MEDITATION A MEDICINE -- WHAT IT IS, EFFECTS & BENEFITS

Meditation is practiced in numerous religious traditions. The earliest records of meditation (dhyana) are found in the ancient Hindu texts known as the Vedas, and meditation plays a salient role in the contemplative repertoire of Hinduism and Buddhism.

Meditation is the delicate art of doing nothing and letting go of all efforts to relax in your true nature, which is love, joy, and peace. Meditation is listening to your inner voice.

It is a process in which we shift from thinking to feeling. It is a journey from the complexity of mind to the simplicity of heart.

 Meditation, cleanses the mind of negative thought patterns. The state of thoughtless awareness brings with it a sense of peace and detached joy. Thus the occurrence of negative thoughts and emotions is naturally reduced without effort. Even experiencing a few seconds of a pure meditative state can have astonishingly long-lasting effects.

Meditation is the habitual process of training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts.

EFECTS OF MEDITATION ON BRAIN:-

The frontal lobe

An important component of our body responsible for retaining long-term memories, the frontal lobe is one of the four main lobes in the brain. It is used to determine differences between things or events, and is responsible for self-conscious awareness. The prefrontal cortex goes into a sort of offline mode when you meditate.

The parietal lobe

Located behind the frontal lobe, the parietal lobe plays a great role in processing sensory information from different parts of the body. While meditating, the functioning of the parietal lobe slows down.

The thalamus

is involved in controlling sleep and the regulation of motor functions. It rests on top of the brain stem, among the midbrain and cerebral cortex. Meditation decreases the flow of incoming data to the thalamus to a trickle.

TYPES OF MEDITATION:-

MINDFULNESS MEDITATION — Mindfulness meditation is the practice of intentionally focusing on the present moment, accepting and non-judgmentally paying attention to the sensations, thoughts, and emotions that arise.

VIPASSANA MEDITATION — Vipassana is a Pali word that means “insight” or “clear seeing”. First stages is to stabilize the mind and achieve “access concentration.” This is more like focused attention meditation. Then the practice moves on to developing “clear insight” on the bodily sensations and mental phenomena, observing them moment by moment and not clinging to any.

MANTRA MEDITATION — As you repeat the mantra, it creates a mental vibration that allows the mind to experience deeper levels of awareness. As you meditate, the mantra becomes increasingly abstract and indistinct, until you’re finally led into the field of pure consciousness from which the vibration arose.

CHAKRA MEDITATION — The practitioner focuses on one of the seven chakras of the body (“centers of energy”), typically doing some visualizations and chanting a specific mantra for each chakra (lam, vam, ram, yam, ham, om). Most commonly it is done on the heart chackra, third eye, and crown chackra.

KUNDALINI MEDITATION – This is a very complex system of practice. The goal is the awakening of the “kundalini energy” which lies dormant on the base of the spine, the development of several psychic centers in the body, and, finally, enlightenment. There are several dangers associated with this practice, and it should not be attempted without the guidance of a qualified yogi.

GUIDED MEDITATION –

 a. First stage is to stabilize the mind and achieve “access concentration.” This is more like focused attention meditation. Then the practice moves on to developing “clear insight” on the bodily sensations and mental phenomena, observing them moment by moment and not clinging to any. 

b. Affirmations — Usually coupled with relaxation and guided imagery, the purpose of these meditations is to imprint a message in your mind.

c. binaural beats — when signals of two different frequencies are presented separately, one to each ear, your brain detects the phase variation between the frequencies and tries to reconcile that difference. This is used to generate alpha waves (10 Hz), which is the brain wave associated with initial levels of meditation.

OTHER :- ZEN MEDITATION, TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION

BENEFITS OF MEDITATION :-

LEARN TO LET GO AND BE FIRM — A life situation affects us deeply when we are not able to let go. The emotional baggage of an unfavorable situation and person torments us. Sometimes, to such a great extent that our ability to live happily crumbles. Meditating regularly helps us to let go and also helps us stay firm and passionate about what we are doing.

MORE ENERGY MORE EFFICIENCY — Meditation clears one’s mind and increases one’s energy levels. Meditation can stimulate the vagus nerve, which promotes positive emotions and relaxation. A recent study shows that meditation reduces exhaustion among entrepreneurs as it reduces workplace stressors, bringing you more calm and energy. Efficiency naturally increases as you feel more energized and have more clarity of mind

MEDITATION REDUCES ACTIVITY IN THE BRAIN’S “ME CENTER” – Mindfulness meditation decreases activity in the default mode network (DMN), the brain network responsible for mind-wandering and self-referential thoughts – a.k.a., “monkey mind.” The DMN is “on” or active when we’re not thinking about anything in particular, when our minds are just wandering from thought to thought. Since mind-wandering is typically associated with being less happy, ruminating, and worrying about the past and future, it’s the goal for many people to dial it down. Several studies have shown that meditation, through its quieting effect on the DMN, appears to do just this. And even when the mind does start to wander, because of the new connections that form, meditators are better at snapping back out of it.

IT BOOSTS CONCENTRATION — When so many things are racing through our minds at any given time, it can be tough to concentrate on tasks at work or even hobbies like reading a book. Meditation centers your mind so you can focus on what you need to get done.

 YOU’LL LIVE IN THE MOMENT — Learning to focus and live in the moment is an important benefit of meditation, but it’s easier said than done. Often, our thoughts turn to past events or things we need or want to do in the future, and we seem to forget about the here and now.

MEDATION AND DISEASE —

• Pain and fibromyalgia in teenagers.

• Stress-related disorders in adolescents and adults.

• Migraine, headaches, and hypertensive conditions.

• Psoriasis.

• Anxiety and depression.

Committing to a daily practice improves the overall quality of life, and has long-term benefits for staying emotionally and physically healthy. Also meditation had similar effects as medications in treating depression, anxiety, and other emotional problems.

MEDITATION REDUCES STRESS AND ANXIETY — The practice of “Open Monitoring Meditation” (such as Vipassana), reduces the grey-matter density in areas of the brain related with anxiety and stress. Meditators were more able to attend moment-to-moment to the stream of stimuli to which they are exposed and less likely to get stuck on any one stimulus.

Open Monitoring Meditation involves non-reactively monitoring the content of experience from moment-to-moment, primarily as a means to recognize the nature of emotional and cognitive patterns.

MEDITATION IMPROVES SELF AWARENESS, LEARNING AND MEMORY — Long-term practice of meditation increases grey-matter density in the areas of the brain associated with learning, memory, self-awareness, compassion, and introspection.

MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE  :- Its almost a year since I have started practicing meditation, and now not even one day goes by without practicing meditation. I am completely changed in the way I Think, Respond, Act.  It has made me grateful of every single little thing in my life. Also I have became more aware and have started looking things in a bigger picture (shift in perspective). You start to look everything in life with deeper meaning. One thing I would like to mention here is that the biggest lesson I have learned so far is to Respond rather than to React, this itself cuts or minimize negativity. One more habit that I have cultivated is that of being aware of any negative thoughts, watch them and convert them into positive.  Everyone has different experiences, different awakening, different path so embrace the journey and take actions!

It will be in your great benefit if you start practicing meditation TODAY. All you have to do is to sit in a comfortable position and watch your breath. IN & OUT, that’s it for 5 minutes for a week atleast. Initially you will find it difficult to focus, gradually you will improve and see the changes.

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