Meditation Stories

What it is meditation ?

An ordinary person may consider meditation as a worship or prayer. But it is not so. Meditation means awareness. Whatever you do with awareness is meditation. "Watching your breath" is meditation; listening to the birds is meditation. As long as these activities are free from any other distraction to the mind, it is effective meditation.

Meditation is not a technique but a way of life. Meditation means 'to join together or to yoke' . It describes a state of consciousness, when the mind is free of scattered thoughts and various patterns . The observer (one who is doing meditation) realizes that all the activity of the mind is reduced to one.

A Tibetan Lama was being monitored on a brain scan machine by a scientist wishing to test physiological functions during deep meditation. The scientist said - "Very good Sir. The machine shows that you are able to go very deep in brain relaxation, and that validates your meditation". "No", said the Lama, "This (pointing to his brain) validates the machine!".

These days it is commonly understood to mean some form of spiritual practice where one sits down with eyes closed and empties the mind to attain inner peace, relaxation or even an experience of God. Some people use the term as "my gardening is my meditation" or for jogging or art or music, hence creating confusion or misunderstanding.

The word meditation, is derived from two Latin words : meditari(to think, to dwell upon, to exercise the mind) and mederi (to heal). Its Sanskrit derivation 'medha' means wisdom.
Many years ago meditation was considered something just not meant for modern people, but now it has become very popular with all types of people. Published scientific and medical evidence has proved its benefits, but it still needs to be much understood.

Traditionally, the classical yoga texts, describe that to attain true states of meditation one must go through several stages. After the necessary preparation of personal and social code, physical position, breath control, and relaxation come the more advanced stages of concentration, contemplation, and then ultimately absorption. But that does not mean that one must perfect any one stage before moving onto the next. The Integral yoga approach is simultaneous application of a little of all stages together.

Commonly today, people can mean any one of these stages when they refer to the term meditation. Some schools only teach concentration techniques, some relaxation, and others teach free form contemplative activities like just sitting and awaiting absorption. Some call it meditation without giving credence to yoga for fear of being branded 'eastern'. But yoga is not something eastern or western as it is universal in its approach and application.

With regular practice of a balanced series of techniques, the energy of the body and mind can be liberated and the quality of consciousness can be expanded. This is not a subjective claim but is now being investigated by the scientists and being shown by an empirical fact.

It was not till the 20th century that a need for the creation of secular forms of popular meditative techniques began to be felt. But for the most part these New Age meditative systems were little more than rehashed versions of older techniques, which had been extracted from their religious contexts. Transcendental Meditation (TM), as propagated by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, is one such version, which grew out of the Hindu practice of 'naam japa' or 'yoga japa' during the 1960's. Existent techniques of meditation can be categorized under two fairly broad sections—Zen-based forms, which are more "insight"-oriented and Hinduism-based forms, which are largely "concentration"-oriented. Most New Age techniques fall into either of these categories.

Meditation : an enrichment to your soulWhile a meditative state is the natural outcome of yoga and the spiritual benefit of meditation is supreme bliss or enlightenment, these words are unlikely to be understood by many.
However, progress towards meditation and meditative techniques have several benefits at the gross body or material level:
Improvement of body luster and general health-When your mind focuses on a particular part of the body, the blood flow to that part increases and cells receive more oxygen and other nutrients in abundance. Today, many of the film stars and fashion models include meditation in their daily regimen.
Improvement in concentration - Many of the athletes and sports professionals regularly employ meditation methods. Studies have found a direct correlation between concentration exercises (meditation) and the performance level of sports professionals. Meditation strengthens the mind, it comes under control and is able to provide effective guidance to the physical body to effectively execute all its projects. Psychological Exercises are a powerful way of improving concentration and improving mental strength.

Health benefits of Meditation:Though meditation is usually recognized as a largely spiritual practice, it also has many health benefits. The yoga and meditation techniques are being implemented in management of life threatening diseases; in transformation of molecular and genetic structure; in reversal of mental illnesses, in accelerated learning programs, in perceptions and communications beyond the physical, in solving problems and atomic and nuclear physics; in gaining better ecological understanding; in management of lifestyle and future world problems.

Some benefits of meditation are:It lowers oxygen consumption.
It decreases respiratory rate.
It increases blood flow and slows the heart rate.
Increases exercise tolerance in heart patients.
Leads to a deeper level of relaxation.
Good for people with high blood pressure as it brings the B.P. to normal.
Reduces anxiety attacks by lowering the levels of blood lactate.
Decreases muscle tension (any pain due to tension) and headaches.
Builds self-confidence.
It increases serotonin production which influences mood and behaviour. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression, obesity, insomnia and headaches.
Helps in chronic diseases like allergies , arthritis etc.
Reduces Pre- menstrual Syndrome.
Helps in post-operative healing.
Enhances the immune system. Research has revealed that meditation increases activity of 'natural-killer cells', which kill bacteria and cancer cells.
Also reduces activity of viruses and emotional distress.

Benefits of meditation on Women's health and Pregnancy:Identity of your own - besides daughter, wife, mother etc.-Women begin life as someone's daughter, and then someone's lover, wife, someone's mother. Yes, but who am I- who am I really? Not only does a woman need an understanding of her body but also needs to connect with the essence of her true self. A true self, which is an identity beyond everyday change- beyond gender, beyond fluctuations of hormones, beyond family expectations and other superimposed personality patterns. Discovering this true self is not as easy. Just when you know who you are , it all changes again.The process of self discovery involves, stripping off false layers of identity, going back through all the conditionings , realizing- "I am not that, and not that, and not that", an emptiness out of which arises the realization - "Ah ha! I am that".The place for this self discovery is not the psychiatrist's couch, the matrimonial bed, the mother's group, or even a yoga retreat, but within your own private meditation times.
Resolve Phobias -Meditation can help to resolve the deepest of neuroses, fears and conflict which play their part in causing stress and ill health.
For mothers-to-be -Meditation puts mothers in tune with their babies. Manta Japa is especially appropriate for pregnant women. [ See box Mantra Japa for pregnant women ] After birth, daily meditation becomes a precious time to refocus and make sense of the many new thoughts and feelings which can be running through your mind, brought about by the events of childbirth and new motherhood.

How to Meditate ?There are two types of meditation - active and passive.
Active meditation relates to activities of everyday life such as walking, working, eating etc.This in fact is the aim of Yoga, to experience a meditative state in everyday life which has the effect of increasing performance manifold as the work is done with more efficiency and energy.
To achieve active meditation, passive meditation is required which involves taking time out to be seated and perform Meditation Techniques or practices. This is called passive as it involves withdrawing ourselves in calm, sitting postures to achieve a meditative state that can help us in our active life.
The aim of all passive meditation techniques is to still the mind from wavering and distracting thoughts and gradually make it one pointed.
Passive Meditation Techniques though of many kinds, essentially have the same modus operandi:
Stage 1: Introversion: Involves seating postures and awareness on an object. This has the effect of calming the mind and making it 'receptive' to see what's inside.
Stage 2: Introversion leads to the free flow of thoughts, visions, complexes, memories etc. from the lower mind. Our passions, fears, doubts and desires arise and we are now in a position to observe these and remove the undesirable content from our minds forever.
Stage 3: Having observed the lower mind, we are now in a position to explore the subconscious realms. It is here that real meditation begins. Our limitless storehouse of energy and knowledge starts manifesting itself.
Stage 4: Self realization: As these stages are transcended, supreme bliss is attained.
As you will see in the Meditation Techniques section, there are many mediation methods known today. Some are best for beginners; others are better tackled after a few years of experience. So to just give you a starting point the following method can be followed:
Choose a time when you are not likely to be disturbed.
Settle down in a place which has fresh air. If you so desire, having some incense around you will relax you. You may sit in any of the meditative poses depending on your comfort level, and to stay in that pose for a desired duration of time.
Begin by learning to focus on something non-threatening. This will relax you, break your stress response.
Concentrate on a subject that appeals to you- it could be a flower, a word, or the flame of a candle.
Notice how your thoughts wander. Don't attempt to control them. Observe them with detachment.
Within a few weeks, you will notice a marked difference in your capacity to focus. This is the stepping stone to awareness.

Concentrative meditation focuses the attention on the breath, an image, or a sound (mantra), in order to still the mind and allow a greater awareness and clarity to emerge. The simplest form of concentrative meditation is to sit quietly and focus the attention on the breath. Yoga and meditation practitioners believe that there is a direct correlation between one's breath and one's state of the mind. For example, when a person is anxious, frightened, agitated, or distracted, the breath tends to get shallow, rapid, and uneven. On the other hand, when the mind is calm, focused, and composed, the breath is slow, deep, and regular. Focusing the mind on the continuous rhythm of inhalation and exhalation provides a natural object of meditation. As you focus your awareness on the breath, your mind becomes absorbed in the rhythm of inhalation and exhalation. As a result, your breathing will become slower and deeper, and the mind becomes more tranquil and aware. Transcendental Meditation or yoga nidra (popularized by the Bihar School of Yoga), which owe its origin to ancient Hindu meditative techniques, aim towards a totally detached frame of mind. These forms encourage the practitioner to retreat within the inner-self, into the "real" world, away from the "illusions" (maya) of outside influences. Meditative practices like Mantra yoga, for example, induces the mind to concentrate on a sacred sound by ritualistic chanting, until it attains the trance-like state of samadhi (a state of mind, where it is only responsive to subjective impressions).

Mindfulness meditation involves opening the attention to become aware of the continuously passing parade of sensations and feelings, images, thoughts, sounds, smells, and so forth without becoming involved in thinking about them. The meditator sits quietly and simply witnesses whatever goes through the mind, not reacting or becoming involved with thoughts, memories, worries, or images. This helps to gain a more calm, clear, and non-reactive state of mind. Zen-based forms like Thich Nhat Hanh's (the France-based Vietnamese Zen master) mindfulness meditation or vipassana, which was promoted by S.N. Goenka, concentrate more on the present, the here and now. This is accomplished by non-judgmentally observing the breath and the sensations in the body very keenly. The objective is to attain perfect concentration without blocking out outside distractions. To reach an ideal state of equanimity and objectivity. But whether one adopts the method of the yogi, oblivious to the external world, or that of the Zen meditator, keenly attuned to his environment—the idea is to tap those vast resources of energy and enlightenment inherent in all of us. To effortlessly find within, what we had been unsuccessfully trying to discover without. That, in essence, is both the art and the science of meditation.

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MORE ON MEDITATION
Aspects & Approaches
Atmosphere
Concentrative Meditation
Elements of Concentration
Harnessing the Mind
How to Meditate
Mapping the Mind
Meditation for Beginners
Mindfulness Meditation
One Minute Meditation
Physiological Benefits
Posture
Preparing the Mind
Psychological Benefits
Spiritual Benefits
Time Required
Twin Heart Meditation
Vipassana Meditation
Yoga Nidra
Zen Meditation

The art of total awareness and just being. Meditation techniques by Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. A personal account of how vipassana can change your view of life. Basics of meditation from Glen P. Kewzer, author of Meditation, Oneness and Physics.The Buddhist technique of vipassana meditation as it is practised at Dhammagiri, headquarters of the Vipassana International Academy, Igatpuri, India. Various forms of insight meditation. A one minute meditative technique. Step-by-step introduction to the meditation technique of yoga nidra, popularized by the Bihar School of Yoga. The New Age focus on meditation. Growing into the gnostic circle. Swami Chaitanya Bharti's meditation-intensive camp in Goa.


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