The purpose of this blog is to explain what meditation really is, outline a brief history of meditation and why you may wish to learn to meditate. I have included research findings and background information. In this blog you will also find listed its many positive benefits and how meditation is normally practiced.

An explanation of meditation

Meditation is a very ancient eastern spiritual practice and a process of stilling the mind. Its aim is to enable you to reach your own source of being - your true Self. Your true Self is verily the source of infinite happiness.

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There are many different kinds of meditation, they include guided meditation, mindfulness meditation, mantra meditation, transcendental meditation, chakra meditation, zazen (zen) meditation, vipassana meditation (insight), metta meditation (loving kindness), self-enquiry meditation and more. All these different types of meditation have one thing in common, which is the practice of focus and concentration on something specific, to that meditation.

Brief history of meditation

The earliest evidence of the practice of mediation dates back to 5000 BCE, from the wall arts, in the Indian subcontinent, which illustrates people seated in meditation postures. The earliest written evidence of dhyana i.e. meditation practice, can be found in the Hindu scriptures, the Vedas and date back to 1500 BCE. From there it spread to many other parts of the world.

Reasons to meditate

Research has shown that people who do daily meditation are happier than those who don’t practice this wonderful art. The reason being is that meditation alters the structure and function of the brain, within 8 weeks of daily practice.

Scientists have confirmed that each of us has a happiness set-point. This set point explains our average level of happiness and is determined mostly by heredity and personality characteristics ingrained in us at a very young age. Whilst external events may affect this base level of happiness, those changes tend to be transient and for most people their prevailing point of happiness remains the same throughout their entire life.

In addition, we lead very busy lives and live in stressful times, so it is not uncommon that most people find it hard to relax and experience a lack of inner peace. Most people’s life seems to be in a constant rush. This is not a healthy lifestyle. By being externally focused you are rarely connected with your inner being - your true Self. Even if your body is sitting, your mind is constantly in action, thinking about so many things, thinking about the past and worrying about the future. You are then not in harmony with yourself. The nature of the mind is wayward and in truth never stands still. We may be able to do many things but we have great difficulty in establishing control over our mind. In fact, our mind controls us. This really isn’t good news because that is an indication that, rather than living your life from your true Self, you are in fact living life from your ego and the ego is not your friend. The ego is the loveless voice within you and that causes you to suffer by making you appear separate from others.

When you feel separate from others, then problems appear. The reason for this is that you feel that you need to protect and defend ‘I’ from ‘others’. You may also feel that you are somehow inferior to others, which then causes you to have to improve the ‘I’. Also when there is a ’me’, then ‘my’ arises. The feeling of ‘my' causes attachment and expectations and this gives rise to a lot of suffering, as people don’t always act according to your wishes and expectations. This leads to disappointment or anger and so it goes. I am sure that you are familiar with all that is being said here, as this is the story of humanity. Yet through meditation we can slowly begin to gain control over our mind.

Meditation is a way to slow down your breath and when you slow down your breath, then you slow down the flow of thoughts in your mind and this in real terms means greater inner peace. Meditation is the answer to manage the river of life, which moves in its own mysterious way.

As you may have noticed, we only have limited control over the events in our lives. Meditation can help us accept life as it comes. By meditating you may be able to accept life’s constant changes, with greater ease. Meditation can calm and balance your emotions, so that you are able to respond instead of always reacting, in the difficult moments of your life. This will greatly improve the quality of your life.

Besides, life actually takes place in the present moment and yet we are locked in the mind. This in effect means that we are not making the most of our life and life passes by, without our awareness. By learning to meditate you will be able to live with greater awareness of the present moment and as such enjoy life more. Think about when you are on holiday, you seem to be living every moment of the day fully. Why? Because you are fully present. Imagine if you learned to be fully present in your life…

Through meditation, we can perhaps for the first time come to know what is happening within us. Knowing what is happening within you is very important, because it can enable you to notice the starting point of inner disturbances i.e. your thoughts starting to become negative, negative emotions arising, your mood sinking etc. this allows you to address your situation, at an early stage, so as to avoid ending up in a very stressful state. By being the witness to your thoughts, emotions, sensations, beliefs etc. you can take a distance from them and that changes your perspective.

Your thoughts create your emotions and your emotions affect your physical body. During the meditation you can become aware of your thoughts, observe your breath, feel your emotions and the sensations which arise within your body. Meditation causes you to become more objective and in this way you can become more detached about the things that bother you. Meditation can get to the root of an apparent problem. When the mind is relaxed and empty, the answer to your ‘problem’ can pop up into your mind. Meditation can provide long-term solutions.

Meditation can also increase your awareness of your innermost beliefs, your past conditioning and the limiting patterns of your mind, that hold you back. By discovering your habitual mental thought patterns you can let go of all that is not true and come to realise that you are not what you thought we were. You are in fact, the witness of all that occurs in your life.

The fantastic benefits of meditation

The benefits of meditation are truly numerous. Here you will find some of them:

Relaxation, release of stress and tension. Increased harmony, calmness and inner peace. Greater clarity, concentration, creativity and productivity. Reduction in depression, fear and anxiety.

In addition it can slow down the heart beat, deepen the breath and lower blood pressure. Furthermore, it can increase appreciation, gratitude, love and compassion. You can gain deeper contentment, presence and equanimity of mind. Additional benefits are increased inner connection, intuition and insight. Greater sense of meaning and purpose. It can also assist you in gradually moving you closer to your true Self and bring about spiritual awakening.

How to practice meditation

In order to be able to meditate you need to find a quiet location in your house, where you will not be disturbed. Keep that area clutter free. The most common way to practice meditation is sitting with your eyes closed or half closed. Sit with your legs crossed on the floor or sit on a chair, without leaning back, if possible. If this is not possible, then sit normally, on a chair. Place your hands on your thighs, with the palms uppermost and keep your spine straight. Then begin to practice the meditation of your choice e.g. mindfulness of breath meditation. The object of this meditation is to become aware of your breath and to follow the breath with your awareness, for the entire duration of the meditation.

The best time for meditation is early morning or late night, when the world is quiet. You can gain greater concentration at then. If you are unable to meditate at those times, then find a time that suits you and know that you will not be disturbed.

In conclusion, it is clear that meditation is invaluable in today’s modern and stressful world. It enables you relax your body, release tension, calm your mind and manage your emotions, so that you can respond to life’s circumstances in a balanced way. Meditation increases your awareness, including awareness of your ‘inner world’. It helps you to live life in the present moment, which is the only reality there is. Meditation can alter the structure and function of your brain for the better and give you a greater perspective on life and increase the quality of your life. It may also slowly awaken you to the truth of your being.

For more information about mindfulness courses, please click on the following link: www.katarinatilley.co.uk/meditation