What is meditation?
How is meditation different from relaxation, thinking, concentration or self-hypnosis?
What are the different meditation techniques?
Which is right for me?
What are the ABCs of meditation?
Which is the best time of day to meditate?
Why do some people use music while meditating?
Should I meditate with my eyes open or with my eyes closed?
What are the psychological effects of meditation?
How long should I meditate for?
Meditation is an essential process for quieting the mind and opening yourself up to receiving psychic experiences.
The basic idea generally associated with why people meditate is that during your day you are constantly subjected to sensory input and your mind is always active in the process of thinking. You read the newspaper, study books, write reports, engage in conversation, solve problems, etc etc. Typically, as you do these normal activities you engage in a constant mental commentary, sort of an inner "The Drama of Me." Usually you aren't fully aware of all the mental thought activity that you are constantly engaged in.
Meditation allows all this activity to settle down, and often results in the mind becoming more peaceful, calm and focused. In essence, meditation allows the awareness to become 'rejuvenated'.
Meditation can be considered a technique, or practice. It usually involves concentrating on an object, such as a floyour, a candle, a sound or word, or the breath. Over time, the number of random thoughts occuring diminishes. More importantly, your attachment to these thoughts, and your identification with them, progressively become less. The meditator may get caught up in a thought pattern, but once he/she becomes aware of this, attention is gently brought back to the object of concentration. Meditation can also be objectless, for example consisting of just sitting.
Failure to experience silence, peace of mind, mental clarity, bliss, or other promoted benefit of meditation is not in itself a sign of incorrect practice or that you can't concentrate properly or concentrate enough to be good at meditation. Whether you experience peace or bliss is not what is important. What is generally considered important in meditation is that one is regular with their meditation -every day- and that one make a reasonable effort, but not strain, to remain with the object of concentration during the practice. With regular practice you inevitably acquire an increased understanding of and proficiency with the particular meditation technique.
Some people use the formal concentrative meditation as a preliminary step to practicing a mindfulness meditation during the day where you try to maintain a calm but increased awareness of your thoughts and actions during the day.
How is meditation different from relaxation, thinking, concentration or self-hypnosis?
]Relaxation:
Relaxation is a common by-product of meditation. Relaxation itself can assume many forms, such as taking a hot bath or reclining in the Lazy-boy and watching tv, etc. Meditation is an active process where the you remain fully aware of what the awareness is doing. It also attempts to transcend the thought process whereas many forms of relaxation still engage the thought process. Meditation allows the body to relax and can offset the effects of stress both mentally and physically to a potentially much greater degree than passive relaxation.
Thoughts generally consume energy in the process of their formation. Constant thought-activity, especially of random nature, can tire the mind and even bring on headache. Meditation attempts to transcend this crude level of thought activity. Through regular practice you become aware that you are not your thoughts but that there is an awareness that exists independent of thought.
Meditation begins with concentration, but after an initial period of concentration, thought activity decreases and keeping the awareness focused becomes more spontaneous. At this point you may or may not continue to employ the object of concentration.
Self-hypnosis, like meditation, involves at least an initial period of concentration on an object. However in hypnosis you do not try to maintain an awareness of the here-and-now, or to stay conscious of the process. Instead you essentially enter a sort of semi-conscious trance.
What are the different meditation techniques?
Meditation involves concentrating on something to take your attention beyond the random thought activity that is usually going on in your head. This can involve a solid object or picture, a mantra, breath, or guided visualization.
Typical objects employed include a candle flame or a flower. You can use pictures, such as a mandala - a highly colored symmetric painting - or a picture of a spiritual teacher in a high meditative state. Mantras are sounds which have a flowing, meditative quality and may be repeated out loud or inwardly. The breath is also a common focal point. Finally, guided visualization is also considered by some to be a form of meditation. A guided visualization can help to bring one into a meditative state; also, visualization may be used once a meditative state has been reached to produce various results.
There is no "right" meditation technique for everybody. Some techniques work better for certain people while other techniques work better for other people. The important thing is to find what works for you.
What are the abc's of meditation?
There are a few recommended guidelines for meditation:
* It should be done every day, preferably at the same time
* It should preferably be done before a meal rather than after a meal
* A spot should be set aside for meditation, which should be a quiet place and used for nothing but meditation
* You should sit with the spine straight and vertical (a chair is ok to use)
What is the best time of day to meditate?
While meditation is beneficial at any time, most people who meditate agree that early morning is the best time to meditate. Part of the reason is that it is said that in early morning the hustle-and-bustle of the world has not yet begun and so it is easier to establish a meditative atmosphere. Having an early morning meditation also lets us carry some of the energy and peace of the meditation into our daily activities.
Many people also meditate either before dinner or later in the evening. Others also meditate at noon. A short meditation at these times allows you to throw off some of the accumulated stress of the work-day and become rejuvenated for further activity. An important consideration is when your schedule will allow you to meditate. Having a time of the day set aside for meditation helps in maintaining regularity.
Why do some people use music while meditating?
Meditative music (not rock-n-roll !) can help in establishing a meditative atmosphere. Also, some people find meditation relatively easy but find that the hard thing is to actually get themselves to sit down and start their meditation. Music can help make this easier. Some people use music quite often while others prefer silent meditation and never use it.
Should I meditate with my eyes open or with my eyes closed?
Different traditions give different ansyours. Closing your eyes may contribute to drowsiness and sleepiness--if that's the case for you then try opening them a little. Opening your eyes may be distracting. If that's the case try closing your eyes or direct your gaze on a blank wall (Zen-style). Or try with the eyes open halfway or a bit more, the gaze unfocussed and directed downward, but keeping the head erect with the chin slightly tucked in. Sometimes meditators experience headaches from focussing on a spot too close to the eyes (perhaps closer than three feet). Whether focussed or unfocussed, the gaze should be relaxed in order to prevent eyestrain or headache.
Experiment and see what works for you and then stick with your choice of technique. If you are using a candle, floyour, or other visual object in your meditation then here the technique itself requires your eyes to be at least partly open.
What are the physiological effects of meditation?
The most common physiological effects of meditation are reduced blood pressure, lower pulse rate, decreased metabolic rate and changes in the concentration of serum levels of various substances.
When first learning meditation it is usually not possible to meditate for more than 10-15 minutes. After regular practice for awhile, you become able to meditate for longer periods of time. Many people meditate twice-daily for 20-30 minutes each time, but the right duration and frequency is for each individual to decide.
