Well, in an increasingly busy world many see it as a route to inner calm.
There are so many benefits to meditation. It helps relieve stress as it calms the mind by sending brainwaves into the Alpha State which in turn enables the body to heal itself.
Meditation is a very personal thing and can be a different experience for everyone but the end result will be the same, a feeling of deep calm and peace.
I teach meditation and one of the questions that often comes up is “how do I stop my thoughts coming?”
How indeed!
I think the path to meditation starts with becoming mindful all of the time, not just when you are meditating. It is all about learning to control our thoughts, but if we just try to stop them coming it will be very hard.
So start to control your thoughts by bringing your awareness to them daily. Start to monitor them. Be especially mindful of negative thoughts like “I won’t have enough money” “I have not got enough time” “I bet I don’t get the job” as these can be destructive.
The more you do this the easier it will become and as you start to be in control of your thoughts you will find meditation easier and easier. Meditation is an integral part of many beliefs such as Yoga, Tai Chi, Taoism and Buddhism to name but a few. There are different levels of meditation, from a waking meditation which you can do while going about your daily life to a long peaceful meditation which leads to deep relaxation. Many people listen to relaxing music to help them to calm their minds and drift into meditation or instead of playing music, simply listen to your breath.
So, is Meditation the same as day dreaming?
No is the quick answer. I think that when we are day dreaming it is our unruly minds calling the shots, thinking about the things in our lives we don’t like or want and yearning for the things we do want but do not have. That said it is not a bad thing to day dream because it can give us a goal to head towards in life.
Meditation is more controlled because unlike day dreaming, where your thoughts are all over the place, going off on different tangents, doing its own thing, you are keeping your mind focused and relaxed. For best results I would recommend that you meditate every day. I find if you stop meditating for even a short while, you have to train your thoughts all over again. Before you begin your meditation make sure you are comfortable and that you will not be disturbed. It would be nice to bring freshly picked flowers into the room and light some candles. You may wish to put on some soft relaxing music, listen to the tick of a clock or simply listen to the sound of your breath. Remember you are not trying to stop your thoughts all together, merely instructing them to come back later when you are not meditating. Now concentrate on your breathing and with each breath feel yourself becoming more and more relaxed. You might have a specific place in your mind that you like to go in your meditation or you may just enjoy sitting and experiencing the stillness and weightlessness that you can feel through meditation. As I said before, it is different for everyone so one persons experience can be very different from another’s.
To easily bring meditation into your everyday life there are many tools available to help get you started.
From books and CD’s to learning in a group.
Whichever method you choose I wish you many years of calm peaceful thoughts and meditations.
Click here to buy my Angel Meditation CD.
If you would like some help getting started or want to meditate with others, I run monthly meditation groups and meditation workshops in Plymstock.
For more information:
Tel: 01752 402117
Mob: 07887 766576
Email: rachel@rachelrendell.co.uk
Love and Light
Rachel