Meditation

At the pace most Americans live at today, stress is more than an inconvenience; it’s  a serious health issue.  It’s serious because it has proven to be a factor in a number of physical and mental illnesses and conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, headaches, depression, gastrointestinal disorders and even Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.  Finding a way to cope with stress and reduce its negative effects on your health should be a priority in everyone’s lives.

One simple and practical way to do this is to practice meditation.   When some people hear the word “meditation” they automatically connect it with eastern religions, primarily due to the influence of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who popularized the concept of Transcendental Meditation in the late sixties and early seventies.  Practitioners went through a ceremony at which they were given a “mantra” to repeat and focus on during their meditation sessions.

In the 21^st Century, meditation has become much more mainstream and practitioners can be from any background or faith or no faith at all. Simple meditation does not require any religious affiliation.  Meditation is as simple as breathing and that’s because it involves how you breathe.  It doesn’t require any special words or phrases, nor does it require any special kind of equipment.  There is no expense of any kind involved in meditation.

Meditation involves two things – clearing your mind and controlling your breathing.   Part of the reason stress afflicts so many people is that as a culture, we feel the need to multi-task.  If we aren’t immersed in two or three things at the same time, we feel as if we aren’t being productive.  Consequently, are brain is working at high speed overdrive.  When you meditate, the first step is to clear your mind.  Many people who are beginners at meditation experience something called “monkey-mind”.  Random thoughts seem to just appear in your consciousness.   When you meditate, the way to deal with this is by letting thoughts go.  Don’t focus on any of the thoughts that come into your head; just let them go. Some people compare it to lying on your back in a field and looking up at the clouds.  The clouds never linger.  They move in and out of your field of vision.  This is basically the same principle when you clear you mind.  Simply let the thoughts pass in and out of your consciousness.

One thing you will focus on, however, is your breathing.   Simple meditation involves slow breathing in and out through your nose.   In your head, count one on the in breath, two on the out breath, three on the in breath, four on the out breath…and so on till you get to ten.  When you reach ten, start over – one on the in breath, two on the out breath and so on.   Should you have a bout of “monkey mindedness” during your breathing and you lose count, simply start at one again.

Ideally, you should try to meditate for at least fifteen minutes, but even two to three minutes can help.  Sitting at your desk at work, when you feel your stress level rising, do a short meditation and you’ll feel a sense of relief.  The short term benefits of meditation range from reduced blood pressure,  reduced muscle tension to an overall sense of well-being.  Long term, many of the illnesses and afflictions mentioned previously can be avoided or the effects minimized.   Give meditation a try!  You have nothing to lose and something very important to gain – good health!