As most people believe meditation is not an exotic or difficult practice that requires chanting, navel gazing or sitting in the lotus position. Such practices may be valid for religious reasons. In fact, if you can gaze at something such as a tree or a river for a while, you are well on your way to understanding how to meditate.
Formal meditation for religious purposes requires you to sit in a comfortable position, may be under the shade of a tree or in a hall such as a Dharmashala. Most people would sit cross-legged or lotus posture on the floor with their bottoms supported by a small pillow or cushion. Others who cannot sit in this position would lie down on their back or sit back on their legs or on a straight-backed chair. A meditator has to keep his spine straight. The next step is to breathe deeply to fill his lungs, then exhale slowly contracting his abdominal muscles. He also needs something to focus on. The flickering flame of a candle or coconut-oil lamp or even a flower would be ideal.
Meditation has been a part of most cultures and religions, both Eastern and Western throughout the ages. Meditation methods vary but there is a common thread running through Yoga meditation, Christian prayer, Jewish meditation, Japanese Zen, Chinese Tao, Moslem Sufism and Buddhist and Hindu meditation. Medical practitioners use meditation to promote health without any religious connotations.
Concentration
Meditation helps us to develop our concentration powers because the mind that holds an idea becomes held by it. The power of the subconscious can be used to build our character. For instance, if you constantly tell yourself that you are a winner, you will win most of your battles in life. Similarly, if you tell yourself that you are a failure, eventually you will be an utter failure.
As in many other subjects, there are different paths to meditation. Educated people with a rational mind follow the intellectual path. They believe that everything in the universe springs from one source and returns to the same source. Everything in the universe is in a state of flux. The devotional path is followed by deeply religious people to attain whatever their ambitions. However, religious fervour has diminished considerably in our society. Some people follow the physical path and meditate in order to become aware of their body and bodily movements. Hatha Yoga, Dervish dances of the Sufi and their Western equivalent, the Alexander technique of sensory awareness are some examples.
Today, most people embrace meditation for reasons that go beyond its ability to relieve stress. They use meditation to control heart disease, migraine, high blood pressure, chronic pain or even cancer. Meditation may not cure all the diseases, but it has attracted scientific community in great numbers. Harvard Medical School cardiologist Herbert Benson tried to train heart patients in meditation technique. His findings are chronicled in his best-selling book ‘The Relaxation Response.’ He said, “These problems are poorly related by medications and surgeries but respond extremely well to mind-body approaches.”
Brain activity
You might wonder how sitting quietly in the shade of a tree will have the power to reduce stress and pain. According to Benson, meditation affects brain activity, specifically in the limbic nervous system which controls metabolism, blood pressure, respiration and heart rate. Those who meditated responded to surgery with less anxiety. Doctors found that most of their patients bled less and took less time for surgery.
Meditation has helped Marsha Manning in her job at General Motors. She was compelled to do multitasking which led to anxiety. Then she attended a meditation class and began to meditate at her desk. Today, she has the capacity to concentrate on whatever she does and maintain the quality of her work. What she practised was mindfulness meditation which relies on paying attention to what is happening in the present moment.
Meditation should not be taken lightly. The benefits of meditation cannot be achieved by just sitting under a tree and repeating some word now and again. Meditation is a tough discipline that requires life-long commitment. You will find even meditation on breathing fairly difficult. The first shock and surprise comes when you realize how undisciplined your mind really is. The mind refuses to obey you. The more you try to control it, the more you will find that the mind is doing all sorts of tricks: thinking of old grudges, planning tomorrow’s work, feeling all kinds of sensations and perceptions. Sometimes you might want to go for a cup of coffee or you might even fall asleep while meditating!
Contemplation
Meditation on nature is perhaps the easiest object of contemplation. For a start, visit a meadow, sit under a tree and look at the beautiful green fields. You can also listen to soothing music of the ocean or a waterfall. Let the intensity of the sound fill your mind. Walk along the beach watching your own shadow. See how it shortens and lengthens depending on the position of the sun. Look at the waves that come and go.
Listen to the wind. What kind of music do you hear? Does it bring the fragrance of flowers from the distant hills? When it rains, look at the raindrops falling on the ground, leaves and the roof. What kind of sound do you hear? Even when you wash dishes, look at their shining colours. Pay complete attention to what you are doing. That is the beginning of meditation.
Meditation cannot be practised if you find yourself in a noisy group of people. Noise, movement of people or vehicles, strong light, and the activities of other people are powerful distractions. If distractions cannot be avoided, develop a passive and relaxed attitude towards them. If your mind begins to wander, make an effort to bring it back to your object of meditation. You may have to do this several times. Do not think of meditation itself because it is something formless, wordless and imageless.
Experts on meditation say you can meditate at anytime, anywhere provided you have sufficiently trained your mind not to wander. So, let’s meditate, here and now!