Meditation is the art of silencing the mind. When the mind is silent, concentration is increased and we experience inner peace in the midst of worldly turmoil. This elusive inner peace is what attracts so many people to meditation and is a quality everyone can benefit from.
What are the Benefits of Meditation?
I’ve been meditating twice a day for the past 9 years because I enjoy it. It may seem strange, but I feel happiest when sitting in perfect silence. The experience is difficult to express in words. It is akin to the “peace that passeth understanding”. It is also true that every meditation is not the same. Sometimes meditation is a struggle to control the mind, while at other times it feels effortless.
These are some of the benefits of meditation:
- Improved concentration - A clear mind makes you more productive, especially in creative disciplines like writing.
- Less bothered by little things - Do you sometimes allow yourself to get upset by little things? It is the nature of the mind to magnify small things into serious problems. Meditation helps us detach. We learn to live in the here and now, rather than worrying about the past or future. We do not worry about meaningless things, but see the bigger picture.
- Better Health - There have been numerous studies pointing to the health benefits of meditation. The reason is that meditation reduces stress levels and alleviates anxiety. If we can reduce stress, many health benefits follow.
- Knowledge of Self - Meditation enables us to have a deeper understanding of our inner self. Through meditation we can gain a better understanding of our life’s purpose.
Is Meditation Religious?
The great thing about meditation is that our philosophy/religious belief is not importanct. Meditation is about consciousness. The beliefs of the mind become trivial. We dive deep into the heart of the matter to gain access to our soul - our inner reality. Therefore, mediation can (and is ) practiced by people of different religions or no religion.
But I don’t have time To Meditate
Many people like the idea of meditation, but feel they don’t have enough time. When you really want to do something you can find time. Get up earlier or watch 30 minutes less TV. Meditation requires an investment of time, but clearing the mind makes the the rest of the day more productive. Nothing is better than the feeling of inner peace. What is the point in being tremendously busy but unable to enjoy it? Meditation is not about retreating from the world; it gives us inspiration. Whatever you do, if you have peace of mind, your work will be more enjoyable and productive.
How To Meditate
Like anything worthwhile, meditation requires practice. To get the most from meditation you need to do it every day. This requires a place and time where you will not be disturbed. It’s also recommended to start with a course, like the Holosync guided meditation program from the Centerpointe Research Institute.
- Sit with a straight back. Don’t try to meditate lying down because you are likely to fall asleep. Meditation brings relaxation and peace but at the same time this is a dynamic peace. Meditation is quite different than the relaxation of sleep. When we really meditate, we are fully alert and conscious. Our sense of awareness is heightened. Afterwards you’ll have a positive feeling for the world and a renewed sense of dynamism.
- Don’t eat before meditating. After a heavy meal your body will be lethargic with digestion.
- It is not necessary to mediate in the lotus posture. It is fine to meditate in a chair, as long as the back is straight.
- It is helpful to take a shower before meditating.
- Burning incense and having a candle are not necessary, but they can add a little extra inspiration.
- It is good to meditate early in the morning. It is said the best time is 3am, although, I feel it is more important to be awake and not sleepy, I meditate at 6.30am.
One Pointed Concentration
However you learn to meditate, you must learn to concentrate on one thing at a time. Usually, the mind tries to hold several different thoughts and ideas at once. When you sit down to meditate for the first time, you realize how cluttered the mind is. Mediation teachers have described the mind as a “mad monkey”. However, the mind can be tamed and forced to concentrate on a single thought.
One helpful technique is concentrating on a candle flame. Narrow your gaze to the small tip and block out all other thoughts. When you get distracted, go back to focusing on the candle flame. You can also use other objects like a small dot or flower. The important thing is that you concentrate only on one thing at a time.
Mantra
Another way to learn concentration is through the use of mantra. A mantra is the repetition of a sacred word. For example, you might repeat the mantra AUM a certain number of times. Repeating a mantra forces the mind to focus on a single thought.
Silent Mind
After you’ve practiced concentration and learned to focus on one thing at a time, you can proceed to the next stage: no thought at all. Achieving a silent mind is difficult, but when to attain it the experience is powerful. A technique I advise is viewing your thoughts as separate from your self. When a thought appears, make a conscious decision to throw it out of your mind. Over time you realize that you are capable of allowing or rejecting thoughts. Your real “I” is not a collection of thoughts, but something far deeper. This is the most significant realization of meditation - that you do not have to be a slave to your thoughts.
Through meditation, you attain the power to control your thoughts, and on occasion stop them completely. Don’t be discouraged if you can’t attain a silent mind straightaway. It takes time and practice. There is nothing really else to it; meditation is a simple and spontaneous action. Unfortunately, our mind is used to complication and it takes time to unlearn bad habits.
Tejvan Pettinger is a member of the Sri Chinmoy Meditation Centre. He lives in Oxford where he works as a teacher. He also offers mediation classes as a community service and updates a blog at Sri Chinmoy Inspiration, a collection of articles on meditation and spirituality.
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Very interesting. I’ve always been curious about meditation, but never really understood what it was about or had any idea how to do it. I think I’m inspired now to give it a shot!
Meditation is also known to have brain benefits…example: Meditation builds up the brain “They found that meditating actually increases the thickness of the cortex in areas involved in attention and sensory processing, such as the prefrontal cortex and the right anterior insula.” I’ve read a few other articles about it recently and I’ve tried it a few times…I hope to keep improving and seeing changes in my life as a result.
Thanks, this is perfect. Was actually just toying with the idea of taking up meditation last nigh. Not sure I would have ever come up with the image of a ‘mad monkey’ to describe my mind but it certainly does seem to be willful, going one direction when I tell it to go the other. I can’t say that I was really able to absorb all you were talking about on the first read through but I will definitely be back for a reread after I have had some time to digest it.
Thanks again.
One Pointed Concentration
Very useful post.
I’ve also written an article about the importance of achieving inner peace on my blog.
Nice article, Tejvan.
My answer to people who say they don’t have the time to meditate is that they don’t have the time not to meditate. As you say, it increases productivity and effectiveness - to the point that the time saved more than allows time for meditation.
I agree completely, Rick. Certain activities like meditation (exercise is another one) create more energy and productive time than they expend. The time we think we’re saving by skipping them usually gets drained away into TV or some other time leak.
Thanks for your article, Tejvan. Although meditation, as you say, need not be religious, it can serve as a stepping-stone for the most intimate and immediate religious experience (”religious” taken in its root sense, not of the dogmatic kind); I mean contemplation.
I just wrote an 8-step “How-to” from meditation to contemplation, on my own website, fwiw, that complements your article pretty well.
And yeah, ditching TV is the best thing I’ve done in years!
Nice article. I am a Muslim so I meditate five times a day. I think it’s funny when people think of Muslim prayer as something completely different than meditation. That is all it is. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught us to focus on the place of prostration. Besides the obligatory 5 daily prayers, the Prophet used to offer extra prayers in the last portion of the night. I found it interesting that you mentioned both of those points in your article.
I think it is unfortunate that society treats silence as a waste of time. People jump from the car radio, to their iPod, then to their daily tasks leaving no room to reflect. If people would spend 5 minutes to sit back and reflect each day it would change their lives for the better.
i have been meditating for years now, and it definitely kick starts my day, i can tell the days when i “think” i don’t have time and the ones where i take the time…..i recommend meditating 100%……and this was a very clear concise instruction….good job
Just a question in relation to the advice given, it says that medidation should be done with a straight back. So if you’re sitting on the floor in the lotus position or otherwise, is it ok to prop your back against a wall to keep it straight?
Great article, cheers!
There is a good book on meditation I have called “The Tao of Meditation” Way to Enlightenment. Jou, Tsung Hwa. I found the theory in the book (about half the book) to be pretty much worthless but there is a lot of good meditation information in it.
I never knew Muslim prayer was about meditation ~ how interesting. And I’m willing to bet not many other people know it either. It’s these things that should become better known so there would be more peace in the world
I think most westerners don’t really understand what meditation is, from a scientific perspective.
Muslim prayers and christian prayers, might be similar to actual meditation in many ways. It might quiet the mind, and allow the worshipper to focus more deeply on theological issues.
But it is highly different from the meditation found in Buddhism and Hinduism. This type of meditation has profound neuropsychological effects. It temporarily causes both neuro-electric and neurochemical changes in the brain. During a period of alertness, what we experience every day, the brain is dominated by beta waves. During deep meditation, the brain begins to generate alpha, theta, and even delta waves as the language centers of the brain calm down. This is the electric profile of the brain when it is asleep, but in this case the person is still highly alert and focused on the stimuli in his surroundings.
Furthermore, in this state the chemical status of the brain is changed as well. Stress hormone production is drastically lowered, and there is a tendency for seratonin and endorphins (the body’s endogenous opiates) to increase as well, making the experience [sometimes] highly pleasurable. Furthermore, a whole set of strange experiences occur, which resemble those enduced by LSD or other psychodelic drugs. This is neither good nor bad, simply the neurophysiological correlates of meditation.
Read more articles from Dr. Persinger for a better scientific understanding of meditation.
i don’t think meditation is same as Muslim prayer. Try meditate and try pray. Praying five time a day is much harder than sitting down and been silent. Islam is way harder than meditating.
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You spelled “Meditation” as “Mediation” no less than 3 times. Sorry to be a nit-pic, but I think just because something isn’t printed on paper, it doesn’t mean you should butcher it.
Meditation is thinking about spiritual stuff.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/meditation
It’s possible that deep meditation may result in the release of DMT (one of the most powerful hallucinogens known) from the pineal gland found within the brain. The better at meditation you are, the more DMT may be released and a more “transcendental” experience may be achieved.
http://www.rickstrassman.com/
@ Terry: Meditation isn’t about spiritual stuff, although you can turn it into some kind of spiritual journey. That is your prerogative. It doesn’t have to be though. If you’re not the religious or spiritual type, just think of it as a tool. The more you use this particular tool, the more skilled you’ll become with it, and the greater the effects will be.
I just wanted to point out that you don’t need to meditate at a certain time, because we don’t all have the same schedules. You can meditate after you wake up, before you go to bed (you’ll probably have strange dreams as a result of this), or whenever you get some free time. It isn’t something you have to spend hours doing. Meditation is something one can do while riding a bus, a train, walking, listening to music, etc.
There really isn’t a right way to meditate and it isn’t something that can be taught, although a few tips don’t hurt (unless the person has no idea what they’re talking about). It’s something you’ll have to experience for yourself, and learn to understand and use for your benefit.
4 Powerful Reasons to Meditate and How To Get Started…
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Be sure to check out aypsite.com. I’ve tried countless school of meditation, from buddhist to taoist and this is by far the best method I’ve come across.
Best of luck with your mediation!
You should look into something called holosync. It’s an amazing meditation technology that makes meditation effortless. I use it daily and the benefits ive experienced are undescribable.
It seems like you have no solid medical backing to support your claim of the “benefit”. It might actually be the case, but you support no solid backing behind it. Typical liberal spew.
This is an awesome post! Thank you so much for a concise, interesting, clarifying, and inspiring article. I hope more people read this to understand that meditation is NOT an activity that requisites belief in nonsensical propositions.
I been meditating for 23 years now, and fully agree with all the comments.
Meditation is not a religion, is not spiritual per se and it really change the approach to life.
I meditating with the Transcendental Meditation technique, i think is one of the most powerful one, and even more if you take an additional course that is called siddhis, yu go from 20 minutes per day twice a day to around 1 hour twice a day.
But is really a powerful technique.
The trick with meditation is that it helps you spontaneulsy align your actions with the natural law. Since we all live under tha natural law it is essential that we align otherwise the natural law compensate with pain and suffering, if you align it compensate with fulfillment and joy and fluidity in life.
Well it is a long story i just wanted to reinforce what it has been said here
Best to all
Mario
If anyone is interested in knowing about what meditation can do to your life…..plz go ahead and read “An autobiography of an yogi” by Paramhansa Yogananda …
http://www.crystalclarity.com/yogananda/
Again, what are the chances that this autobiography contains any medically supported facts?
Jai: The chances are precisely 100%. Example: Meditation ‘good for brain’ (BBC), found by a quick Web search. It is very easy to make skeptical comments; it is slightly less easy to type “medical benefits of meditation” into a search engine and find what you want to know. A lack of direct references in an article isn’t necessary for statements that are easily proven, such as 2 + 2 = 4, except possibly on Wikipedia. I think it would be much more difficult to back up your claim that an article about a health practice and its benefits is “typical liberal spew.”
[…] 4 Powerful Reasons to Meditate and How To Get Started […]
Again, all BBC, which is highly liberal, does is report on a study. Is the study even credible? Possibly, possibly not. A few similar studies don’t prove anything, and what’s worse, is citing and article that cites a study. Yeah, that’s real proof.
4 Powerful Reasons to Meditate and How To Get Started…
A wonderful article on how to meditate and the benefits of it. Meditation can be really good for inner game issues, or working through any kind of stress you may be dealing with in your life….
What is “real proof”?
Medical Research on the Benefits of Meditation This link directly quotes numerous studies confirming physiological and psychological benefits of meditation. To disavow every source would be to deny the credibility of the Ivy League and modern medical understanding in general…I provided the BBC link as an example of a general trend, in that there are many similar reports from other sources. If you can find one study that confirms that meditation has no physiological or psychological benefits, please let me know…I’m just getting started with it, and I’d like to save myself the trouble.
Jai:
WTH does making unsubstantiated claims have to do with being liberal?
Conservatives are far more likely to make unsubstantiated claims. Conservatives are more likely to be religious. Religious conservatives are more likely to be fundamentalists.
What could possibly be more unsubstantiated than the fundamentalist pseudo-christian crap spewed by american conservatives? Earth was created 6000 years ago and fossils laid down by a giant flood? Riiiiiigght.
Top scientists are more likely to: a) be atheists b) have above average intelligence and b) be politically liberal
Morons are more likely to be conservative and make ridiculous — and unsubstantiated — complaints about liberals.
(I can’t substantiate that last claim, but I can substantiate all the rest)
I’m not christian at all, but you can’t substantiate the rest at all. I guarantee that alot of scientists have strong religious values.
Conservatives are just as likely as liberals to make unsupported claims (you spend too much time on Digg, you don’t read enough unbiased news, you only see one side of the coin).
There is also lots of evidence that proves different aspects of religion; one was a top Digg story the other day.
why meditate when you could sleep in bed? sleep provides the same benefits, if not more, than medication. when you not awake try to take deep breathes, its hard at first but with lots of practice and long trained hours of unbothered focus you can do it. sleep/ nap time makes me refresh thus happy. so i can take crap from people. oh so the happy ending of eternal sleep awaites the tired and lonesome stranger, an object of the divine creation, that is my own ego. sleep will purge the memories of embarassment. haha.
I was brought up doing Transcendental Meditation, and I would say it had some good effects and more bad. It tends to detach you from reality and you turn to meditation as an escape from problems. You think “What my senses are telling me is not true reality. I don’t need to deal with this world in front of me.” Also, the T.M. mantras are shortened names of mini-deities, so in that case its not honest to say it is not religious.
What a great article! Meditation can really help with stressful times. I never thought about taking a shower before meditating I will have to try that!
Meditation has good effects in improving spiritual health, further it is good and effective practice to control oneself by all means… positive thiniking comes through Meditation…
“When a thought appears, make a conscious decision to throw it out of your mind. ”
Using thoughts to get rid of thoughts? Why not just watch the thoughts arise and pass without any involvement? And after a while when you notice you’re getting better at that, try to see who it is, that is aware of the arising and passing of thoughts.
“You” aren’t a thought, and neither is will power. I don’t see a contradiction necessarily. But yes, watching thoughts pass, like water flowing under a bridge, is a valid technique also.
Ed & John,
In fact, I consider that there is a time for watching thoughts pass, and another for actively suppressing them. It all depends what you’re doing. However, I agree with Ed that for a purely relaxing meditative purpose, watching thoughts bubble without interfering up is probably the best. Positive thought on the other hand does require more assertiveness (laid out better over here: http://homepage.mac.com/s.babayan/Apokatastasis/Blog/files/8-steps-to-contemplation.html)
Definetly inspiring! I always wanted to learn meditation but never had the time; i thought i had to read books or attend some yoga classes etc. Now it sounds easier, at least to start. Still i think some classes would be helpful. One question: I have been hearing various types of meditation, active,dynamic etc.. which is the best practice to start with?
Thanks!
I never thought of religious prayer as meditating. It never occurred to me. Now I see people do that and I wonder: what does one ask a non-existing entity? [don’t bother to answer that. You know that nobody changes their mind about things like religion, save yourself some frustration and frantic typing]
I can see the benefit of some time spent in quiet introspection. Meditation seems like a wonderful way to spend real quality time with yourself. Unfortunately I’m way too stressed to do that in any meaningful way, although that’s probably a great reason to start meditating in the first place. Something I need to look into.
huh, i have not try. maybe later.
-IT-
I’ve been a Buddhist meditator for nearly 30 years, this is a good little document for anyone to start with.
Although it’s not something I’d personally use on a regular basis, I became interested in combining meditation and cannabis a couple of years ago, which has been very helpful in many ways. I recently found a book ‘Cannabis & Meditation - An Explorer’s Guide’ (www.headstuffbooks.com) which has been excellent reading. Down to earth and jargon-free, it covers all of the basics and shows a number of useful and powerful techniques from a variety of traditions, including a couple from my own. Despite my background I’m happy for anyone to explore meditation through any means they wish as long as it does the job, this isn’t an area where anyone can afford to think that they know everything; a case in point being that this book had a couple of things within it that I hadn’t even considered.
Part of my work in the Sangha is to evaluate new books for students on various forms of meditation, and although there are tens of titles on the subject there are only a handful that really show the key basics and how they HAVE to link together for meditation to be effective and allow you a chance of reaching realisation. Thus far in the last 11 years, only this book and ‘Meditation for Dummies’ have got it right and I’d highly recommend both.
D
Thanks for kind comments re: article.
There are many different approaches to meditation. It is hard to say which is best, because what is right for one person may not be right for someone else. It is also quite difficult to learn to meditate by reading articles on the internet. It is advisable to try find a suitable meditation group.
However, I would not advise meditating under the influence of drugs, because it is a totally different experience to that of pure meditation.
> You could meditate with back against wall, but it might be more comfortable to sit on cushions or chair.
sorry about a couple of “mediations” slipping in - it shows you can’t just rely on a spell checker.
regards,
Tejvan
[…] 4 Powerful Reasons to Meditate and How To Get Started - [PickTheBrain] digg_url = ‘http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/the-how-and-why-of-meditation.html’; ( function() { var ds=typeof digg_skin==’string’?digg_skin:”; var h=80; var w=52; if(ds==’compact’) { h=18; w=120; } var u=typeof digg_url==’string’?digg_url:(typeof DIGG_URL==’string’?DIGG_URL:window.location.href); document.write(”"); } )() Author: Craig Childs Posted: Tuesday, July 17th, 2007 at 7:30 am Tags: meditation Bookmark or Share this with a friend! […]
For a mantra, you can use the ancient verse of “Om”. It’s allegedly the sound the Universe makes - I’m guessing it’s supposed to be the sound of things at rest (e.g. womb, ocean, wind, etc). It’s pronounced oamm (emphasis on the m).
what’s this about non-religious? do you know what a mantra is?
Hi Tejvan. I can see that we could have a long discussion on the topic of drugs and meditation:) I wouldn’t recommend anyone just go out and buy drugs and sit vegging out and thinking they can meditate, it isn’t as simple as that and a lot of care has to be taken to make sure you’re accessing the right states without drugs before you do it with them.
I would just like to comment on your statement above though that, “However, I would not advise meditating under the influence of drugs, because it is a totally different experience to that of pure meditation.” This implies that cannabis can’t add anything to our access states, and that it prevents users from reaching the right meditative conditions, which really isn’t true - though I do understand your reasons for saying this and that it may well be true for some.
I practised within the Tibetan traditions for 27 years without even trying drugs, let alone trying to meditate whilst high, it was just the antithesis of everything I believed in, and felt very strongly that the two could not combine. However, along the way I also discovered that many of the people I studied under, and even some of my own lineage holders were users and even promoted its benefits privately - it has after all been a key aspect of many forms of practice for both Hindus and Buddhists of certain traditions, even though it isn’t openly talked about in this way.
Anyway, despite my reticence about use, I decided to try it a few years ago as an experiment, and expected the worst. Once I got used to the sensation of being high (I don’t drink or use caffiene, etc, so this was new to me) I began to look closely at what I could do with it and what it was trying to do to me. I quickly found that Relaxation, mindfulness and the generation of metta were far, far easier. Also, though it’s not really a part of my tradition’s daily work, I also found that moving through the dhyanas was also much easier and that in general my mind was much more pliable and easier to explore. Contemplative meditation in the Dzogchen style was, I’d say, about 50% more effective stoned.
On the downside, shamatha was slightly impaired as my brain wanted to keep free-forming creatively, but a little firm practice for a few minutes brought that under control.
The main point is that the ’states’ I reach are no different stoned or straight, and that cannabis enhances sensitivity to further work within these states. Cannabis adds an edge to vipassana and shamatha, it doesn’t detract. If it truly did detract then I wouldn’t even consider using it, my meditation is far too important for me to risk impairing it in any way.
I really do not want people to think that by taking drugs it will give them an easy ‘in’ to higher states, but for those with the control and the experience I would recommend it whole-heartedly, at least as a one-off now and again.
Thanks again for an excellent OP.
D
@Ryan: While the term mantra is of hindi origin, simply repeating a phrase to help one concentrate is also considered a mantra. If you’re concentrating on that one phrase and only that phrase, your mind isn’t wandering elsewhere.
Again, it’s just a tool.
Dzogchenpa, I am impressed with your open and candid response. Keep up the good work.
I know, however I recommend meditating on this instead:
Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation.
Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.
My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee…
I concentrated on all of those, and my mind wasn’t wandering….wow, more than one word?!? BIG UPS!
Life’s NOT about the SELF. It’s about the COMMUNITY.
Interesting article. I usually meditate in the metro, on my way to work.
A lot of people have a problem with the flame exercise you’re talking about above as they’re not “doing enough”.
Another one is to count to 10 (or 4) repeatedly in time with your breaths.
Another one is to imagine yourself floating immersed underwater (or in space, or in air) and actively watch distractions float up past you in bubbles. (You’re meditating on the distractions floating by!)
Another caveat: Don’t “force” your mind to go back to concentrating when you are distracted by something. Note the distraction, brush it off, then go back gently to your meditation.
e.g. “One…two…three….four….one…two…Oh my the carpet feels fuzzy. So fuzzy under my legs….oh my, the carpet just distracted me…oh well, happens sometime… back to meditation…. one….two…. three… four… one… two… three… four… one”
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Great overview and practical intro! One little thing I find important: Set an alarm! I use the v. quiet alarm on my PDA. Before I started doing this, the hardest thought to banish during meditation was “Has it been thirty minutes?” Then I’d want to look at the clock, then my whole day’s schedule would rush in . . .
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Here is an excellent site regarding research on meditation, in this case Transcendental Meditation. http://tm.org/discover/research/charts/index.html.
And check this out about ADHD research: http://adhd-tm.org/.
Finally, it ends up that film director David Lynch has been meditating for 30 years. Who’d a thunk it! http://davidlynchfoundation.org/video/booksigning.html
[…] 4 Powerful Reasons to Meditate and How To Get Started. I have some of my own little relaxation techniques I’ve used for a while, but this actually makes me want to focus on something a little deeper. […]
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Thanks for sharing this great information about meditation.
I think the use of candles and burning of incense came from movies that featured people who uses incense and candles while they are meditating.
Thanks so much for the nice post which reminds me to get back to the habit.
Quieting the mind to get recharged!
I’ll be waking up early tomorrow to try it out.
Good article, and very good intro to meditating. I listed a translation from an old Vedic text on my website that lists 112 methods of meditation, for those who want a little variety-
http://www.traviseneix.com/meditating-on-the-possibilities/
I would like to quote Gandhi in response to some of the above comments -
“Meditation is Prayer with form, Prayer is Meditation without form.”
This is a wonderful and concise introduction to meditation. I think it’s enough for people planning to try meditation.
More benefits will probably be acquired through deeper meditation.
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This is just great. Guidelines and basic principles are what we all need to learn to start meditation. Deeper understanding of meditation should require more knowledge about it.
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Ilchi Lee has a fantastic reputation due to what he teaches and how he uses his mind. Ilchi Lee was driven at youth to ask deep inner questions about his existence, which is a question that we all bring up sometimes. Ilchi Lee is also a master of Teak Kwon Do and spent 21 days alone meditating. Meditate is to reflect deeply on a subject. Meditate to think to intently and at length as for spiritual purposes. This is similar to what many of us do. How many times have you been sitting around bored, just staring into nothing. You are meditating. Ilchi Lee also traveled across the USA and stumbled across a city to start teaching his ideas. This wonderful and beautiful city was Sedona, Arizona. Finally, Ilchi Lee
Book of Joshua: Isaac went out to meditate in the field.
Hebrew word; talk to himself. To devise, imagine.
Greek word; what people do to make sure they can teach
-SRV
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Another great post. Meditation is key!
Meditation = Relaxation (oh, and I save d$1000.00 and hours of wasted time)
MORONS!
One of the most inspiring books I have ever read was Ricard’s “Happiness.” In it, over and over again, he teaches the importance of meditating and its relationship to happiness. I am convinced that meditation is the source of mind control, and mind control is the fuel of increased happiness.
Great post!!
meditation gave me a woman’s love
I’m glad to know about this page. I have been struggeling with too many thoughts and the sresses of life. I couldn’t deem to focus on one thing or nothing at all. I was lying in bed one day and it hit me like a slap in the face, to read up on meditation as i read about it, it became so muck clearer and helpful to try this out so i can find peace of mind and do some soul-searching. So i say thanks.
My experience: Meditation didn’t help nearly as much as a system to organize my thoughts, desires, and commitments. I think of the methodology I practice (GTD) as a kind of enforced meditation, if that makes any sense. The analogy I give: No one’s able to meditate away a bill, problem, or situation that needs attention. You can get a different perspective on it, sure, but it will still be there when you’re “back in the real world.”
And before anyone flames, I do get (at the basic level) the crucial importance of mindfulness, and I have a ton of work to do in that area. I guess my main point is that, for clearing my head, having a system worked better for me than a meditation practice…
Thanks for the discussion!
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A very good article indeed. Though the article is very short, it has covered almost all the things related to meditation. While concentration and effort are necessary in the beginning, we must know that Meditation is not concentration itself. It is (if I used the words of great J Krishnamurthy) a state of choiceless awareness. A state of stillness which makes us calm.
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Here’s a useful guide to meditation for those interested.
A well documented Article.. Meditation is infact a process of liberization of yourself from the thoughts. And if observed carefully its only thoughts which decide how a person is going to live his/her life. for example if you are happy at present.. a thought will be responsible for this and similarly if sad/Charged up, always a thought works behind it. so Thoughts are infact life and by doing meditation we can control our life…Also “A monk who sold his Ferrary” by Robin Sharma is a Good one ..
[…] 4 Powerful Reasons to Meditate and How To Get Started […]
[…] a terrific article on it, read How to Meditate from another of my favorite websites, Pick the […]
Ive been wanting to try meditationl for a while now to help with depression and so on. Thanks for the info.
thanks but what about noise and un clear thoughts i cant seem to concerntrate on certen thoughts but dont thing of them they are just there
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[…] 4 Reasons to Meditate and how to get started […]
i liked it very much & will try those fine points while doing yoga
i always meditate and i find it really good, especially wen am musterbading or having sex with my neighbor, wawwww meditating is so good. i musterbade while meditating, try it it’s excellent
i always meditate and i find it really good, especially wen am musterbading or having sex with my neighbor, wawwww meditating is so good. i musterbade while meditating, try it it’s excellent
Meditation is “thinking about not thinking”
its like thinking about “naught” thus clearing the mind !
I have yet to undertsnad this concept. Right now I can clear my mind of everything… but when Im at this stage i find out that i have already sleeping. I guess this is it…after all when you wake up you feel highly rejuvenated
However according to the Taoist when your at that stage the mind is cleared of everything, or when calmnewss is there, anythought that is derived from your inner being is the topic of your meditation. Do not be biased here! that is when you are thinking about something that you are worie about etc
The point is when you listen to your infinity, the answer to your mrditation is there …it may be quite different from the going ons that you are familiar with everyday Cheers and may you all have wonderful meditating christmas and new year festivities ..aummmm, auuuuummmmmm, aummmmmmm
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talking alarm clock…
Love them or hate them, alarm clocks are a necessary part of life…
[…] found a brief but informative article at PickTheBrain.com: 4 Powerful Reasons to Mediate and How to Get Started. He walks the reader through the benefits […]
Meditation sounds very calming to the mind.But shall younger people do it too?It would be good perhaps for a teenager but they don’t really have the right mind to do it.Or perhaps in other words are being difficult and dont want to do it.Do you make noise when you meditate?
Tesu
[…] Meditation is the practice of silencing the mind, and the morning is a particularly good time to do it. Just a few of its many benefits include improved concentration, better health, and increased knowledge of self. If you would like to learn more about meditation and how to get started, I highly recommend reading 4 Powerful Reasons to Meditate and How to Get Started. […]
i love the sight and i think it might really help me acomplish my dream
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Eric…
That’s awesome!…
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i do both visualization and meditation.
i need to create a image in my mind and focus as much detail as i can on it while visualization.
will this affect my meditation skill which silent mind are needed.
anyone?
im only 17 but i meditate everyday. and by reading this i can almost explain why i enjoy it so much and how i can “just sit there”. And now i will take my meditation to a step further. Thank you
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cure for nail biting…
My kids need help stopping biing their nails. I just found this site….
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/07/14-reasons-to-become-more-conscious/>>>>>>>Read this like your life depends on it…..cause it does!!! meditation expands consciousness/awareness……heaven and hell both exist on earth but in your MIND…meditate to get to heaven
Peace GOD
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/07/14-reasons-to-become-more-conscious/ …Read this like your life depends on it…..cause it does!!! meditation expands consciousness/awareness……heaven and hell both exist on earth but in your MIND…meditate to get to heaven
Peace GOD
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Great artical, it really works
Thanks =)
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