Power In Your Hands

Meditation is recommended as a starting point for any individual - you don't have to be interested in the esoteric arts. It is simply beneficial for all.

Meditation is another form of deep relaxation - to a heightened state of awareness. It involves focused concentration where the subject becomes more alert, present and aware. Meditation also helps with motivation and success as well as putting balance into our mind, body and life. Incorporated within this is visualisation and focal breathing.

The Benefit of Meditaiton
Meditation is a discipline of body relaxation and mind training and focusing on the present. Research has scientifically proven that meditation is a safe and simple way to balance your physical, emotional, and mental state and its countless values have been known and practiced for thousands of years. More and more doctors promote the benefits of meditation to cure many stress related illnesses.

Would it Benefit Me?
Everyday most of us experience stress in many different ways and I believe many people are simply not aware of the benefits of meditation or of how much stress we actually hold on to. Normally life threatening situations trigger off the stress response which enables us to act without contemplation and deliberation and survive intense situations using fast reflexes. When our bodies are exposed to a sudden threat we respond with the characteristic fight or flight reaction which is known as an adrenaline rush. When adrenaline and other hormones are released from the adrenal glands the pulse races, blood pressure increases, our breathing becomes faster and the blood flow to the muscles increases. If we are in extreme danger these reactions are of great assistance and gain to us. We have inherited this survival response from our ancestors who faced many life threatening situations every day.

The same response is now triggered in our daily lives when we are in a traffic hold up or someone irritates us at work or we simply break a cup. If we do not confront the situation (and many are beyond our control) we end up being in a permanent state of stress.

One of the most important benefits of meditation is how it releases stress from our bodies. Meditation practiced regularly will lead you to a deeper level of relaxation and contemplation. If you want to be free of constant worry, pressure and stress the benefits of meditation can give you a life that is calm, peaceful, happy and relaxed.

How it Works
Even ten minutes of meditation a day will help alleviate stress. It also reduces anxiety attacks as it lowers the levels of blood lactate.

Meditation (in conjunction with Visualisation) can aid to build self confidence. It increases serotonin which influences moods and behaviour. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression, headaches and insomnia. Meditation has been proven to enhance energy, strength and vigour as well as helping to keep the blood pressure normal. It reduces stress and tension, creates a state of deep relaxation and general feeling of wellbeing, helps with P.M.T., increases concentration and strengthens the mind, helps reduce heart disease and helps with weight loss and addiction.

If you practise regularly, the benefits of meditation will promote a sense of calm and control, you’ll feel far more relaxed and happy. Your ability to concentrate will be greater. You won’t become stressed about things and you’ll feel more peaceful and relaxed about everything. One of the greatest benefits of meditation is learning to go with the flow and things that used to irritate you before simply become insignificant.

There are many misconceptions about meditation. These include:

a) That your mind must be emptied of all thoughts. This is not the case. Meditation aims to train the brain to focus on the present (now) rather than past/future memories and tasks.
b) Meditation means going into trance. Trance is usually associated with some kind of mental blankness. In meditation – we aim to be focused on the present with our experience without distraction, not oblivious to what is going on!
c) Meditation involves becoming “spaced-out”. The state of calmness and matter of fact acceptance of reality (equanimity) can give the impression that the practice takes the individual to a “blissed-out” state of consciousness. In fact, meditation involves high states of concentration where one becomes much more alert, present and aware.

One of the major misconceptions about meditation is people’s ignorance on the subject. They believe they will be lead into a trance, not wake up, be hypnotised, astral project and even beckon “dark energies”! (My friend reckons it’s an excuse for a cheeky siesta or a bit of daydreaming). They also are inclined to stereotype it with the new age travellers and drug experimentation, mind expansion that can either awaken or dumb senses.
Meditation can produce an altered state of consciousness (from Beta to Alpha). However, brain waves are less cluttered and confused with clarity and focus as the desired result.

The Left side of the brain is the clever part. Its always scheming, like a bossy manager who needs to be in control, demands to be heard (wakes you up in the middle of the night)! It is concerned with language, words, analysis and figures. It likes logic.

The right side of the brain has no need for control. It is the image processor and deals with pictures, emotions, feelings and relationships. It is creative intuitive and trusting. It is far better connected with the enormous power of the subconscious then the left part of the brain.

Beginners to meditation often find themselves falling asleep when they attempt the practice. This is because their minds are programmed to go from Alpha to Delta brainwaves as in relaxation of the body, withdrawal of energy from external senses to the unconscious state of deep sleep.

The mind is defined in Buddhism as a non-physical phenomenon which perceives, thinks, recognises, experiences and reacts to the environment. The mind is described as having two main aspects: clarity and knowing.

This means the mind is clear, formless and allows for objects to arise in it. The mind is also all-knowing, has awareness and a consciousness, which can engage with objects.

When people first start to meditate, they start to realise how erratic their thought processing is and how their brains “runs-off” on a tangent. The Buddhists call this the “mad monkey”. They believe that with meditation, the mad monkey (or brain) can be trained to focus and calmed, hence, balancing the flow of energy. This of course takes time, practice and dedication.

Beating Stress and Illness
In this fast track and competitive society, we often do not have time to listen to our body’s basic needs (in order to get the job done). This results in breakdown, dis-ease and illness of the physical body as it is polluted. This can be physical, emotional, mental or psychological and can be very destructive to relationships, careers, finances, hobbies and general living.

Focused Relaxation is about learning how to respectfully compose the body into a relaxed state and detached from the mind which accepts and releases passing thoughts as gently flowing waves of current. People who take the time to practice meditation regularly, (sitting to relax and focus the mind and controlling breathing) –will feel and become more “in-tune” as well as aware of the subtle sensations that occur in the complex circulation of the body - muscles relaxing, aches and pains that have been ignored and the daily stress that is accepted on the normally resilient human body “twitching” as the energy flow moves around. We can learn to manipulate these energies in a constructive, positive way, releasing and encouraging their free flow to create complete health. This human energy is often called “The Aura” or “Subtle Body”

The Art of Visualisation.
The technique of visualisation can be quite a problem for some people as the modern fast-track western life gives no time for mind creativity, imagination or fantasy. This is drummed out of us all “society” who call this process “daydreaming”.

To help people or explain what visualisation is, I start by explaining exactly what the definition of the word means as a process. I ask something simple like “what colour is your front door/car door” Can you see the keyhole? If they know the answers to these two simple questions, they can visualise.

I explain that the mind answers the questions by recreating a picture of the door so that it can be described. I also point out that they must have had a “point of view” to see one side of the door or the other – that’s visualisation!

Changing Your Point of View
They say that we are a sum total of our experiences. Even more important than what has happened to you is how your mind has interpreted it. That determines how you think of yourself. How you think of yourself affects the health of your body, your thoughts and your whole existence. This is because your thinking, your body and your behaviour are continually interacting. How you think of yourself also effects how other people think of you as they react to your body language and the emotional signals you are transmitting.

When using visualisation (recalling a past event or future event), you will use your memory or mind to incorporate senses. Seeing what you saw, feeling what you felt, hearing what you heard, tasting what you had – as if stepping inside that memory or creating a clear picture of what you wish the outcome to be. By vividly experiencing, visualisation can effect your emotions here and now. The more you practice using a positive self image, the more your mind will be reprogrammed to activate this positivity, determination, will power and self control to deal with any issue, event or occurrence successfully.

People suppress their emotions believing they are “more in control” The English are the worst offenders with their ”stiff upper lip” attitude! By not focusing upon them and trying to ignore how they feel, can lead to ”dis-ease” within the body, a feeling of strangulation, high blood pressure, sleeplessness, heart palpitations and all those other symptoms related to stress, anxiety and depression.

In learning how to express/address emotions appropriately, you can rationally visualise a scenario prior or after and decide what you what the outcome to be/review the occurrence with love and as one of life’s learning curves from a detached position.

In releasing emotions, you are letting the energy flow - therefore healing rather than carrying the weight of the negativity/fear. This can prevent it poisoning the system, holding you back or down (never coming to terms with something or holding something too close to one’s chest).

In releasing your emotions, you are also rebalancing your mind, body and soul instead of fighting the dis-ease.

What is the Experience of Meditation like?
Every meditation is unique and every individuals experience is also unique. There will be times when development seems to have taken place and other occasions when progression has not happened or focus has been impossible. The only bad meditation session is the one that does not take place. As a form of mind control, maybe concentration was limited due to personal chaos, however, giving the body time to relax, regulate breathing and remove some stress/tension from the muscles – can only be a good thing. It is also a time for self healing, contemplation and personal space that every individual needs. In keeping practice diary, not only can you refer to the subtle changes and development but also relate to how you felt before/after a session.

When we start to relax and tune into our body, we start to feel the muscles relax and aches and pains that have been ignored seem to be heightened. In the modern world, individuals attending sessions may have a whole range of ailments. Explaining and showing them how they can release the tension/pain and bring about temporary self healing is beneficial. This can be done by directing the focused pain down to the ground and releasing it. Visualising a soothing healing colour to encompass your body and focusing on the healing warmth of the sun, repairing and re-energising the body can also help. The power of visualisation is immense and changing the minds perspective about pain threshold can be done with practice. Ask the subject to call to mind a time in the past when they were pain free, relaxed, strong, happy and healthy. Let them feel how it felt, see what they saw and hear what they heard – encourage them to draw this vision to mind every time able the pain returns.

Grounding - Back to Basics
Few people today are not confused. Very few know what they want; what is right; what is wrong; what to do with their lives. Most are bombarded by so many opinions, desires, activities and responsibilities that they cannot think clearly. Sitting quietly for 20 minutes by himself everyday will help each individual to clear his mind, free himself from the haze of thoughts and emotions and become clearer about his life. He will be a more efficient member of society.

Meditation will help people to reawaken to their inner sense of what is important and of value to them, and how to live harmoniously. They will become stronger, more satisfied from within. They will offer society a higher quality of human being.

Meditation increases one’s self-confidence by putting one in contact with inner energies that were previously undeveloped. Thus, as people meditate more, they will become more efficient members of society, in whatever role they play.

Meditation puts an individual in contact with his inner sense of morality. We become more sensitive and start to realize our oneness with the others and eventually become incapable of cheating, lying and manipulating with power. We begin to learn to love ourselves and feel greater acceptance for others. Meditation helps to remove the blockages to love and the ego-defense mechanisms of the personality. Regular meditation society will make it a more loving and peaceful place to live.

Meditation is a way of releasing tension on a daily basis. In this way we can return daily to our natural peaceful state of body and mind, rather than build up tension from day to day. Thus, we avoid many illnesses, problems and conflicts with others. Meditation offers society more relaxed, healthy, peaceful and clear- minded human beings. Meditation is the process of learning to control the mind - the most difficult task on earth. A few can help many through meditation!