Many people believe meditation to be nothing more than sitting or laying down and chanting or breathing and that it can’t really provide them with any real benefits at all. How wrong can they possibly be?
Firstly, it’s crazy to believe something to be useless until you have truly tried it for yourself. Secondly, you often need some real education so you can understand what meditation is and just how powerful it can be if you do it properly.
There are many different ways to meditate. Yoga is a form of meditation that millions of people do regularly. It’s also a very good form of exercise because it’s gentle and can help you build up strength, balance, a calmer state of being and a quieter mind.
Some of the more traditional forms of meditation involve lying down on the floor, on a mat, the grass outside or anywhere you find that makes you feel comfortable. You can chant, focus on breathing, count, listen to relaxation music, listen to pre-recorded guided mediation or perform your own guided meditation.
One of the best things about meditation is that you can do it anywhere. You don’t need special equipment and you don’t need a specific amount of time. You just need a quiet space to call your own for that purpose.
Whichever method(s) you choose, the goals are generally the same. You want to achieve a more relaxed state of being, both physically and mentally, so you can handle the stresses of daily life much better.
Some people can do the meditation themselves and others prefer to be guided through the process. Over time, you’ll find out what works best for you. You may even find that different methods suit you for different purposes.
Most people have “constant chatter” going on in their heads all day long and so they want to stop it, even for a short time, and this is where meditation comes in. If you count or chant, your mind can’t keep chattering because you have given it something else to focus on.
You can focus on your breathing and count or simply breathe and that also gives you enough to focus on that the chatter stops. You can use any of these methods for as long a period as you feel necessary.
Once you have finished a meditation session, you should feel a lot calmer. You shouldn’t feel stressed and your mind should be clearer and more able to handle the tasks you have planned.
It’s also a way to recharge your batteries if you have been working too hard. It’s almost like having a power nap and can give you enough energy to get through the day’s tasks.
If you haven’t tried meditation, why not? You’ve got nothing to lose and you may just discover the solution to the stresses and other issues that you face each day. Meditation is addictive in a positive way and if you do it often enough, you’ll also become addicted to the single best holistic healing process known to man.