What is meditation and how can I do it?
What is Meditation?
Put simply it is a state of being that we can enter in which we can become free of the fetters of thought and of the mundane world.
This is not to say that in a meditative state one does not think but rather any thoughts you do have do not have the same meaning or importance, they may be seen or observed as simply thoughts that have no emotional meaning. Some report sensations where they feel 'lifted out of their bodies' some hear beautiful music and taste nectar, most simply feel relaxed stress free.
The Benefit of Meditation
Why do I need it?
Meditation is something which gets easier, more enjoyable and more intense with practice. At first is very difficult, and as you may discover, the harder you try the harder it becomes as 'meditation' is a non-action.
Once you have got the hang of it and have been weeks or months practicing daily then its effects will start to manifest in your daily life and you will find that you can proceed without that stressed out feeling of desperation, you will start to look at things from another perspective, prioritising events and happenings in your life according to what they are and not according to the emotional reactions that these thing may cause. This in turn creates better health, better relationships with all, better business, and a generally more relaxed and stress free life.
How can I learn?
Which form of meditation should I choose?
There are thousands of different meditation techniques, I personally have tried hundreds of them and they ALL have one thing in common. The ultimate goal. They all help me to achieve my 'state of meditation'. They help me get to that special place inside of me where my thoughts do not trigger my emotions and rule my actions.
All schools of meditation and techniques are just different exercises, both physical and mental to help you achieve that state of being (or non-being). Some forms and schools of thinking are compatible with others, some require you to only practice their own particular form of meditation. You should try several and you will naturally be drawn toward that which is most powerful for you, that which easily and effortlessly gets you into the meditative state. Once you have experienced this state you will find it easier to try other methods and judge how suited to them you are.
For beginners my recommendations are the more cathartic forms of meditation. Exercises that require strenuous physical action before the actual meditation itself. The Hindu Kundalini meditation as taught by Osho is a perfect example of this. For half an hour you are physically shaking your body, moving and dancing, until you are physically quite tired and you have an enormous amount of energy flowing through you, you then enter the real meditative part of the technique, just sitting with relaxing music in the background, not doing anything, even the absolute beginner immediately enters into a state of meditation with no effort at all, you don't have to do anything, it seems to happen on its own as a result of the physical exercises you have just finished performing. This for me is a great way for beginners to understand the feeling and state of meditation and will make it easier to recognise and hold this state again when achieved using other techniques.
Put simply it is a state of being that we can enter in which we can become free of the fetters of thought and of the mundane world.
This is not to say that in a meditative state one does not think but rather any thoughts you do have do not have the same meaning or importance, they may be seen or observed as simply thoughts that have no emotional meaning. Some report sensations where they feel 'lifted out of their bodies' some hear beautiful music and taste nectar, most simply feel relaxed stress free.
The Benefit of Meditation
Why do I need it?
Meditation is something which gets easier, more enjoyable and more intense with practice. At first is very difficult, and as you may discover, the harder you try the harder it becomes as 'meditation' is a non-action.
Once you have got the hang of it and have been weeks or months practicing daily then its effects will start to manifest in your daily life and you will find that you can proceed without that stressed out feeling of desperation, you will start to look at things from another perspective, prioritising events and happenings in your life according to what they are and not according to the emotional reactions that these thing may cause. This in turn creates better health, better relationships with all, better business, and a generally more relaxed and stress free life.
How can I learn?
Which form of meditation should I choose?
There are thousands of different meditation techniques, I personally have tried hundreds of them and they ALL have one thing in common. The ultimate goal. They all help me to achieve my 'state of meditation'. They help me get to that special place inside of me where my thoughts do not trigger my emotions and rule my actions.
All schools of meditation and techniques are just different exercises, both physical and mental to help you achieve that state of being (or non-being). Some forms and schools of thinking are compatible with others, some require you to only practice their own particular form of meditation. You should try several and you will naturally be drawn toward that which is most powerful for you, that which easily and effortlessly gets you into the meditative state. Once you have experienced this state you will find it easier to try other methods and judge how suited to them you are.
For beginners my recommendations are the more cathartic forms of meditation. Exercises that require strenuous physical action before the actual meditation itself. The Hindu Kundalini meditation as taught by Osho is a perfect example of this. For half an hour you are physically shaking your body, moving and dancing, until you are physically quite tired and you have an enormous amount of energy flowing through you, you then enter the real meditative part of the technique, just sitting with relaxing music in the background, not doing anything, even the absolute beginner immediately enters into a state of meditation with no effort at all, you don't have to do anything, it seems to happen on its own as a result of the physical exercises you have just finished performing. This for me is a great way for beginners to understand the feeling and state of meditation and will make it easier to recognise and hold this state again when achieved using other techniques.
posted by Andy Penbram at 12:23 PM
<< Home