetime. It takes hard work, great teachers, and persistence. And is for many people one of the most important, most exciting, and most meaningful aspects of their life.

Thoughts? Questions?

Next: Meditation – Why it Matters

 

[DrStupid_Ben]

I find much benefit in the act of "centring" myself. Using meditation to bring yourself into an awareness of the present is a beneficial practice. I have only recently become aware of this as a way of addressing my stress (I am very prone to taking on large amounts of stress) so I am giving it a go.

 

[LightWorker1967]

I find much benefit in the act of "centring" myself. Using meditation to bring yourself into an awareness of the present is a beneficial practice. I have only recently become aware of this as a way of addressing my stress (I am very prone to taking on large amounts of stress) so I am giving it a go.

Well said.

I discovered there was stress I was aware of, and even more that I wasn't. As you continue to practice – and especially with other people or a teacher – you will find great value in releasing your stress and other people's garbage as well.

This is one of the reasons so many physicians are now prescribing meditation for hypertension. (One of my first teachers was a vascular surgeon who was chief of staff at a teaching hospital.)

It's my sense that some form of meditation for release is crucially important for people who have experienced divorce. Among other issues, it's hard to attract a healthy person when you are holding any negative emotion from the last relationship. You can fake it with a happy face – but if you hold it, you hold it.

For anyone not familiar with the word "centering," it means bringing your body, your emotions, your mind, and your connection to God into a better working relationship. If, for example, you are feeling rage toward something, you are out of balance in that moment. Or, if you are preoccupied with an extremely strong physical sensation – like pain – you are out of balance. Most of us are somewhat out of balance most of the time – to varying degrees.