About Meditation

Meditation is predominantly a method to reduce stress. You don’t have to be  “spiritual” or to be a guru to do meditation. 

According to the dictionary the definition of meditation is: The action or practice of meditating.”a life of meditation” is defined as ” cultivating the presence of God in meditation and prayer”.  Realistically however, the practise of meditation has picked up momentum over the last decade as peoples lives become more stressful. Many people who are not actively attempting to create a connection to the “Divine” or “God”, will aim to ensure that they spend time each week or each day meditating in any number of forms be it yoga or otherwise for the purposes  of “calming their minds” and restoring their “emotional health”. I know many people who do not define themselves as spiritual or psychic and some are even atheists, who still practise meditation for good over all health. 

As a brief description in the modern world – ”  it is the practise of mindfulness – of creating a quiet space, living in the moment, right NOW”. 

We all have the capacity to meditate, however it is important to be clear – that not all meditation techniques are for all people. In fact under certain conditions – meditation is actually contraindicate (meaning -its potentially harmful) however this is when a person has certain mental health conditions. I am no expert in this field however, I would thoroughly recommend that if people are planning to teach meditation that they ensure that they are appropriately qualified. Before teaching meditation to any person it is important that they have appropriate assessments conducted to determine if meditation is actually safe for them. (Many of us will have seen people in the “spiritual/alternative field” who appear to be ungrounded, or psychologically unstable. They may have an underlying mental health condition, or alternatively they may even have induced one through excessive meditation. Tibetans have acknowledged this as a psychological condition that they refer to as “Sokrlung”, which they explain as a  ” a disorder of the ‘life-bearing wind that supports the mind’ that can arise as a consequence…of strain[ing too tightly in an obsessive way to achieve moment-to-moment awareness.”  ” .(reference: Epstein, M. (2008). Psychotherapy without the Self: A Buddhist Perspective (1st ed.). Yale University Press.). The key to meditation is to not force or strain but rather sit peacefully in the present moment.

Once you determine that you have no preexisting mental health conditions, then you might decide to pursue meditation as an option. Alternatively you may like to meet with a qualified person to discuss meditation options for you that will not affect your mental health, or induce a mental health condition. Not all meditation has to involve sitting on a mountain top focussing on breath or connecting to the divine. Meditation can be a physical act where a person stays purely in the moment and is intently focussed on the task they are currently attending to. 

We can incorporate meditation in our daily physical existence, and I will provide some practical techniques for people that suffer from conditions such as depression or anxiety, that will assist them to remain both grounded and present in the moment, (these are also good for people who find it difficult to focus or still their mind for any length of time at all). 

Conscious Meditations (Mindfulness)

Environmental Connection

This meditative technique is very safe, and keeps us grounded in the present moment. There is no need to close your eyes and strain to see or visualise anything. Basically you could be sitting indoors, or outdoors, but I believe outdoors generates greater feelings of pleasure. You could even take a cup of tea out there with you.  Sit and focus on your breath, just breathing in and breathing out, feel the breath going deep into your lungs and feel it leaving your lungs. If you do 2 or three of these it will help to focus your intent, and also the oxygen entering your lungs helps to invigorate your the cells in your body. As you sit there – pay attention to your environment, and start making mental notes, you are going to ask yourself some questions. The whole exercise will only take about 15 or 20 minutes. I have put examples and samples in the first instance for you to consider.

STEP 1 -Ask yourself – what can you SEE? what is in your line of vision? Choose FIVE OBJECTS that you see. For instance in this picture we might say “I can see green leaves, i see pink flowers, I see white flowers, i see fern fronds.” Move onto the next step.
STEP 2: Ask yourself – what can I HEAR?  Then you would note FIVE SOUNDS(Using my imagination), I can hear insects buzzing over the leaves, I can hear a bird tweeting, I hear the kookaburra laugh, I hear the wind rustling through the leaves,and I can hear a plane flying over head. 
STEP 3: Ask yourself – What can I FEEL?  Then you note FIVE PHYSICAL sensations. .. I can feel the pressure of the chair seat against my bottom. I can feel the pressure of the cup handle against my fingers, I can feel the fabric of my shirt against my skin, i can feel  the breeze blowing over my bare forearm. I can feel the air drift as a mosquito blows past my nose. 
STEP 4: Ask yourself – What can I SENSE? Pay attention to your body and levels of comfort. I can feel tension in my stomach, My toes feel cramped, I feel jittery, I feel warmth and peace in my heart region. and so forth. 

Once you have completed the 4 steps, you return to STEP 1 and repeat the process, but this time instead of putting your conscious awareness onto five things, you choose four objects, four sounds, four physical sensations and four sensations. Then return to STEP one and go through the process again reducing the number of items to be aware of until you are down to noting 1 object/sensation/ feeling and sound. At that point you have completed the conscious meditation and you will feel very present in the moment and very peaceful. You will be surprised. When you first start you may strain a little to expand the things that you notice. However, don’t struggle, don’t strain, be gentle on yourself, at the end of the day – its all about practising and each time you do it you will get better at it, and the other wonderful thing about this technique is that even if you can’t think of all the answers to all the questions – if you are sitting outside, by the time you get up and walk back inside, you are far more relaxed, far more connected to your environment and tend to carry appreciation and awe at the world around us. You start to notice more things that make your “heart sing” and put a laugh in your heart, and it could be as simple as just watching the birds feeding their babies. 

 

Mindful Walking

“Mindful walking” is another form of meditation. the same principles of awareness of your self and your environment apply. For this exercise, you concentrate on being aware of the feel of the ground beneath your feet, your breathing (inhale and exhale), and applying rhythm to the breath. You notice your surroundings as an OBSERVER, practising non reaction (unless of course you become aware of a risk in the present moment!),  Let your other thoughts go and focus on the here and now. taking in the view  of the sky and landscape, other walkers, sensations of the breeze, the air temperature, your skin temperate, and just be PRESENT in the moment – enjoying it. 

 

Mindful Eating

This is another very simple technique, and involves eating your meal without engaging in any other activities, (including talking), – no newspapers, books, TVs or radios in the background to distract you. Your whole attention is focused on to the piece of food that you are about to eat, how it looks and smalls, how you cut the food, the muscles you can feel being used to raise the food to your mouth, and the texture and taste of the food. You also chew the food slowly and savour each mouthful. You will be amazed at how different your foods taste when eating this way. It is also good healthy eating practise, as it allows your body to digest more effectively leaving you feeling fuller for longer. The additional benefit is – that it can even be part of a ritual of “honouring the universe” or ” the Goddess” (if this your thing) for the abundant supply of nutritional food available.