WHY DO WE MEDITATE
Research has shown that a lot of people who have shown interest in meditating most often do it to achieve mental relaxation, a lot of reasons have also being considered on why we meditate. People meditate to achieve mental relaxation, to lower blood pressure, to lower anxiety, to achieve a state of mindfulness, as a form of psychotherapy, to relieve mental stress, to give room for introspection, etc. Yoga sessions often include meditation as part of their programme because it helps in introspection.
HOW TO MEDITATE
Most often when meditating the mind tends to roam about, many thoughts get jammed as we begin to meditate, and with time after some minutes of a calm atmosphere, the thoughts begin to organize themselves. When meditating, we focus mainly on breathing patterns. A medication trainee once asked that how can we achieve this, do you mean that our breathing pattern controls the mind? Or do you mean to say that all we needed was a calm atmosphere because our breathing pattern does not change? The reply to his question was simple, most of the time our breathing patterns go hand in hand with the mind hence, it is a necessary option while meditating, we must have heard this popular saying that our thoughts bring out what we really are, organize your thoughts in order to organize your life. We are guided mostly by our thoughts and the way we breathe brings about calmness to ourself and to our psychological state. To meditate, one needs a peaceful atmosphere, that means an atmosphere devoid of distractions, a lot of people may be confused about what type of distractions do we have to avoid in order to achieve a peaceful mental state, the reply here is also simple, distractions are simply attractions that sidetracks you. Our aim is to be calm and meditate and when we have attractions like the feeling to participate in activities other than meditation, it becomes an attraction which is also a distraction. One of the challenges faced by individuals who want to meditate is focus. As easy as it may sound, a lot of people have great difficulty focusing, Here’s the big question, what are we focusing on? We are focusing on our breathing patterns. When focusing on our breathing patterns, we must ensure that we don’t breathe too fast or too slow. Breathing too fast could speed up your heartbeat causing you to undergo stress, while breathing too slow would cause one’s body to become very relaxed and this usually brings about sleep. When meditating, our breathing pattern should be moderate, to keep our mind alive. Now, the necessary steps to follow to achieve our aim.
NECESSARY STEPS TO FOLLOW
- Ensure you are in a calm place: This is one of the most important factor to consider when meditating, as explained earlier, a calm environment is necessary. It helps the mind to focus on a particular thought and not random thoughts.
- Set a time limit for your meditation session: This is also necessary, as it helps one to be time conscious of one’s activities. A busy person who has a maximum of two hours to himself or herself a day and has a meditation session on his or her schedule would have to be time conscious to avoid a delay at work or the unnecessary change in schedule.
- Notice your breathing pattern: As mentioned earlier, one’s breathing pattern is paramount while meditating, this tends to leave a lasting effect on the mind. It helps the mind to focus, and concentrate thoughts. In addition to that, it creates a relaxing feeling and reduces anxiety.
- Don’t force thoughts, let them flow: A lot of people most often are found guilty of this, when meditating, one isn’t supposed to judge oneself about the thoughts or images that flash through one’s mind, even the thoughts that get us thinking for a longer period. One is meant to let go of those thoughts. Don’t force them, don’t rush them, just let it flow. Each time you notice yourself wondering away from your meditative thoughts, don’t be harsh on yourself, call yourself back.
- Avoid distractions: This is also important in a meditation session, the most common practice is the closing of one’s eyes to avoid being distracted. Though, not everyone is accustomed to that because they would not want to fall asleep. So, this is an individual based decision, however way it may be comfortable for you, it is advisable to do so. If playing a slow and less tensed music in the background makes you calm, it is advisable to do so.
BENEFITS OF MEDITATION
- It creates a deep relaxing feeling: meditation helps in relaxing the body, as the body relaxes accumulated toxins in confined areas come out, it gives a relaxed feeling.
- It helps the body in healing faster: Meditation helps in the body’s healing process, having a relaxed and a less stressed out mind helps the body heal faster than having a congested mind which slows the healing process. Other benefits include relieving of body pain, slowing the aging process, it makes the skin look young and tender, it improves one’s breathing patterns, it aids digestion and finally, it helps in curing infertility. Meditation is key in the mental health of every individual, let’s keep our minds safe.
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