Your Guide to Meditation

The need to meditate is present in every human being because it is a natural tendency of human life to look for a joy that doesn’t diminish and a love that doesn’t turn into negative emotions. Meditation is a tool to reach such a state.

Human beings are gifted with a beautiful mind through which we think, perceive, analyze, and make decisions. Just as all these skills are natural to the human mind, so is meditation.

What is Meditation?

Meditation is the delicate and effortless art of doing nothing. It is the skill to take a deep rest while being conscious and alert. Beyond all the chatter and noise in our minds, there is a silent, peaceful, blissful, and beautiful space that exists in all of us. A place that is intact and unbroken. Turning our attention to this silent chamber within is meditation. 

Experiencing this silent space cleanses the mind, giving it a much-needed rest, and makes room for better perceptions and new ways of looking at life and its challenges.

What is not Meditation?

To understand what is meditation, it is also important to understand what is not meditation. Many think that meditation involves sitting and concentrating at a particular point inside your body but that is not meditation. Concentration is not meditation. 

The ability to concentrate is actually an outcome of good meditation practice. Engaging in an activity you like (running, singing, drawing, among others.) is also not meditation. Deep sleep is also not meditation. Giving up everything and becoming a recluse is not meditation either.

Meditation is just conscious relaxation. When we sleep, we are relaxing unconsciously but in meditation, we are conscious and aware of things - our body, breath and thoughts. Yet we are relaxed and calm.

What are the Benefits of Meditation?

If you ask me about the benefits of meditation, I could talk for days, because meditation has innumerable benefits. Meditation helps our mind become calm and that enables us to make better decisions. This in turn creates a harmonious and positive environment around us. If we go into the science of it, there are several studies that have validated that a few minutes of meditation in your daily life can help improve both physical and mental health conditions. The practice of meditation can improve your overall quality of life.

Improves Focus and Concentration

Our mind is always oscillating between the past and the future. We are either thinking about what has already happened in the past, or what is going to happen in the future. The past makes us angry and the future anxious - this prevents us from making effective decisions. We are hardly in the present moment. 

Improves Communication

Regular meditation frees you from within, which allows you to shed the inhibitions and barriers that prevent effective communication. Finding peace within yourself gives you the confidence necessary to master communication. It helps you understand others and express yourself better.

Nurtures creativity

Creativity is at the core of our personality, but often it gets covered.  The more you relax into the depth of your own being, the more you are able to bring up your hidden skills to the field of expression. This is why creativity surfaces when you meditate. Meditation clears the turbulence from our minds, making us feel calm and relaxed. Meditation opens you up to newer ideas and unleashes your hidden creativity. If you are in the creative field like writing, singing, dancing or painting you will find newer ideas coming up after you start meditating. You will become an even better creator!

Reduces Stress

One of the foremost benefits of meditation is stress and anxiety reduction. The overly busy life drains us mentally and physically. To overcome the stress most professionals wait for months to go on a vacation but practicing meditation lets you go on a vacation, within yourself every day. The daily practice of meditation rejuvenates your body and mind, making you feel energized. 

Starting your day with meditation is even better, as it gives you the energy and enthusiasm to work throughout the day.

Time Management

Meditation helps us add more hours to our days by helping us become efficient in our work. After meditation, the mind that was caught up in the whirlpool of thoughts, settles down and becomes clear.  We start doing things more effectively which ultimately frees up time for other things. 

You are mistaken if you think meditation is a waste of time. Meditation is actually what can prevent you from wasting time. 

Heals You

Nowadays even doctors and psychologists are validating the importance of having a calm, alert and relaxed mind. The positive effects of meditation and mindfulness practice on health conditions like blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems, sleep disorders, hypertension, among others are widely known. Daily practice of meditation removes the unnecessary garbage that we keep accumulating in our minds. This makes your mind more powerful and strong. You are able to let go of the negative thoughts and emotions and get over mental health issues. 

I often say that a strong body cannot be carried by a weak mind but a strong mind can even carry a weak body. Meditation helps one get that strong state of mind. That is the power of meditation.

Develops Your Personality

Why do we like to be with some people and ignore others in our lives? Have you ever wondered about who attracts you more - happy and joyful people or heavy and negative people?

We obviously look for the company of contented, and upbeat people. Meditating daily lets you evolve into this sort of person. You will become a better version of yourself and people will be attracted to you like magnets. Meditation brings about a balance between the different states of your mind. You learn to switch between the tough and the kind aspects inside you. You learn to switch between activity and rest at will. The ability is already there in all of us and meditation gives you access to the switch. 

Who can Learn To Meditate?

Everyone has fingers. You can not only fold or unfold them but also create melodious music on strings, drums and other instruments with guidance and training. Similarly, our mind has the innate ability to think, understand, empathize and make decisions. Much like these skills, meditation is also a natural skill of the mind. Anyone can learn to meditate.

Starting with Meditation

As a beginner, there is not much that you need to do to start meditating. All you need is the right guidance from a teacher to learn the skills to calm your mind. I have created several types of meditations to guide and let beginners get started with meditation. If you have never meditated, a guided meditation is best for you to get started.

To make your meditations better here are a few things that you should do:

1. Shake your hands for a few minutes or do some light exercise like jogging, stretching or yoga asanas. These will take care of the restlessness that you may be experiencing.
2. Do some breathing exercises and pranayamas. If you don’t know any, take 10 - 15 deep breaths before you start. These will increase the flow of energy in your body and help you feel relaxed.
3. Sit in a comfortable posture with your spine erect. 
4. Smile and follow the instructions.

Now you are all set to meditate! Here is a meditation that can you try doing right away