What is Meditation?

The word meditate comes from the Latin meditari, which means to think about or consider. Med is the root of this word and means "to take appropriate measures." Meditation in many spiritual circles is defined as “a state of pure consciousness.”  It is often described as the “path to enlightenment.”  Meditation offers inner peace, increased intuition and overall physical health and wellbeing.

Meditation practices can include strict and/or relaxed postures, complete silence or a collection of audio aids, including music, chanting, mantras, and affirmations.  A person can meditate with their eyes closed, open or with a soft gaze.  It might require you to sit still or use physical movement.  One thing to remember is that the practice of meditation is flexible and can fit into your life!

The overall benefits of meditation are gained by becoming still and learning the difference between ego thoughts and intuitive messages from Essence. The practice of meditation strengthens your ability to be the observer of yourself and allows reprogramming of old belief patterns.  Meditation is a pathway to allowing a higher consciousness to be available.  It eventually evolves into an expanded state of awareness; a way of to feel the Oneness of everything.  When beginning to meditate, it is often suggested to take a moment to be still, become present and ground.  The action of stillness coupled with the intent of grounding (energetically, physically, mentally and emotionally), increases the possibility for awareness.   The process naturally guides one inward and encourages the state where you disengage from the busy-ness, and become an observant of it.  A devoted mediator will ultimately create inner vibrations that align with personal growth and overall peace and happiness.  

Our pain and suffering is created by the misperception that we are separate from Source. The realization that we aren't separate may be experienced spontaneously, without effort in meditation.  

We are human’s having a Spiritual experience.  We are both ego and Essence; both having a role and importance.  Our ego is a cumulative collection of experiences and influences.  These include our innate personalities, our personal stories, which are created by our conscious and unconscious family and societal values and norms, as well as our education, accomplishments and emotional maturity.  Our Essence is our creative, intuitive connection to God or Source Energy.  It holds all the answers and the pathway for living our Highest Expression.

The Essence is where your innate Knowing (intuition) comes from.  This Knowing helps to soften life, reassuring that everything is in Divine Right Order.   It is the place where we each feel supported, guided and directed towards our Highest Good. Having a grasp that you are Essence, your connection with Divine Intelligence will propel your meditation practice and allow your life journey to have more joy.  

The teaching of Abraham (Abraham-Hicks) is great place to explore this philosophy.  It is also my experience that at the root of every religion you will find teachings which support the idea of a Higher Good. At the base of all teachings is the core of expression of love, in all things and all people.   

Our ego creates the disconnection and then the discomfort we may feel in our life.  Meditation offers a pathway back to connecting with our Essence and the innate Knowing; it offers us the option of a choice to feel better.  Meditation offers the path for alignment, empowerment and ability to grow-up the ego to support the letting go of victim stories and tendencies.

Ways to Meditate

There are many ways to meditate; a multitude of postures and practice processes.  What is most important is the commitment to being imaginative.  Being flexible with your practices will support your evolvement and keep the entire process alive and fun. 

Meditation can be easy and fun, it can fit into every schedule and lifestyle.  The final goal is to be meditative in all aspects of daily living; to be conscious in all thinking, feeling and actions.  Find ways to fit meditation into your life and then observe how you feel better and life unfolds in favorable ways.

The first step in meditation is to become still; this creates a conscious break in your physical and mental activities and dedicates the time for this inner practice.  By becoming still and noticing your physical body you will naturally “ground” ~ settle into self.  Conscious grounding can include a ritual or it can simply be taking a breath and then releasing it with the intent of grounding.  Whichever you choose, take a moment to notice and appreciate the release in your body.  Notice your body and mind relaxing, take a moment to connect with the feeling.  

Ensure your comfort when you begin your practice, scan your body for messages of discomfort.  Then adjust as needed.  Some days you may feel best sitting, other days standing or walking, and yet another day you may wish to lie down.  There is no right or wrong posture.  Many yoga poses lend way for a great meditation experience.  Be imaginative and open to what works for you to accomplish your practice.

There are a plethora of meditation tools that can be added to your practice.  Tools can greatly enhance your experience and quiet mind chatter. 

A very powerful tool that aids in learning to become the observer of self is creating a space, outside yourself for your mind chatter to do its thing and not interfere with your processes.  Once grounded, create in your mind’s eye, a movie screen in front of you.   This is the place, outside you where you will invite your mind chatter to play while you are meditating. 

We know what we resist persists; attempting to push thoughts out of our mind often makes them bigger and can cause a person to quit meditating.  By creating a place for mind chatter, we eliminate resistance.  When a thought comes to mind, gently put it out in front of you, thank it and then take a moment to observe the thought.  Observing gives you the opportunity to learn what you are thinking, observe why you think the way you do, what is the thought based in or covering up?  Eventually you will learn enough to empower you to change your thoughts, if they are not in alignment with your Highest Expression.   

Our thoughts create our reality, being aware of what you think and why you think that way is the first step to empowerment and manifesting the life of your dreams.

Other tools include reciting a mantra, or repeating a word or phrase.  You may choose to listen to a guided meditation or music.  You can recite a prayer or chant, visualizing an image, or read a vision statement, creating the feelings of already having what you have envisioned – creating a matching vibration of your desires. 

Be open to letting your imagination guide you to other tools.  Let yourself be lead by how it makes you feel; the goal is to feel good!

Connecting simply with a feeling can be especially powerful for mediation; make sure the feelings are in alignment with your well being and highest expression of Self.  Holding a feeling for just 63 seconds can shift your current vibration into alignment with your desires!

Louise Hay shares a very special kind of mirror meditation.  When experiencing this for the first time, it is important to remember to be kind and loving with yourself.  By gazing in the mirror, not at your outer self, but directly into your soul, you can connect with the Self behind your façade.  From that place you can affirm or establish self love, self worth and self value. 

All the answers you have ever wanted are within you.  This type of mediation gives you access to that Knowing.  It is okay to feel emotions with this process; it is healthy to release them.  Suppressed emotions are damaging to the physical body and paralyzing for emotional growth. 

This mediation process is designed to help you feel. It assists in identifying what one really needs.  It is good to have a conversation with yourself with this meditation.  It is the most powerful way to connect with you.  Share words like “I love you,” “What can I do for you?” “How are you doing?,” etc.   At the end of your meditation with the mirror, you might experiment with looking deep into your soul and say “I promise you everything I think, say, feel and do will be for your Highest Good.”  With that promise you will build awareness as to what you need to choose in the future.  Take care to notice what you are doing in the days ahead; are you keeping your promise?

Many people find using a mantra (repeating a pleasing word or phrase) in their meditation very effective and relatively easy. Chanting is another verbal tool. If you feel awkward chanting on your own, use one of the many audiotapes of chants on the market, or participate in a group meditation where a meditation teacher leads the chant and the students repeat it. Reciting a meaningful prayer, reading a vision statement or reciting an affirmation can also be effective.  Examples of a mantra are “peace," "love," or "joy."   Examples of affirmations are “I am relaxed" or "I am calm and alert" as you breathe out.

Visualizing is another tool to use to meditate. Essentially any object will work as long as it ignites a pleasing and relaxing feeling within you; a Mandela, a picture of a loved one or pleasing scenery, a vision board, a candle flame, campfire, ocean waves, any natural setting, or any object free of “shoulds, coulds, woulds or to-do’s”.  Studies show that focusing with uplifting feelings, for just 63 seconds at a time, is beneficial to overall wellbeing and a powerful tool in manifesting.

Some people like to visualize their chakras, or energy centers, in the body. In this type of meditation, you focus on the area or organ of the body corresponding to a particular chakra, imagining the particular color associated with it. You can imagine great healing energy infusing into the body and the body releasing energies that no longer align with its current desire.

Using the breath as a point of focus is yet another tool. Ultimately, meditating on the breath just means purely observing the breath as it is, without changing it in any way. In this instance, the breath becomes the sole object of your meditation. You observe every nuance of the breath and each sensation it produces: how it moves in your abdomen and torso, how it feels as it moves in and out of your nose, its quality, its temperature, and so on. Though you are fully aware of all these details, you don't dwell on them or judge them in any way; you remain detached from what you're observing. What you discover is neither good nor bad; you simply allow yourself to be with the breath from moment to moment.

In addition to observing the breath, you can set a particular energy for each inhale and exhale.  You may choose to breathe in and out love, breathe in wisdom and out ignorance, breathe in health and out dis-ease, etc.  Counting your breaths is another tool to keep your focus. 

Another way to meditate is to notice a feeling within the body.  This practice is accomplished with the same degree of detail as you would when watching the breath; detaching to the point of being an observer. You can use this type of mediation to ease anxiety, pain or physical discomfort.   By becoming the observer of a particular emotion or any specific area of discomfort you learn to ease the outer self by going within.

Postures

Sitting. There are a number of classic seated poses such as a cross-legged pose but sitting in a chair also works.  The most important things are that your spine remains upright and that you feel steady and comfortable. To maximize comfort on the floor, place a cushion or folded blanket under your buttocks to elevate them and gently guide your knees down toward the floor. This helps support the natural lumbar curve of the lower back. Some people prefer kneeling; a small, slanted wooden bench helps for this position.

Relax your arms and place your hands on your thighs or in your lap, with the palms in a relaxed position facing up or down. You may choose to hold your hands in a mudra.  Pay attention to roll your shoulders back and down and gently lift the chest. Keep your neck long and the chin tilted slightly downward. Depending upon which technique you are following, the eyes may be opened or closed. Breathing is natural and free.

Walking. A moving meditation—highly recommended by many teachers—may be an enjoyable option for you. The challenge of this form is to walk slowly and consciously, each step becoming your focal point. Destination, distance, and pace are all incidental. Relax your arms at your sides and move freely, coordinating your breath with your steps. For instance, you might breathe in for 3 steps and breathe out for 3 steps. If that feels awkward or difficult, just breathe freely. Although you can practice walking meditation anywhere, choose a setting you particularly love—the ocean, a favorite park, or a meadow. Remember, getting somewhere is not the issue. Rather, the complete involvement in the act of walking becomes your meditation.

Standing. Standing is another meditation practice that can be very powerful. It is often recommended for those practitioners who find that it builds physical, mental, and spiritual strength. It is also helpful for people who find sitting uncomfortable.  Stand with your feet hip- to shoulder-distance apart (mountain pose). Knees are soft; arms rest comfortably at your sides. Check to see that the whole body is aligned in good posture: shoulders rolled back and down, chest open, neck long, head floating on top, and chin parallel to the floor. Either keep your eyes opened or softly close them.

Reclining. Even though lying down is associated with relaxation, is can also used for meditation. Lie down on your back with your arms at your sides, palms facing upward. Touch your heels together and allow the feet to fall away from one another, completely relaxed. Although your eyes may be opened or closed, some people find it easier to stay awake with their eyes open. A supine meditation, although more physically restful than other positions, entails a greater degree of alertness to remain awake and focused.

Benefits

Research has confirmed that profound physiological and psychological changes take place when we meditate, causing an actual shift in the brain and in the involuntary processes of the body.  As meditation deepens, brain activity decreases. Studies on mediators have shown decreased perspiration and a slower rate of respiration

accompanied by a decrease of metabolic wastes in the bloodstream. Lower blood pressure and an enhanced immune system are further benefits noted by research studies.

“The health benefits meditation produces naturally reflect the mental and physical effects of this process. At the very least, meditation teaches you how to manage stress; reducing stress in turn enhances your overall physical health and emotional well-being. On a deeper level, it can add to the quality of your life by teaching you to be fully alert, aware, and alive. In short, meditation is a celebration of you. You are not meditating to get anything, but rather to look at and let go of anything you do not need.”

Do not be surprised or discouraged by how frequently your thoughts wander; when you realize that your mind has become distracted, simply return to your chosen point of focus.  Louise Hay shares a statement that is great to use when you notice your mind wondering; “Thanks for sharing.”  It is important to not find fault in a wandering mind, but rather to acknowledge the wandering and guide your attention back to your practice.

At the beginning you might feel uncomfortable meditating—remember to mix up your practice if necessary to keep yourself dedicated.  Meditation does not have to be uncomfortable or hard.  Focus on what you do accomplish.  Give yourself credit for every second you accomplish in meditation. At times it helps to meditate alone and other times the benefit of others is immense.  Allow yourself to explore both, practice both and be okay with either.  Holding the intention that meditation is easy and you can be creative with your practice will allow your practice to be successful.  You may have days when your practice is made up of breathing when you are stopped in traffic or at a red light.  This is success.  Be creative, when you are waiting in line, align your posture in mountain pose, breath and connect with yourself – this is successful meditation, you will maintain a more mindful feeling and feel happier about waiting in line.  Other days you may have the pleasure of hours of meditating whether in your home in your favorite chair, or on the beach or under a shaded tree.  There are as many opportunities to meditate as you can imagine.  Be creative, have fun and feel the benefit!