Sit Back, Relax and Meditate

Meditation is as old as civilization itself. Meditation as a road to spiritual evolvement and enlightenment has been practiced in the East for countless centuries.

Recently, meditation has found its way to the West, gaining widespread acceptance as more and more people are turning to meditation, not just as a way of moving forward on their spiritual path, but also as a way of finding a period of sanctuary away from the stresses of modern life. Meditation can help balance the mind and body, reduce stress and depression, improve relaxation, increase calmness and clarity and promote happiness.

Even Western medicine is now recognising the benefits of meditating and recommending its use. More and more doctors are prescribing meditation as a treatment for various ailments, including high blood pressure, asthma, insomnia and generally, as a way to relax away from everyday stress.

Concentration is more involved with the Eastern tradition and attempts to transform consciousness and go beyond the absence of thought. Through a slowing down or ceasing of conscious thought and focusing inward, experts seek to make conscious contact with a state that is variously called their higher self, their soul, universal intelligence, or God.

Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, an Eastern spiritual teacher, said: “When you meditate, the silence of the senses illumines the presence of God within.”

Another teacher, Paramahansa Yogananda, said that calmness is the ideal state in which we should receive all life’s experiences. “Through meditation,” he wrote, “one can cultivate a wonderful inner quiet that will melt away stress and nervousness.”

No matter who we are, what we do, what we may have or not have, each of us has an inherent ability to find this inner peace. And it doesn’t have to be complicated or difficult.

Literally, hundreds of books have been published on the subject, giving advice, sometimes conflicting, on what you need to do to meditate and how you should think. There are so many types of meditation, including Yoga meditation, Transcendental Meditation, active meditation, passive meditation, concentration meditation using candles, mantras or breathing.

Most of the meditation practices we find today had been modified to suit our fast-paced lifestyles. Unlike the monks in monasteries, we cannot sit for hours or days to meditate and achieve enlightenment. Today’s meditation practices can be as short as five minutes.

If you are new to meditation and looking for information, you will find that there are hundreds of websites and meditation coaches to choose from. And if you are into Apps, there are dozens of meditation and mindfulness apps in both the Apple Store and Play Store.

With so many choices, starting can be overwhelming, but remember that meditation practice is personal. What works for one person may not work for you. So, feel free to join different classes, listen to different audios or try out different Apps until you find one that suits you.

Here is an example of a simple meditation that you can do at home Flower Power Meditation.