Meditation

Have you ever seen a person sitting still, eyes closed, crossed legged with fabulous posture, and wonder what is that weird person doing? Well, that ‘weird’ person is gaining more benefits then you are standing there and staring. This person is meditating. What is meditating you ask yourself? No, it is not the ability to sleep while sitting up; it is practical, democratic, ageless, healing, it is the ability to take control of your own states of mind and develop consciousness. Meditation is one of the most beneficial and simple exercise anyone can practice. By practicing and exploring the numerous methods, benefits, and current practices of meditation, one can truly understand how important and pleasant it is to meditate. Once experienced, most people will likely join the pro athletes, astronauts, soldiers, corporate executives, celebrities and doctors in the daily practice of looking within.
Meditating is extensively common in the 21st century. Meditating has gone mainstream, from young kids to celebrity actor Lindsay Lohan. Why are average 21st century people seeking refuge with meditation? Heng sure & Chin He state that there are two possible reasons. One, because people seek the “antidote to the disturbing effects of our fast-paced life styles” and two, because of “the ability to sustain concentration benefits activities from sports to studying.” (Sure & He, 2) For example, Lindsay Lohan has gone through addiction, massive amounts of stress, media attention, judgment, rehab etc. She has turned to meditation and yoga in order to find her inner peace, calm down, and be healthy once more. “There’s more peace in my life now. Let’s not generalize and say I was an angry person…. I just had a lot of things going on… it was due to stress more than anything” said Lindsay on The Ellen The Generous show. In addition, meditation also teaches patience, concentration, and self-control. It is practical as it helps us experience our thoughts and emotions. It heals us, as sitting still helps us “wake up to our mental habitats and deeper patterns” (Sure & He, 4). By sitting still the body’s senses settle down allowing the mind to focus on the important things and let the insignificant disappear. It helps find solutions to the problems.
Meditation can be practiced in many ways and locations. Practicing meditation is effortless and can be practiced anywhere as long as it is suitable for us. Most meditation techniques are similar in posture and breathing methods. Heng Sure & Chin He state that a good meditation posture is one that allows you to be still and alert for a sustained period of time without becoming drowsy or restless (Sure & He, 8). The most common posture as well as the one I have used the most is sitting cross-legged on the ground with a straight back, eyes slightly opened, right palm over left, and the tip of the tongue touching the roof of the mouth. When I first started meditating this posture felt a bit uncomfortable and my back started hurting after a while. There are many alternations to this pose for more comfort, but this improved after constant practice. Breathing is an essential part of meditating. Focusing on your breath helps settle the mind. Every time I started meditating I focused on my breath coming in and out of my body so I can settle down my mind. I also used this method throughout meditation as my mind started to wonder off.
One of the most common meditation techniques is Calming Meditation (Shamatha), which aims to clear and compose the mind by focusing on a single thing. In my case, I would use my breath and focus on the air flowing in and out my body. I have also focused on waves coming in and out of the shore to calm and relax the mind. Another common meditation method is Insight meditation (Vipassana). Heng Sure & Chin He state that Insight meditation is witnessing with impartiality our thoughts, sensations and emotions as they rise and fall in the mind, simply letting that process happen without following or elaborating on them (Sure & He, 23). Throughout my meditation experience I’ve done this involuntarily. As thoughts rise and fall I catch my self-thinking about how that was a thought and expect another to come. Loving-Kindness Meditation (metta) is one I use greatly when I am feeling down, or when I miss my family and friends. In this meditation method, “One directs positive thoughts and wishes, first to oneself, and then progressively to all beings in every direction” (Sure & He, 24). It’s about sending out positive vibes to everything and everyone around you. Standing Meditation is one of the most simple and potentially one of the most powerful methods. This method is practiced standing up; back straight, arms and legs slightly separated from the body and a focused gaze. This posture is quite tiresome and requires a lot of concentration. In my standing meditation practice on the beach, I could have focus on the mesmerizing sunset for hours but after about fifteen minutes my body did not have the physical strength to keep going.
When I first started meditating in Buddhism class I was looking forward to it. In the past I have meditated before yoga and karate class, which I practiced for fourteen years. I knew that it was good for you but I wasn’t sure why or if I was even doing it correctly. As I started learning and practicing different meditation postures and methods, I’ve realized how beneficial it is to oneself and how easily it is to practice it. I’ve sat down sometimes with so much energy and my mind on a rampage and have ended up with a calm, focused and harmonious body and mind. There have also been days were I am so stressed that I get eager to meditate. I’ll sit down cross-legged with a troubled mind and finish with positive views and thoughts about my situations. Meditation has become a very unique daily activity for me. It has taught me to find the positive things in everything and relax my body and mind. It is my short-term getaway from the fast paced world.