Meditation is a mental discipline in which methods are used to journey beyond your constantly thinking mind into a deeper state of relaxation and awareness. Achieving this state of being may enhance your personal health, help one to achieve clarity and sharpen your focus, increase your self-awareness, relieve stress and depression, improve memory, and bring balance to all your energy centers.
In recent years, Meditation has entered mainstream health care with studies on how meditation helps in reducing stress and pain, brain function/chemistry, boost the immune system, effect change in metabolism, heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure. There is also emerging scientific evidence that meditation can help Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Meditation is recognized in many cultures and spiritual organizations and is practiced in various forms. Most agree that participants should find a quiet comfortable place to sit away from interruptions such as television and cellular phones. You may sit in a chair with your feet on the floor or in a cross legged position. Some may feel comfortable playing ambient music; some may choose to emit mantras, or toning sounds. Center your attention on an object or a process such as your breathing rhythm. Once you have reached calm, slow, rythmic breathing focus your inner third-eye on whatever experience you may have. These experiences often connect one to their relationship to self.
It is also possible to meditate while performing small tasks such as washing the dishes or taking a peaceful walk. This is typically done by placing your focus on your movements, feeling the texture of an object, or focusing on the smells surrounding you.
The objective is to reach a calm state of mind and achieve the realization of the essential nature of the Self.
Being that meditation is such a healthy approach to the balance of self within everyday life, many people around the world have found that meditation has proven to be an essential part of their daily routine.
