Meditation?
Everywhere that i've looked for meditation help online is filled with lots of fluff. I've come to an understanding in the ways of meditation that resonate with my being. Needless to say, that if something works for me it will work for you. I just want to share with you might simplistic insight on meditation without all the extra fluff..
Now what is meditation? Meditation is the act of practicing something. For the sake of simplicity.. I will be referring to meditation as an specified action. Kind of like how you see in movies or depicted in images. You know.. the whole pretzel legged palms faced outward type deal. What you need to understand about meditation is; yes it is a very real thing, it is not some shamanistic ritual, it is not magic, and it is most definitely not malarkey. It is rooted in our human species since the beginning of recorded history. There are many things in life that are beyond our control. However, it is possible to take responsibility for our own states of mind – and to change them for the better. Imagine our mind as a control interface. Now meditation is the act of "ourselves" taking the controls and using them the way we want to. It is a means of transforming the mind. According to the buddhist mindset meditation is only real antidote to our own personal sorrows, and to the anxieties, fears, hatreds, and general confusions that beset the human condition.
How do you meditate? There are many ways to meditate. That's just the reality of the subject. Find whatever suits you and practice it. Also, don't be afraid to mix things up and experiment. Mindful meditation is the act of focusing on one specific thing. This could be your breathing, a sensation in your body, or focusing attention to an object outside of you. The point of this type of meditation is to focus strongly on one point and continually bring your attention back to that focal point when it wanders. Another type of meditation is a monitoring based meditation where you focus you attention to your surroundings and just notice everything without reaction.
What method do I use while meditation? I use the mindful meditation technique with my breath as the specific attention of focus. I focus on my breathing in layman's terms. I try not to breath intentionally, but rather naturally. The best way to describe what I practice is that I look at my breathing and "watch" it happen rather that "make" it happen. I find that focusing on specifically breathing in and out keeps me from entering a meditative state. "Watching" my breathing keeps my mind clear and allows me to enter the different brain states that meditation has to offer.
What does meditation do to you? Meditation increase beta waves in the brain. This means it allows our brains to take a rest and cease for a moment the processing of information that they get bombarded with on a daily basis. Meditation can grant the user a better sense of clarity, clairvoyance, reduced anxiety, increased creativity, deeper compassion, better memory, reduced stress levels, and larger amounts of grey matter.
Clarity? Yup, the sense of a clear mind is greatly increased with regular practice of meditation. Being cognitively aware is a game changer. Trust me. Yes you might think you are "aware". In fact everyone who is conscious is "aware" by scientific description. I am talking about having a completely clear awareness.
Clairvoyance? Clairvoyance is the supposed faculty of perceiving things or events in the future or beyond normal sensory contact. This ties into clarity of mind. Meditation can grant you a sense of unprecedented sharpness that you may depict as clairvoyance. In my experience this sense of clairvoyance is a supercharged mind that functions with unprecedented accuracy. Not saying that you are never wrong.. just that the consciousness is upgraded.. if you will. Functioning at a higher rate.
Reduced Anxiety? The more we meditate, the less anxiety we have. This is because as we practice meditation we’re actually loosening the connections of particular neural pathways that associate with anxiety. The prefrontal cortex of the brain is the part of the brain that processes information relating ourselves and our experiences. When you experience fear, or anxiety this triggers the prefrontal cortex of the brain to kick in.. making you feel under attack or in "flight" mode. Regular meditation has been shown to weaken the effects of this neural connection.. meaning that previous stimuli that had triggered our anxiety or fear is now not as potent as a trigger. Meditation helps us look at things more rationally. A rational mind is a calm mind.
Increased creativity? Meditation creates a calmer mind. A calm mind is easier applied to creative tasks.
Deeper compassion? The amygdala is the part of the brain that processes emotional stimuli. Meditation increases and decreases this part of the brain oddly enough. The amygdala function is decreased while performing the act of meditation.. and becomes increased in function while not meditation as a result of the decrease in function from meditation.
Better memory? People who practice mindful meditation are able to adjust their brain wave that screens out distractions and increase their productivity at a faster rate than those who do not meditate. This ability to ignore distractions leads to a superior ability to rapidly remember and incorporate new facts.
Reduced stress levels? This ties into the amygdala also. Meditation gives us a sense of ownership in our existence. Given the realization that we control our own reality can be all the difference in your level of stress. You are in control of your own consciousness and reality.
Increased grey matter? Meditation has been linked to larger amounts of gray matter in the hippocampus and frontal areas of the brain. The more grey matter in the brain the more positive emotions and longer lasting emotional stability in the individual. this also leads to heightened focus during everyday life.
Meditation can benefit us all!
