Meditation is one of the proven alternative therapies. It is a form of stress management that will allow our mind to experience an oasis of peace and love within our heart and mind. It can be broadly classified under the mind-body medicine. More and more doctors are prescribing meditation as a way to lower blood pressure, improve exercise performance in people with angina, and help people with asthma breathe easier, relieve insomnia and generally relax the everyday stresses of life. It is a self healing process; any form of stress is a sign of our negative thinking and Disease within our mind. If we don't attend to disease in the mind we may find that chronic stress can lead to disease of the body. It is a safe and simple way to balance a person's physical, emotional, and mental states. It is simple; but can benefit everybody.
The entire process of meditation usually entails the three stages of
- Concentration (Dharana),
- Meditation (Dhyana) and
- Enlightenment or absorption (Samadhi)
The individual preparing to meditate usually starts off by harnessing his awareness, such as focusing his mind onto a certain object. Once attention gets engaged, concentration turns into meditation or dhyana. And through continuous meditation, the meditator merges with the object of concentration, which might either be the present moment or the Divine Entity.
The use of Meditation for healing is not new. Meditative techniques are the product of diverse cultures and peoples around the world. It has been rooted in the traditions of the world's great religions. In fact, practically all religious groups practice meditation in one form or another. The value of Meditation to alleviate suffering and promote healing has been known and practiced for thousands of years. More than anything else, meditation is being used as a personal growth device these days-for inculcating a more positive attitude towards life at large.
Meditation Techniques:
The best way that we can create that change is to change our thoughts from being negative to positive. The positive discovery about meditation is that we are focusing within our self and becoming free of negativity. Meditation techniques simply involve a process of transforming yourself, your thoughts, and recognizing the negative thoughts, and changing them into positive and peaceful thoughts.
Different cultures have different mediation techniques, but one thing is certain that meditation is universal. The different techniques are suited to different personality types. While some techniques are concentrative, involving focusing, other techniques are expansive such as 'Vipassana' meditation which allows for the free flow of thoughts and their observation.
There is nothing mystical about meditation. On the contrary, it is something that you can do quite easily by following these steps:
• Sit quietly and comfortably.
• Close your eyes.
• Start by relaxing the muscles of your feet and work up your body relaxing muscles.
• Focus your attention on your breathing.
• Breathe in deeply and then let your breath out. Count your breaths, and say the number of the breath as you let it out.
• Do this for ten or twenty minutes.
By meditating, you rest your body, allow stress hormones to subside, and occupy your mind so that unpleasant, stressful thoughts do not intrude. This gives you something to do with your mind, helping you to avoid distraction.
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