A General Introduction To Meditation

Meditation is the primary means of cultivating the inner peace and happiness

that we all long for. Inner peace and happiness are found to be resident parts of our inner nature when we are able to take away the barriers in our nervous system from the purifying influences of yoga practices. Inner stillness is the essence of enlightenment, and how do we nurture this in ourselves? - Through deep meditation.

That scene is not entirely untrue of meditation, but it is not necessary either. Before we conjure up images of ourselves meditating, we have to understand first what it really is and what its benefits are.

With deep meditation, once the meditation time is up, rest follows for about a minute or two and transitions into samyama. The state begins with an easy state of not thinking, just resting in silence. If thoughts come, they are just let go without entertaining them. In samyama practice, mantra (sound) is not entertained either, not favoring anything but being easy in silence. The starting point for samyama is silence. The only requirement for doing samyama practice is having some inner silence. Most people achieve this after a few months of daily deep meditation.

Some health experts have found out that people who have been diagnosed to be suffering from too much stress and extreme anxiety need not be treated with drugs. The benefits of meditation were once again proven in the study of these people. They found out that engaging in meditation is a good panic attack prevention.

For some people, deep meditation is simply about not doing. They just get themselves deeply relaxed, the body lying down comfortably on the back, listening to beautiful, flowing music and just letting go. They form a perfect state of mind for more traditional meditation, such as prayer or just enjoying the wonderful energy coursing through the body.

Daily meditation is advisable. If you have a strong commitment and conviction for it, you will achieve a very unique feeling of being able to leave the moment. People who have been through this will tell you that it is a feeling of utter bliss where the mind is clear and clean.

Deep meditation practices give us insight into both the fundamental nature of our being. It allows us to experience emotions and thoughts with great clarity and balance. The mind is freed from conditioned patterns of self-centeredness, negativity and confusion, and the heart is opened to deeper wisdom and compassion. We begin to recognize and know each moment as practice for growth toward wholeness and harmony. We discover a place in ourselves which is already whole and always in harmony, and we learn to live from a clearer center and reach into the inner part of us that results to completeness and happiness.

10 October 2006 | Yoga | Comments