The Origins of Meditation

Okay, so where does meditation originate? Well, meditation is an ancient spiritual practice that has been around for thousands of years, it incorporates contemporary mind-body techniques for relaxing the body and calming the mind and for releasing stress. Its origins lie in Asian religious practices form counties such as India, China and Japan, but can also me found in many other cultures around the world in many differing forms.

Until recently the primary role of meditation was that of a religious one; however, in more recent times the health benefits of meditation have become more prominent in western culture and this has facilitated its spread across the globe. Although the benefits of meditation were known to those cultures who have been practicing the art for thousands of years, it was not until 1970 that the first articles on the health benefits of meditation started to appear in western civilization appearing firstly in the journal of Transpersonal Psychology.

It may surprise you to hear that there are literally dozens of meditation techniques available and it can be a daunting task to find out which one is right for you, but essentially meditation comes in two forms and all techniques fall into either one of two classifications, concentrative meditation and mindfulness meditation, or in the case of some techniques such as Vipassana Meditation, which is one of India‘s most ancient techniques, your technique utilizes both.

Concentrative meditation focuses your attention on your breathing using an image, or a sound, which is known as a mantra in order to quiet the mind and allow for a greater awareness of clarity to be evoked. In simple terms it‘s like taking a look at a forest and then we narrow our vision and focus purely on a selected tree and even a particular branch or a leaf of that tree, see it‘s all about focus and removing everything surrounding that one focal point so that it is the only thing left and we are intently focused upon it.

Mindfulness meditation involves opening up your attention and making yourself aware of the continuous influx of sensations and feelings, images, thoughts, sounds, smells and so on without getting involved with actually thinking about them. You are focusing as a viewer and not as a participant and simply witness whatever comes into your mind without reacting, or getting involved in your thoughts, memories or worries. As opposed to the focus of one tree in a huge forest, you are aware of the forest in its entirety.

It can also bring focus and clarity, and often, after meditating, problems that you have been struggling with, miraculously become solved. Meditation has also been known to inspire people to write, and to spur lucrative business ideas, as your subconscious comes to light.

One simple form of meditation, requires you to sit in a quiet room, either on a pillow, or cross-legged on the floor, or in a comfortable chair, making sure your spine is straight. It is advised that you use the same place every day. It is also suggested that you personalize your spot, by beautifying it with candles, flowers, and pictures of the people that you love.

The idea is to sit quietly, with your eyes closed, and focus on a point inside of your forehead. Try not to think of anything in particular, but don't try 'not' to think either, allowing your mind to become calm, and peaceful. If you find that your mind is 'chattering', don't try to control it, just let it finish what it is that it is working on, it will eventually quiet down. It is also recommended for beginners to begin with ten to twenty minute sessions, each day. After awhile of doing this, you will start to feel deep relaxation and joy during these sessions.

The first step to this self-hypnosis is to sit in a quiet, comfortable spot, making sure you are facing a wall about eight feet away from you. Pick a spot or object on that wall, and make that spot or object your focal point. Looking at your focal point, begin counting backwards from 100, one number for each breath you exhale. As you do this, imagine yourself floating, and feeling very relaxed. You will begin to  feel your eyelids getting heavy, and may begin to blink. Let your eyes slowly close, and as you continue to count backwards, imagine yourself as limp as a ragdoll, totally relaxed, and floating in a safe and comfortable place. Stop counting, and just float in your space. If any disturbing thoughts should come while in your space, just let them flow out again, and allow yourself to continue to feel safe and relaxed. This technique can help you to cope with stress, and discharge the tension that accumulates during stressful situations.

When you are ready to come out of this self-hypnosis, you can either let yourself drift off to sleep, or you can count from one to three and exit. First, count one, and get yourself ready to exit. At two, take a deep breath, and hold for a few seconds. At three, exhale and open your eyes slowly. As you open your eyes, continue to hold on to that relaxed and comfortable feeling.

You may then want to increase the length of your sessions to thirty minutes, or maybe even an hour. In our highly active lifestyles of today, it is imperative that we include a brief time for meditation in our daily schedule.