Why meditate? :

We meditate to learn and understand things on a deeper level than we can by mere “thought”. Have you every tried for days to figure out the answer to a problem with your mind in a whirl? That is because our conscious minds are not nearly as efficient at solving some problems as our subconscious mind is. Meditation is the process of clearing away conscious thought so that the subconscious can work on our problems.

This “clearing the conscious mind” is often misinterpreted as “clearing the mind” and is the biggest stumbling block to those trying to learn to meditate. It is not possible to entirely clear your mind. If we were able to do that we would probably be brain dead! Instead, we merely clear the conscious thoughts away by an easy process of relaxation which allows the subconscious to take over. By focusing on a specific object or question our every day thoughts fade away and the subconscious begins working on the problem you have presented to it.

Meditation can help in solving problems as in meditation the arguments and thought process of active mind becomes slow.

 

Stress and Thoughts :

Stress comes from thoughts. The human mind processes thousands of thoughts every day, some useful, most useless. To achieve true peace and clarity requires mastery over the mind, a capacity to sit back and watch what is happening in the mind, in order to select the useful thoughts and to be amused by the useless.

 

So many of our life habits such as television and glossy magazines simply add to the useless thoughts and make clarity more difficult to achieve.

 

Part of Mastery over the Mind is to watch your thoughts whilst you are alone, for example, while you are driving. Watch what your mind does. Be a silent witness to your own mind.

 

Stop Your Mind :

 

Meditation is really about stopping your mind. There is a range of different methods from Transcendental Meditation to Raja Yoga. However, in essence, they are all geared to achieve one common goal – a peaceful mind.

 

A simple Meditation is to sit quietly, upright in a comfortable posture. Close your eyes breathe deeply for a few minutes and make a commitment to clearing your mind. If there are any thoughts running around inside your head, simply look at each one, acknowledge it and let it pass by.

 

When you are ready, take at least 20 and/or up to 200 deep slow breathes, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. As you do, count backwards toward zero, one count for each breath. Whilst doing that, visualize the number you are counting out in front of you in the darkness. Focus on that number. If any thoughts come into your mind, push them away. If your mind wanders off, pull it back.

 

Remember, the Journey is the destination. By this, I mean that it is the act of recognizing your wandering mind and errant thoughts that create a “successful” meditation. It means you are becoming skilled in the art of watching your mind. Please do not sit there expecting to find Nirvana. You may well do so one day, but you may not. Meditate with no expectation.

 

Once you are meditating regularly, your Conscious Mind will become more calm. At this time, you will tune into the Subconscious Mind and the Universal Consciousness more readily and more frequently. You will notice that you are becoming more aware and you will begin to see signs in your life. It is an amazing experience. For example, a minor problem may be sitting somewhere back in your mind when you get into your car one day. When you turn on the engine a song will be playing and the first words in the song that you hear will be the answer to the problem. Watch it happen don’t expect it, just be mindful.

 

The High Performance Mind :

Stress and pressure are not the problem for sports people. Stress has always been around and always will be and pressure it creates diamonds. The key is your ability to deal with both as they happen, in a way that it does not impair your performance, but improves it. Success is achieved or lost through the workings of the Mind.

 

Using the Performance Mind technique, or meditation, simply triggers the Relaxation Response in the body i.e. your body’s natural in-built mechanism for relaxation and rejuvenation, as what happens when you rest or sleep.

 

Mindfulness :

What is Intellect? The ability to watch your thoughts come and go. Exercise your mind control to build your intellect. That way, you will be able to more clearly watch your thoughts and you will be able to distinguish the good and useful from the bad and wasteful.

Meditation or quiet contemplation is great tools for this.

 

Try speaking less and listening more. When you get the urge to speak, don’t. Wait, be patient – observe. There is plenty of time.

The Benefits of Meditation :

 

Regular Meditation practice produces number of startling results. Consider the following :

Trust and Intent :

 

Trust :

First, to really embrace the concept of a peaceful mind, you must train yourself to Trust the flow of life. Everything will be ok. Stop worrying about the future. You see, the future is not here yet. In fact, your vision of the future may never arrive. It is no good to you until it arrives. So, forget about it. Absolute effectiveness and happiness arise out of how well you do “NOW”.

 

This does not mean you cannot make plans. Go for it, make your plans. When you are done, forget about what the plan requires of tomorrow. Focus on what must be done today.

 

Often, a looming problem sits in your mind, causing you stress. One of the great rules of synchronicity is this. For every problem, there is a solution. And, the solution appears at the same time the problem arrives. Most of the time, however, we do not see the solution because we are so clouded by stress and anxiety around the problem.

 

Trust that the solution will be there for you and you will see it. It is never blunt, always subtle. To quote an old Buddhist saying, “God created the perfect food for birds, but he stopped short of throwing it into their nests”.

 

Intent :

This is a word of great power. This is what you put out to the Universe. What you put out, you will attract. If you put out events that you fear, you will draw them to you. If you put out that you are a calm, peaceful person, you will draw that to you. Try it and see.

 

When you start the day with a meditation, you will ground yourself and then be able to lock in your intent for the day. This is the deeper aspect of what some call a positive mental attitude.

Other Meditative Activities :

There are a range of activities you can “take up” to supplement your meditation. These are effective as they provide you with a focus for intense concentration, which tends to stop the mind wandering all over the place. These activities include :