Why should we meditate?
Meditation is the word, it’s got groove, it’s got meaning. Mindfulness, well-being, self-realisation, spirituality, mind-body-spirit connection. All phrases that have been around for a while now, and even more so over the last couple of years. But why should we meditate?
Out of curiosity I Goggled the benefits of meditation, this is what came back.
Reduces Stress. Stress reduction is one of the most common reasons people try meditation.
Controls Anxiety. Less stress translates to less anxiety.
Promotes Emotional Health.
Enhances Self-Awareness.
Lengthens Attention Span.
May Reduce Age-Related Memory Loss.
Can Generate Kindness.
May Help Fight Addictions.
Doing some further research, I found that more than 300 million people worldwide suffer from depression, and growing at a rapid rate particularly in millennials, meanwhile, 260 million people suffer from anxiety disorders. Many people live with both conditions. Yet there is no mention of meditation when it comes to supporting these growing mental illnesses, Western society would rather throw some pills down peoples throats, and see if the particular brand works.
Patanjalis wrote in his Yoga Aphorisms thousands of years ago;
”Mediation is a process of devolution. Beginning at the surface of life, the meditative mind goes inward, seeking always the cause behind the appearance, and then the cause behind the cause, until the innermost reality is reached.”
I believe a daily meditation practice is a crucial part of a persons longevity, and overall wellness allowing you to have a calm mind, enhance the overall health of the body, and allow people to take back control of their life. It’s also the doorway to something that is hard to describe in words, the place that is pure bliss, that holds everything, yet has nothing. Some Yogis call this Parabrahman (the supreme reality), Atman (real self) or Swarupa (ones own form).
Mediation allows us to peel back the layers of memories the mind has created throughout our lives, some of which can be a challenging yet worthy process. In my experience the practice of meditation stirs up strong emotions, allowing their eventual release from the mind. Imagine the mind is like a large storage facility; everything goes in and gets stored in a unique place then a hatch is firmly closed, so all the memories/emotions are locked away.
Meditation allows the lid to gradually open, releasing suppressed memories and emotions, allowing the meditator to get rid of all the junk, just like emptying your spam folder in your inbox allowing you to access more of your true self. After each stage of releasing emotions, you feel lighter, more energetic, generally happier, with a more calm, positive outlook in your life.
In order to sense more space, more calmness, a quieter mind, a stronger connection with our true-self, we have to let go of the excess baggage which is kept in the storehouse of the mind. The fact that it can significantly reduce stress, is one of the first reasons to consider meditation. It’s far better than drinking alcohol or numbing emotions with medication. Easy for you, I hear you say. However once you experience the stillness and calmness of the mind, you will wonder why you didn’t start years ago.
A huge benefit of meditation is it changes the brainwave frequencies the mind is running. Deep meditation goes into the theta brain wave frequency, which is the same as sleep. It’s been reported that 30 minutes of meditation is the same as having 3 hours sleep. On top of that you tap into something that allows your intuition to give messages back to you, you literally get advice from your true-self about ideas, innovations, solutions to problems or just to process what’s been troubling you at an unconscious level. If I am stressed or have a problem to process, I meditate, even 10 minutes allows me to reconnect and breathe. Which is a free easily accessible tool to have in life’s utility belt.
I mentioned earlier that mediation connects you to your true-self, the true-self is the inner self, the self that the majority of us have forgotten about. In my opinion based on lots of research, meditation practice and continual study, the mind uses memories to block any recognition of the true-self which is one reason why regular meditation is so important.
The true-self is the limitlessness within each of us, and all we have to do to reconnect with it is close our eyes and focus within. Sure it may take a while for the mind chatter to slow down, and eventually stop, but it will stop with a consistent practice. If you eat healthy, go to the gym you are going to get results. You may need rest days in between sessions, until the body is used to the habit of healthy living, and that’s normal. The same works for a meditation practice, you have to build it into your daily habit, unlike working out all you have to do is find a quiet place and close your eyes.
I believe the true self is striving to get out, its literally calling us from the moment we choose to connect into the mind/body. It is limitless, knowing no end. It is connected to all things, yet most of us choose to walk around, thinking, focusing on material things that society has programmed into us.
Most of the programs we run aren’t even ours, it’s stuff we picked up along the way, stuff that we believe will make us happy. Yet some how the search never really satisfies us, it may do temporarily for a month, a week or even one day, but ultimately it’s never enough. We have to have this, we have to have that, and then if we don’t get it, pain/upset hits us. Especially today there is so much pressure on us, you have stimulation from everywhere you look, social media, advertising, family/friends influence, employers, colleagues, school mates, it’s everywhere 24 hours a day.
Why does this happen to us? In my opinion it’s the programming deep inside of the body, the true self is seeking expression, to reconnect with pure creation, pure love, pure being. I remember an old saying
“In order to be me, I’ve got to be me, not the me the world thinks I should be, not the me you think I should be, not the me my family thinks I should be, in order to be free, I’ve got to be me”.
The practice of meditation is like the flowering of a Peace Lilly, you have a plant which is placed in soil which has all the nutrients needed for the plants growth. You then water the plant several times a week, for months, sometimes even longer. You look at the plant every now and again, nothing happens, the leaves of the plant get greener, look stronger, yet still no flowers? You may grow frustrated, thinking, wondering, where are the flowers? Why isn’t anything happening? Yet everything is happening exactly as it’s meant to, but it’s all under the surface in the life force of the plant. Then one day, there it is, the shoot with the flower at the end. Then over the course of a few days, the white flower opens up, standing high and tall above the plant in all its perfect glory.
All that’s needed is 15 minutes a day to begin. I suggest listening to a repetitive sound like a fan, a fridge or similar. You can look into a mantra meditation proactive like Japa. Even better you can go to a local meditation class, there is something special about being in the meditative field with other people. You could download some binaural sounds, you could even use a variety of free apps which can get you into the daily habit of meditation.
Now I am not saying mediation is for everyone, yet you will never know unless you try and experience, first hand the positive effects of what a regular meditation brings into your life.
“Meditation will help you to find your bonds, loosen them, untie them and cast your moorings. When you are no longer attached to anything, you have done your share. The rest will be done for you.” Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.