Meditation is beneficial to the body and mind. As it is accompanied by deep relaxation, it unstresses the body, causing a feeling of physiological and psychological ease, rejuvenation, and heightened vitality. At more advanced levels, the practitioner experiences deep peace and tranquillity, which carry over into everyday life. There is also a sense of getting in touch with one's innermost truth, which aids the integration of the personality. Finally, at the highest level of meditation, the boundaries of the subject become blurred and the doorway opens to the experience of other realms of existence.

But the spiritual purpose of meditation is neither physical nor mental well-being nor higher forms of cognition, but ecstatic merging with the object of meditation samadhi . And the ultimate purpose of samadhi is Self-realization ( atma-jnana , purusha-khyati ), or liberation. Thus, meditation is never an end in itself. It is simply intended to prepare the ground for the recovery of one's true identity, which is the everlasting Self.

Lotus flowers are a common symbol found in Buddhist paintings and are seen in many forms. The lotus grows from mud (representing ignorance) up to the clear sunlight (representing enlightenment).

 

Calming the mind and the body is a delightful way to relax and find the inner peace that is within us all. Meditation focuses the mind into the heart where we should live our lives in order to become healthier in body and fullfilled in life.

The scientific and the medical profession for, at least the past twenty-five years, have very carefully researched meditation. Those studies have shown that meditation is a virtual “Magic Bullet” for eliminating the physical effects of stress. Several experiments have shown that meditation allows people to reach a condition of slowed metabolism, which is also called a hypo metabolic state. Only two other activities create this state, one is sleep and the other is hibernation, which, of course, humans do not engage in.

During this state, there is a significant decrease in the body's consumption of oxygen. When we are asleep, our oxygen consumption drops by about 8%. During meditation, it drops by 10% to as much as 20%. This decreased use of oxygen reflects the deep state that meditation creates, and also reflects the rest that is given to the entire physical system. Another physical effect of meditation is a decrease in blood lactate, this is a substance secreted by the muscles, and it contributes to the feeling of anxiety.

Other physical symptoms are decrease in heart rate, blood pressure and respiration rate. Studies indicate heart rate slows by an average of about three beats per minute during meditation.

Meditation also reduces cortisol level and people who meditate regularly find that the levels remain low even after meditation is over. Meditation has also been found to slow down the aging process by up to 20 years. Obviously meditation can eliminate negative conditions but it also creates positive conditions, it can significantly heighten learning abilities and creative problem solving.

It does this by altering the brain waves from a beta wave to the alpha and theta state. Neuroscientists have found that meditators shift their brain activity to different areas of the cortex—brain waves in the stress-prone right frontal cortex move to the calmer left frontal cortex. This mental shift decreases the negative effects of stress, mild depression and anxiety. There is also less activity in the amygdala, where the brain processes fear.

There are however as many ways of meditation as there are ways of what one needs to find within meditation. The purest form is finding the Self and feeling the presence of God.

THE EMOTIONS THAT ARE CREATED HERE ARE A DEEP SENSE OF RELAXATION AND HEALING AND DEEPER INSIGHT INTO SPIRITUAL TRUTH.

This sense of well-being and peace and spiritual understanding appears to be of tremendous value to those who experience it.

Engaging in this type of meditation however improves more than just the subjective sense of well being, it improves objective measures of physical health. This is quite understandable of course, since a subjective sense of well being virtually always contributes to physical health.

We can tune into the Divine energies of God and when we do, we can affect the realities of our lives.

Meditation will develop your physical and mental well-being, also it will open your consciousness to the realms of a new ability to create your own reality. To know and understand that Heaven is also on Earth. More and more universities, hospitals, health clubs, adult education programs, and corporations are offering meditation classes as acceptance of complementary medicine increases by leaps and bounds in the West. Many meditation books and tapes are widely available and here at Malindi Centre Dr Joan Howell and Zita Starkie have produced their own high quality meditation tapes and are available to the general public. Email for details

No one really knows why this seemingly simple process produces increased energy, improved quality of sleep, greater resistance to common stressors, heightened concentration, greater dream recall, and other rewards for individuals who meditate every day. Meditation is challenging for most who try it; and it may not be the best relaxation technique if you can't sit still when you're not meditating but it certainly doesn't hurt to give meditation a try. Sometimes practice makes perfect. The physical act of meditation generally consists of simply sitting quietly, focusing on one's breath, a word or phrase. However, a meditator may also be walking or standing.

It may be a struggle to overcome the internal chatter that we all experience." Seeking methods for quieting that internal chatter and reducing stress are what initially attract many people to meditation. If someone is struggling with feelings of anxiety, he or she may benefit from its calming aspects. And it's absolutely facilitative of mental health because it brings about a higher level of self-acceptance and insight about oneself." That's why some experts suggest marrying meditation to psychotherapy. "Both allow the person to be present for the moment

Guided Meditation
Many people prefer this.You may be guided or you may guide yourself to let go until the subconscious mind is receptive to the guidances given.It is a similar to a dream state but one is not asleep but is in the subconscious where one can direct/ be directed to see, hear, sense, touch, smell or even talk After the visualisation one is brought back to the present and 'grounded' carefully.The content of the meditation can be analysed and any messages/symbolism, which may be of relevance can be taken on board and to see how they make sense or make some order and therefore completion.You may have warnings or new ideas.

It is always a good idea to make notes and/or record the events, in order to develop the stages of one's personal growth.

The Talmud says, “ A dream is a letter to yourself”.

It is quite clear that visualisation is another method of communication between the conscious and the unconscious mind.

Transandental Meditation
Meditation can be properly performed only when the mind is cleansed of all thoughts. Almost every student knows of this condition, but few can really achieve it.

If one is blessed on his way through life by meeting a spiritual Master, then everything becomes simple and effective. Many disciples in those precious times of spiritual contact visualise him (spiritual Master) as seen, in the physical body. Such an image, living and powerful, is a deadly weapon against the strategy of the restless mind.

Man's emotions must also be cleansed; for this purpose the vision of a living Master has no substitute. In a mysterious way the power of such a vision is also inherent in his (the Master's) pictures. Perhaps this is for the aid of those who were not able to see him in the physical body. Experience and practice show that almost as beneficial results can be brought about from the contemplation of such a picture.

When at last the vacuum or void in consciousness is reached and firmly established, true meditation can be approached, but not earlier. Then the consciousness of the true Self will itself fill the vacuum. No more instruction is needed, for the true Self takes over the guidance and the goal is reached. In such meditation there are no visions or feelings. Maharshi often warned against ecstatic visions, pointing out that our goal is pure awareness and nothing else.

If this awareness is attained it inevitably leads us to samadhi (freedom), and this is the true aim of meditation (the awakening from the dream-state called normal physical consciousness).

There are signs which indicate that our meditation is really leading us to samadhi, when we are free from all thought of the body and of the 'ego', and when thoughts and feelings are stilled. 'Good and evil" cease to exist- we see nothing, for there is nothing to see.Yet we are not in darkness, but merged in light being ourselves this light. We cannot see It, for in this state there is no subject and no object. This can give but a veiled hint of the true state to one who has not experienced such meditation for himself, for this is the discovery of the true Self in man.

Preparations for Meditation
Since meditation is based on intense concentration, certain prerequisites must be met for it to be successful. Above all, it calls for a steady and comfortable posture ( asana ). But meditation can be pursued in any posture so long as it can be assumed for a prolonged period of time without discomfort.

Most students have to battle physical discomfort, mental restlessness, and not least boredom. Hence the need for emotional and spiritual maturity. Inner work demands a certain level of detachment from material life and a strong interest in higher values-the scriptural desire for liberation. Without adequate moral preparation and genuine spiritual aspiration, meditation tends to be experienced as tedious or impossible.

A further important prerequisite for the successful practice of meditation is a clean and quiet environment, which is conducive to concentration and the cultivation of inwardness. The characteristics of such an environment are that the ground, if outside,should be level, free from pebbles, gravel, and that place should be concealed, inoffensive to the ear and pleasing to the eye, as well as protected from the wind. If meditating inside, a quiet, restful and solitary space should be used and either sit on a chair, upright with both feet on the ground or on cushions, or a meditating stool.
Meditators are also asked to consider the right time. Especially recommended is the "hour of Brahma"( brahma-muhurta ), which is sunrise. Other auspicious times are sunset, the hour before noon and, in certain traditions (such as some Tantric schools), midnight.
Most teachers advise beginners to meditate twice a day for at least twenty minutes, so that the mind becomes habituated to this state. Subsequently these two periods can be extended to an hour and more.

The Power of Om
While meditating , when we chant Om, we create within ourselves a vibration that attunes sympathy with the cosmic vibration and we start thinking universally. The momentary silence between each chant becomes palpable. Mind moves between the opposites of sound and silence until, at last, it ceases the sound. In the silence, the single thought—Om—is quenched; there is no thought. This is the state of trance, where the mind and the intellect are transcended as the individual self merges with the Infinite Self in the pious moment of realization. It is a moment when the petty worldly affairs are lost in the desire for the universal. Such is the immeasurable power of Om.

Click to see different Weekly Meditation available at Malindi Centre

 

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