The Magic of Meditation

Meditation is hailed by many as the ultimate ‘medicine for the mind’, with practitioners reporting far-reaching positive effects on their mental and physical health as well as general quality of life. Learn more about incorporating the practice into your life to access the peace and clarity that can only be accessed in the here and now.

Meditation is a mind and body practice with a long history of use for increasing relaxation, improving psychological balance, coping with illness and enhancing overall health and wellbeing. Some of the earliest written records of meditation date back to the Hindu traditions of Vedantism around 1500 BCE.

Simple in concept yet requiring practice to master, it most commonly involves turning the attention to a single point of focus – whether that be the breath, bodily sensations, a word or phrase known as a mantra, a specific sense or the simple fact of observing the thoughts that arise.

There’s a common misconception that in order to meditate, we need to be able to stop our thoughts entirely. This puts a lot of people off, as it can feel like a near impossible task. The good news is that the practice is actually just about noticing our distracting thoughts without judgment, becoming an objective witness as they unfold, and consciously returning our focus, time and again, to the present moment. In fact, it’s often the case that the harder we try to suppress our thoughts, the louder they become.

THE BENEFITS OF REGULAR MEDITATION ARE VARIED AND VAST, AND INCLUDE:

Reducing stress and anxiety

Promoting emotional health

Enhancing self awareness

Increasing gratitude

Improving social connections

Enhancing concentration

Improving sleep

Supporting immunity

Decreasing blood pressure

WHILE THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF MEDITATION, MOST HAVE SOME BASIC ELEMENTS IN COMMON:

A quiet location with as few distractions as possible

A comfortable but alert posture

A focus of attention (e.g. the breath, bodily sensations, a mantra, etc.)

A non-judgmental attitude to the distractions that will inevitably come and go

Here are some basic meditation practices to get you started…

MINDFULNESS OF BREATH MEDITATION

*Find a comfortable sitting position. This could be in a chair, or cross-legged on the floor. Keep your spine straight and close your eyes if this feels comfortable to you.

*Set an intention to focus on your breathing to the best of your ability. Remember that it’s fine if your mind wanders off from time to time, and release any ideas of achievement or success.

*Feel your breath going in and out of your nostrils, or passing through the back of your throat. Alternatively, you may want to focus on the feeling of your chest or belly rising and falling. Placing your hands on your belly can be helpful.

*Gently bring your mind back to your breathing whenever it wanders. Be gentle with yourself – the magic is in the moment when you notice and resolve to try again.

*After ten minutes, gently open your eyes.

MANTRA MEDITATION

*Find a comfortable sitting position. This could be in a chair, or cross-legged on the floor. Keep your spine straight and close your eyes if this feels comfortable to you.

*Set an intention to focus on your mantra (word, phrase or sound) to the best of your ability. Remember that it’s fine if your mind wanders off from time to time, and release any ideas of achievement or success.

*Silently repeat your mantra of choice. This could be in your native tongue, sanskrit, or any other language that appeals to you.

Here are some popular Sanskrit, Hebrew and English options:

Om mani padme hum (hail the jewel in the lotus)

Sa ta na ma (kundalini mantra for change)

Ham-sah (I am that)

I breathe in, I breathe out

Some schools of meditation (like Primordial Sound Meditation, Transcendental Meditation and Sahaj Samadhi) assign students unique mantras based on sound resonance rather than meaning.

*Gently bring your mind back to your mantra whenever it wanders.

*After ten minutes, gently open your eyes.

OBSERVATION OF THOUGHT MEDITATION

*Find a comfortable sitting position. This could be in a chair, or cross-legged on the floor. Keep your spine straight and close your eyes if this feels comfortable to you.

*Set an intention to simply notice the thoughts that arise in your mind to the best of your ability. Remember that it’s fine if your mind wanders off from time to time, and release any ideas of achievement or success.

*Simply sit back and observe the inner dialogue playing in your mind. What are you thinking about now? And now? Just let the thoughts float by without engaging with them.

*Gently bring your focus back to being the witness of your thoughts whenever it gets carried away with them.

*After ten minutes, gently open your eyes.