Despite all its popularity,

today very few of us truly

know what meditation is.

Some regard meditation

as the mental

concentration on

something, others

consider that we

meditate when we

imagine something that

gives us peace or satisfaction. All these methods are being with one goal to slow down and, eventually, completely stop the incessant activity of our minds. These exercises are not really meditation - they are substitutes for meditation because it is normally very difficult to stop our minds all-together. In reality, meditation is a state of thoughtless awareness. It is not an act of doing - it is a state of awareness. We either in this state or we are not, regardless of what we are doing in life. Truly, a man can be in meditation while doing his day’s labors as

another man can be very

far from meditation

while sitting in a lotus

posture on the top of a

mountain.

 

When we take a look at

the various explanations

of meditation, another

thing we often see is that

meditation is defined as

taking a moment to sit

quietly or to ponder.

True meditation,

however is much more

than this. It is a state of

profound, deep peace that occurs when the mind is calm and silent, yet completely alert. This is just the beginning of an inner transformation that takes us to a higher level of awareness. This enables us to fulfill our true human potential. The problem, of course, is how to achieve this state.

 

 

Meditation Is Not...

 

Concentration

Concentration is an

effort to fix the attention

on a particular object or

idea for a long period of

time. The techniques

used in visualization are

another type of

concentration.

 

Loss of control

Sounds, voices, colors

and involuntary movements have nothing to do with meditation or spirituality. These are symptoms of loss of awareness and loss of control over some parts of ourselves.

 

Exercises

Exercises, such as postures and breathing, do not constitute meditation. They may help establish some balance if under the guidance of a true master (a realized soul). Their practice without a true spiritual goal only leads to an imbalance in the right channel.

 

Mental effort

Thoughtless awareness

is achieved through the

raising of the Kundalini.

To get rid of blockages

that prevent her ascent,

we use the hands and

introspection but never

mental effort e.g. the

continuous repetition of “I must stop thinking”.

 

 

Why Meditate?

 

Meditation is seen by a number of researchers as potentially one of the most effective forms of stress reduction. While stress reduction techniques have been cultivated and studied in the West for approximately 70 years, the data indicates that they are not consistently effective.

 

Meditation however, has been developed in Eastern cultures and has a documented history of more than several thousand years. Eastern meditative techniques have been developed, trialled and refined over

hundreds of generations

with the specific

intention of developing

a method by which the

layperson can regularly

attain a state of mental

peace and tranquility,

i.e. relief from stress. It is a strategy that can easily be adapted to the needs of clinicians and their patients in the West.

 

The growing emphasis on:

- quality of life outcomes

- concepts such as psychoneuroimmunology or mind–body medicine and reducing healthcare costs

- suggest that stress reduction and improving mental health are becoming increasingly relevant to healthcare.

 

 

Some Key Points About Meditation

 

Meditation can be an

effective form of stress

reduction and has the

potential to improve

quality of life and

decrease healthcare

costs.

 

Meditation is effortless and leads to a state of ‘thoughtless awareness’ in which the excessive stress producing activity of the mind is neutralised without reducing alertness and effectiveness.

 

Authentic meditation enables one to focus on the present moment rather than dwell on the unchangeable past or undetermined future.

 

There is little quality evidence comparing one meditation technique with another or meditation with relaxation techniques.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The theoretical explanation for the effects of meditation and relaxation techniques is that the release of catecholamines and other stress hormones are reduced and parasympathetic activity is increased. Whether meditation involves other unique neurophysiological effects remains to be proven.

 

How does meditation work?

 

There are many forms of

meditation, ranging in

complexity from strict,

regulated practices to

general recommendation

s. If practiced regularly,

meditation is thought to

help develop habitual,

unconscious microbehaviours that can potentially produce widespread positive effects on physical and psychological functioning. Meditation even for 15 minutes twice a day has been shown to bring beneficial results.

 

Parasympathetic response

 

Most theories are based

on the assumption that

meditation is a

sophisticated form of

relaxation involving a

concept called the

parasympathetic response. Psychological stress is associated with activation of the sympathetic component of the autonomic nervous system which, in its extreme, causes the ‘fight or flight response’. Meditation and any form of rest or relaxation acts to reduce sympathetic activation by reducing the release of catecholamines and other stress hormones such as cortisol, and promoting increased parasympathetic activity which in turn slows the heart rate and improves the flow of blood to the viscera and away from the periphery.

 

 

Other neurophysiological effects

 

Other proponents claim

that meditation involves

unique

neurophysiological

effects; however, this

remains to be proven.

Research at the

Meditation Research Program suggests the limbic system may be involved in Sahaja Yoga Meditation since significant effects involving mood state have been consistently observed.

 

The most important issue that must be addressed in this field of research is to clearly define meditation and then subject that definition to scientific testing.

 

Meditation is popularly

perceived to be any

activity in which the

individual’s attention is

primarily focused on a

repetitious cognitive

activity. This very broad

definition is, in the

opinion of the Meditation Research Program, the main cause for much of the inconsistent outcomes seen in meditation research.

 

 

Thoughtless awareness

 

If one closely examines

the authentic tradition

of meditation it is

apparent that meditation

is a discrete and well

defined experience of a

state called ‘thoughtless

awareness’. This is a state in which the excessive and stress producing activity of the mind is neutralized without reducing alertness and effectiveness.

 

Authentic meditation enables one to focus on the ‘present moment’ rather than dwell on the unchangeable past or undetermined future. It is this state of equipoise that is said to be therapeutic both psychologically and physically and which fundamentally distinguishes meditation from simple relaxation, physical rest or sleep.