Meditation
©Dan McClure all rights reserved.
"Life and death are the same thing. When we realize this fact, we have no fear of death anymore, nor actual difficulty in our life." - Shunryu Suzuki Roshi
Roshi taught me that more than 40+ years ago... the wisdom of which is today bearing fruit.
What is meditation? Meditation can be defined as a holistic discipline by which the practitioner attempts to get beyond the reflexive, "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness. Whew... sounds difficult, eh?
Nah.... My first mediation Master, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, would just invite people who wanted to learn to meditate to come and sit. He said to learn to meditate, open the front door and back door of your mind and let your thoughts pass thru -- just don't stop them to serve tea.
Along with the question “What is Meditation,” you may also wonder, “What benefits can be experienced by using meditation regularly?” There are a variety of benefits that have been linked with the regular practice of meditation. Meditation can bring about healing of both the body and the mind by using deliberation of thought and consideration. There are various physical benefits that can be experienced when meditation is made to be a part of daily life. Some physical benefits of meditation include a decrease in blood pressure and an improvement in breathing due to the increase of air flow that gets to the lungs. Those who use meditation regularly also find that their resting heart rate is lower as well, which takes some of the stress off the heart. Chemicals in the body that are associated with stress are lower as well, which leads to less anxiety. Meditation also promotes youthful skin and a youthful appearance.
Meditation is a practice that brings about not only physical benefits, but psychological benefits as well. Bringing oneself to a state of rumination through meditation has amazing effects on the psych of a person. Relaxation and a decrease in stress are rather obvious benefits, but many people do not realize that meditation can also improve moods and memory and decrease moodiness and depression.
All practices of meditation are a means of penetrating and exploring the inner realms so as to achieve silence, Spiritual Knowledge and communion with one's Higher Self.
Mindfulness is a type of meditation that essentially involves
focusing on your mind on the present. To be mindful is to be aware of
your thoughts and actions in the present, without judging yourself.
Research suggests that mindfulness meditation may improve mood, decrease stress, and boost immune function.
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.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, recorded the brain waves of stressed-out employees of a high-tech firm in Madison, Wisconsin. The subjects were split randomly into two groups, 25 people were asked to learn meditation over eight weeks, and the remaining 16 were left alone as a control group.
All participants had their brain waves scanned three times during the study: at the beginning of the experiment, when meditation lessons were completed eight weeks later and four months after that. The researchers found that the meditators showed a pronounced shift in activity to the left frontal lobe. In other words, they were calmer and happier than before.
Want to give it a try? Here is a quick and easy form to learn:
How to Try Mindfulness Meditation
1. Find a quiet and comfortable place. Sit in a chair or on the floor with your head, neck and back straight but not stiff.
2. Try to put aside all thoughts of the past and the future and stay in the present. Remember: open the front door and back door of your mind and let your thoughts pass thru -- just don't stop them to serve them tea.
3. Become aware of your breathing, focusing on the sensation of air moving in and out of your body as you breathe. Feel your belly rise and fall, the air enter your nostrils and leave your mouth. Pay attention to the way each breath changes and is different.
4. Watch every thought come and go, whether it be a worry, fear, anxiety or hope. When thoughts come up in your mind, don't ignore or suppress them but simply note them, remain calm and use your breathing as an anchor.
5. If you find yourself getting carried away in your thoughts, observe where your mind went off to, without judging, and simply return to your breathing. Remember not to be hard on yourself if this happens. This is called centering.
6. As the time comes to a close, sit for a minute or two, becoming aware of where you are. Get up gradually.
If you are interested in learning simple but profound methods of meditation...I can teach you.
At Integrated Magic I bring all that I have learned of Magic/k, the mind-body connection, Quantum Fields, Matrix Energetics & Quantum Physics to bring about a Shift & change to a higher reality in your life. Contact me and we can discuss if the practice of meditation is appropriate & advantageous for you.
References & links
Happiness: Essential Mindfulness Practices
Deep Meditation: Pathway to Personal Freedom by Yogani
Sure Ways to Self-Realization
The Inner Guide Meditation: A Spiritual Technology for the 21st Century
Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Zen Teaching of Shunryu Suzuki
Twenty-Five Doors to Meditation: A Handbook for Entering Samadhi
