Meditation

Meditation has been around for thousands of years and has become increasingly popular in recent years.  Considering its benefits, it is easy to see why.  Meditation originated as a spiritual practice in many religious traditions, including Buddhism and Christianity.  What exactly is meditation?

Definitions

There are numerous different types of meditation and to some extent its definition depends on the type we are talking about.  Most types of meditation involve focusing one’s attention on a single point of reference.  The focus can be one’s breath, a particular word or mantra, a candle flame, etc.

The definition I like best comes from the Free Dictionary (see link below:

http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/meditation

“Meditation is a practice of concentrated focus upon a sound, object, visualization, the breath, movement, or attention itself in order to increase awareness of the present moment, reduce stress, promote relaxation, and enhance personal and spiritual growth.”

Meditation is about training the mind so that we increase awareness and can be more present in our lives.

Benefits

Meditation is not easy, as even experienced regular practitioners will admit.  Then why practice it?  Regular practice of meditation has been found by both personal self- report and scientific study to have numerous benefits:

• Deep relaxation and stress reduction
• Reduced anxiety and depression
• Feelings of well-being
• Improvements in a variety of medical conditions, including hypertension, arthritis, stroke, insomnia, chronic pain, ulcers, colitis and substance abuse
• Greater focus and concentration when not meditating

How to Meditate

There are a variety of written and online resources available to help you get started with meditation.  If you want to learn more about mindfulness meditation I would urge you to read Jon Kabat-Zinn’s books Full Catastrophe Living and Wherever You Go There You Are.  The former is about stress and its harmful impact on the body.  If you are experiencing a lot of stress in your life you are likely to find it both educational and very helpful.  Wherever You Go is about meditation itself, and I found it very helpful in getting me started on regular meditation.  Both are available in good bookstore and on Amazon.  The links before are useful for getting started with meditation.

http://life.gaiam.com/article/meditation-101-techniques-benefits-beginner-s-how

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-practice/201303/5-meditation-tips-beginners

Mindfulness Meditation

The type of meditation that has been most extensively studied is mindfulness meditation as practiced by Jon Kabat-Zinn who developed it to assist patients who have experienced a variety of stress-related physical illnesses. 

The goal of mindfulness meditation, if in fact it has a goal, is to be present.  Simply put, it involves sitting (or lying) still and focusing on the breath for a period of time that can range from 15 minutes to an hour or more.  Both beginners and experienced practitioners will find that despite the intention to focus exclusively on the breath, the mind will wander.  In fact, when I talk to people about mediation the most common response I get from people is “Oh, I tried it a couple times but I couldn’t do it because my mind kept jumping around.”

Of course your mind wanders – that’s what our minds do!  In fact, your mind will start to wander almost immediately.  These constant thoughts, this chattering, is sometimes referred to as “monkey mind.”  And what happens when our minds wander while we are trying to meditate?  

We become judgmental and get down ourselves for having wandering minds, which is not helpful.  Instead, simply note the thoughts your mind has wandered to and refocus your attention on your breath.  Kabat-Zinn talks about imagining your thoughts as objects floating by on a river, or perhaps clouds floating by in the sky.  Over time you will notice a quieter mind with less chatter.

Getting Started:  Meditation Tips

• Start small.  An easy way to start is just counting your breaths.  Count to 10 and then just start over again.  Decide in advance how long you will meditate and set your phone for that amount of time so you won’t get distracted by thinking about how long you’ve been at it.
• Meditation takes patience.  Be easy on yourself.  Meditation is challenging; if it was easy everyone would be doing it and we’d all have quiet minds.  Practice compassion on yourself.
• Try to meditate in the same place every time so the place itself over time will become associated with mindfulness.
• Set aside time when you will not be disturbed.  If you live with others, let them know that you need to have this period of time to yourself.
• Experiment with different ways of meditating (e.g., with soft music in the background, guided, silence, sitting, lying down, walking, focusing on a candle, with your eyes closed, etc.  If you stick with, chances are you will find what works best for you.
• Try to meditate daily, if only for 5 minutes.  It’s the regular practice and discipline that is beneficial in the long run.
• Try to be more mindful in everyday life; eat mindfully, for example.
• Be more aware of your breath when you're not meditating, when you driving your car, for example, or talking with your partner.

• If you have trouble sitting for long periods of time, try lying down, on your back on the floor or a bed.  You might be more comfortable with a pillow under your head and/or your knees.  Place your arms out to your side, palms up and your feet in a relaxed position about shoulder length apart (savasana position in yoga)
• After you complete each meditation practice, regardless of how good you think it was, reward yourself with positive affirmations for doing it, e.g., well, although my mind was jumping around today, at least I put in the effort.

Meditation Music

As meditation has become more popular, quite of bit of New Age music has become available to provide a soothing background for meditation.  You can experiment with iTunes or some of the free streaming music services like Pandora.  A couple of composers I really like who do a lot of music good for relaxing, meditation and yoga are Deuter and Dean Evenson.  But there are many others.  Some of this music has embedded sounds that are designed to promote various cognitive states such as relaxation or creativity.  One example of a prolific composer whose music includes such tones is Dr. Jeffrey Thompson.

A sub-genre of this music that I really like includes ambient nature sounds such as ocean waves, forest sounds, or a gurgling stream.  Many people find this type of "music very relaxing.  I find it very conducive to meditation as well.

Guided Meditation

A variety of guided meditations are available on CD.  Jon Kabat-Zinn has several that are available pretty inexpensive on Amazon.  I think the best one to start with is the one called "Guided Mindfulness: A Complete Guided Mindfulness Meditation Program" ($16.10 on Amazon).  It includes 40-minute Body Scan meditation that I found very helpful in the beginning and still return to.  It also has two 45-minute simple yoga practices ("Yoga IS Meditation," says Kabat-Zinn, and I would agree) as well as other guided meditations.  If you are just starting out, you might find it easier to listen to someone in the beginning rather than sit (or lie) in silence for long periods of time.

If you Google "guided meditation" you will find a host of other free meditations available through a variety of sources, including YouTube.  I have included the link below to UCLA's website, including two body scan meditations as well as a lovingkindness meditation.  They range in length from 3 to 19 minutes, so they are excellent for beginners.  Two contain specific meditation instructions.  You can listen directly from your device, so I would recommend doing this on your phone or iPod using headphones.

Free Guided Meditations | UCLA Mindful Awareness ...

If you are not someone who has tried meditation, I hope I have opened your mind to the possibility.  Although its benefits are not immediate, with regular practice you can feel more relaxed, tuned into the present moment, and open to the world around you.

Be present!