There are four steps to practicing meditation: establish a conducive environment both externally and internally; practice a technique such as watching the breath or repeating a mantra in order to focus the attention on a single point; surrender, by letting go into the peak experience of meditative awareness; and finally, consciously bring the attention back to mind and body with a sense of appreciation and renewal.
It is helpful to set aside a regular time and place for meditation. If you are able to devote an area of your home for daily practice, the energy of your devotion will permeate the space and positively influence your sessions. Because meditation provides a wonderful sense of clarity and perspective, it is helpful to begin your day, first thing, with meditation before becoming involved with other matters.
When the sage Ramana Maharshi was asked about the best posture for meditation he replied that it is the posture in which the mind is still. Meditation can be practiced seated on the floor, on a cushion, or in a chair. The posture should be relaxed but firm, with the spinal column straight. This posture reflects the quality of mind that is most conducive to meditative awareness—a firm intention to experience God or Truth, balanced with peaceful surrender to divine grace and timing.
Begin meditation by closing your eyes and drawing your attention within. Offer a prayer of attunement, acknowledging the presence of God, the saints and sages, the divine nature of all beings, and the spiritual nature of your own soul. Most importantly, feel your connection to God and to all of life. Inwardly walk through the temple door of God’s omnipresence and experience yourself praying “in” God rather than “to” God. Know that God is nearer than your heartbeat, the essence of your being.
Inwardly direct your gaze toward the spiritual eye, the point between the eyebrows. Focus awareness on your breath, noticing the experience of inhalation and exhalation. Whenever you become involved in thoughts, gently return your attention to the breath. After a while, breathing slows down and becomes shallow, thought activity decreases, and moments of calm, pure, awareness are revealed.
As the experience of peace deepens, let go of watching the breath and rest in meditative awareness. When the attention wanders to thoughts again, you can return to the breath, or begin to conclude your meditation by bringing awareness back to body and mind. Before concluding, make a conscious effort to deeply feel the peace you have gathered within. Know that peace is innate, a divine quality. Feel that you are refreshed, renewed, and ready to start your day with peace as your companion. Pray for others and the world. Consciously affirm the graceful unfolding of divine purpose and the highest good for all. As you perform your activities, carry the effects of meditation with you and return to the awareness of the divine presence throughout the day.
Think About It: New research suggests that mindfulness meditation can have benefits for health and performance, including improved immune function, reduced blood pressure and enhanced cognitive function. The study, published in the latest issue of the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science, draws on existing scientific literature to attempt to explain the positive effects.
The goal of this work, according to author Britta Hazel, of Justus Liebig University and Harvard Medical School, is to "unveil the conceptual and mechanistic complexity of mindfulness, providing the big picture by arranging many findings like the pieces of a mosaic." The authors specifically identify four key components of "mindfulness" - the state of meditation - that may account for its effects: attention regulation, body awareness, emotion regulation, and sense of self. Together, these help us deal with the effects of stress.
–from telegraph.co.uk/healthnews (11.03/11)
Be Inspired: Meditation practice removes our awareness from limiting conditions, enabling us to acknowledge and experience ourselves as spiritual beings independent of relative circumstances. We become enabled to view ourselves in relationship to the universe form a higher perspective, to choose our thoughts and actions and to flow with the rhythms of life with natural ease. Meditators can learn to prosper: to thrive, to flourish, and be successful in all aspects of their lives.
–Roy Eugene Davis
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