Despite its hippy connotations, meditation is a very good stress-buster and is used by people from all walks of life, to achieve balance of mind, body and spiritual being. There are two general types of formal meditation practice. Focusing your attention to one sensation or focal point. This could be a mental picture of a natural scene, or a visual point such as a candle or altar of some kind. Or it could be focussing on breathing, which is always with you. Some people use a mantra, or prayer beads. Opening your awareness to all incoming external or internal stimuli without judgment. Thoughts, feelings and experiences may enter your mind, be aware of them and follow your train of thought wherever it leads you. How does it work? The idea behind meditation is to consciously relax your body and focus your thoughts on one thing for a certain period of time (usually a minimum of 20 minutes). By doing this, you can occupy your mind, diverting it from the problems that are causing you stress. It also gives your body time to relax and recuperate and time to clear away stress hormones. These are some of the areas where meditation can be of use: How to practice meditation: 1. Find a quiet place to meditate in. Some people find places of worship a good, safe and calm environment in which to meditate. Others prefer to get out into nature, and sit quietly in woods or meadows. Once you are experienced, meditation can be practiced anywhere. 2. Get yourself into an upright, balanced posture. This could be cross-legged on the floor, or to kneel on the floor sitting back on the heels. Hold your head up, or it can drop slightly towards your chest. 3. Begin to focus – don’t try to accomplish anything; remain passive. Do not rush, or judge your progress. It is difficult at first to remain focussed, and your mind may wander. Just take stock, and return your thoughts to the point of reference; i.e. your breathing, or the mental image of a river, for instance. 4. Continue this focus for 20 minutes at least – more if you feel able. 5. Upon finishing your meditation, it might take a little time to become fully alert again. Your heart rate may have slowed, so allow time for things to get back to normal. Stretching sometimes helps with this. 6. If practicing awareness meditation, sit quietly and notice any thoughts entering your mind. For instance, you may remember an argument, you may remember you feel angry about it. Just allow these feelings to exist, but do not judge them – they are neither good nor bad. This enables you to step out of the feeling (i.e. anger) and choose how to deal with it in your own way. 7. Practice should be 20 minutes twice daily for maximum effect. This is best done before breakfast and before dinner. However, any way in which you can set aside time specifically to be calm, stop, and listen to your own inner peace will be of benefit. *Do remain upright to meditate – lying down may result in sleep, a state different from that of meditation! Useful links about meditation:
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What is Meditation?