What is meditation and why would you want to experience it?
Meditation is a form of communication; a form of prayer. It is a form of prayer that does not restrict itself to a particular religion. Meditation is a respecter of all religions; an integral part of most. Yet meditation does not require the meditator to be affiliated with a religion.
Jesus said, "Go into your closet and pray."
Buddha said, "hear the sound of one hand clapping."
At its highest level meditation is the searcher's way of saying, 'speak Lord, thy servant heareth."
Traditional prayer in the western world is our way of speaking to God.
Meditation is our way of listening to God. It is also our way of connecting with the divine aspect within; our highest, best selves.
Both forms of prayer are powerful.
A good communicator will speak without offending.
A good communictor will listen without defending.
Meditation is one way of listening to our highest, most wise self. Meditation is one way of listening to God.
Meditation is this and much, much more. It indeed feeds the spirit. It also nourishes the body and the mind.
Potentially we are each body, mind and spirit; one, whole, complete. Emotional blocks can lead to physical blocks. Emotional and physical blocks can lead an individual to what is commonly labelled "a spiritual bypass".
Perhaps you have heard the saying, "the spirit is willing but the body is weak."
Meditation, in and of itself, will not heal emotional and physical blocks however meditation will assist the meditator in identifying these blocks. This in turn will lead to a cross-roads in life. At this cross-roads an individual becomes aware that he has choice. He can choose, possibly through psychospiritual therapy, to deal with and work through the emotional issues.
Most of us are aware of the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of the self. Too often, we feel the separation between these aspects. Meditation teaches us that this separation is not only unnecessary but unhealthy. Meditation opens a new door and allows you to visualize yourself as you are meant to be - - unified in body, mind and spirit; whole, complete.
Through meditation a student observes his breath, his life force, his prana Breathing in relaxation; breathing out the stress and worries of the day as though they had never existed is the foundation of all meditation. Chaotic breathing enhances insight and increases self-awareness, God awareness.
Through meditation a student is able to bring the sub-conscious into the realm of consciousness. Meditation is a doorway to conscious living.
Meditation is a way to listen to your body. You hear your body's cry for relaxation, stress reduction, peace. Through meditation you are able to realize that you have choice and you can choose to take the steps required to meet these urgent needs.
Meditation is a way to observe your inner self; a way to discover that you are on your way to a miracle and that, wonder of wonders, the miracle is you.
Meditation opens doors you may have thought were closed to you. Through these open doors you discover repressed creativity; new problem-solving abilities. Meditation enhances insight; increases perception and performance.
Meditation, for the willing meditator, offers opportunity to shine a light on those aspects of yourself that lurk in the shadows of your being. Your fears, your losses find avenues of expression. You discover a safe way to acknowledge and honour the grief, hurt, guilt and anger feelings that have been long repressed in the dark basement of the soul. Having acknowledged and honoured these feelings the meditator is made aware, possibly through psychospiritual therapy, that these feelings can be felt, owned and worked through in a safe environment.
Through meditation a willing student learns that there are no good or bad emotions - - there are simply emotions desiring recognition, gratitude, transformation and release in a manner that enhances your life. In this way meditation is the pathway leading to a desire for emotional, spiritual, and physical healing.
A willing student will meet his wounded inner child; that aspect of yourself that survived childhood but still bears the scars and burdens of possibly not being seen; not being heard; not being honoured for the wonderful person you truly are.
It has been said that "childhood is something that we spend the rest of our lives trying to overcome."
In meditation a willing student will hear the child's cry for help. Another cross-roads in life is arrived at and new choices are presented. Through psychospiritual therapy you will learn to listen to the needs of the child and will learn to offer the love, tolerance, understanding required in order for the wounded child to transform into the joyous, wondrous child he wanted to be and, indeed, still is today regardless of your chronological age.
A willing meditator will begin to understand tht the outward manifestation of poor physical health can be transformed through understanding the spiritual, emotional blocks that were formed as necessary defenses in childhood.
Recognizing the connectedness of body, mind and spirit you will learn to still the mind and find peace within.
There are a myriad of meditation methods including silent meditation, meditating with music, guided visualization, candle gazing, walking meditation and even the dance.
One can meditate sitting up or lying down -- the important thing to remember is to keep the spine straight, the body and mind receptive.
Through meditation one learns that he is never alone. Support, wisdom, guidance and love are there in a heartbeat.
Having said all this, I remind myself to keep it simple. Therefore I will simply say that meditation is a pathway to an overall sense of well-being; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
