Some Eastern practitioners say that many people do not really understand meditation. Here in the West, we are fairly new to this Buddhist practice that is over 2,500 years old. We often confuse meditation and relaxation, assuming they are the same, even though they are not. Relaxation releases stress and emphasizes “letting go,” whereas meditation focuses on disciplining the mind and maintaining an altered state of consciousness. It’s true that relaxation often occurs as a result of meditation, but meditation is so much more. There are many different meditation techniques to help you get started.
Most of the modern techniques for mediation fall into one of two categories: Zen-based forms (which involve insight meditation) and Hinduism-based forms (which involve concentrative meditation). With Zen-based meditation, like vipassana or mindfulness meditation, you will become aware of the passing of thoughts and feelings, without becoming emotionally involved. The person meditating sits quietly and allows any thought to pass through the mind, while gently redirecting the focus to the here and now. Breathing and observing body sensations helps to block out distractions to achieve perfect concentration, although there is always a consciousness about the process of achieving meditation.
The concentrative method of meditation aims to help your ability to focus. To do this, you may focus on breath, a mental image, a physical object or a phrase. There are many different breathing methods. For instance, the fourfold breath asks you to breathe-in to a count of four, hold your breath for four seconds and then breathe-out for a count of four. When you are focusing on a mental image, you can choose anything from a beach scene to flames, but the image should have spiritual significance to you. Those meditating focus on items like rocks, flowers, candles or other items with significance attached. Other meditation techniques, such as mantra meditation may involve the repetition of a phrase like “I am that I am” or “Desire nothing — be content with everything.”
There are many ways to learn meditation techniques. You could visit www.shambhalasun.com to look up classes and centers nearest you. Other people would rather read books, listen to a guided meditation CD or watch a video to learn in the privacy of their own home. There are also a number of free resources available online. Spiritual meditation truly is an art that involves much time, dedication and practice. Once you master it, however, you will find you are a better person.
Beth Kaminski is the co-author of Curing Your Anxiety And Panic Attacks which detailed treatment for anxiety attacks as well as tips on the various anxiety attack medications available at anxietydisordercure.com.
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