What exactly is meditation? Meditation usually refers to the state of intense focus of thought or consciousness. The background of meditation stems from the aim to get into a higher state of awareness. When you meditate, you try to turn your attention inward.
Meditation has been going on over 5000 years, and it’s based on ancient beliefs from eastern religions. Now the western culture is also highly involved in meditation.
Benefit of Meditation
People want to practice meditation for their personal development, to attain peace of mind and clarity, and to be healthier.
Meditation can:
- decrease stress
- develop focus
- lower blood pressure
- lead to a happier life
Many westerners do some form of meditation, and we can do it in so many ways. For most of us, it has nothing to do with ancient beliefs or religions, it’s more a way to relax in a busy life.
There is not just one way to meditate. You can just relax for a couple of minutes in the morning before going to work, or you can meditate for hours.
When I started doing meditation, I didn’t have any idea where to start. I couldn’t relax, or concentrate my thought on anything for an extended period.
We are continually examining new ways to reduce stress, improve productivity, and lead more well-rounded, better lives. Meditation might be the right solution.
However, simple, explicit instruction is often hard to find. Traditionally meditation has been almost like a job – something that you have to do for up to hours each day.
8-minute Meditation – Fit it into Your Day
There is a book by Victor Davich that is all about the 8-minute meditation, that got me started. It’s still relevant, and you will learn a lot of things about meditation from that book. You learn to practice meditation in just 8 minutes, and if you want, you can squeeze that time in your daily routine easily. It’s a time-frame that even the busiest of us can handle.
If you are interested in a simplistic and effective path to learning how to meditate, this book is for you:
When you start something new, you will often have lingering questions, hopes, and doubts about it. You might hope, that when you begin to meditate, you will be enlightened immediately. Or maybe you think that meditation is just like an exercise that you can do if you want. But these questions are typical, so don’t be surprised if you’re also wondering where this will lead, and where to start.
Don’t try too much when you are starting out. Start slowly, and try to maintain this as a daily routine. Like any exercise – mental or physical – you need to start slowly and build up.
Some might say, that 8 minutes of meditation per day is not enough. Well, when I started running and was training for my first 10-mile run, I didn’t start by running all that. I started by walking, and gradually increased running. Meditation is no different – you have to start from somewhere.
And now meditation helps me to prepare my mind and focus my energy for physical activity, like running a 10-mile run. It also allows me to stay motivated for exercise and inspires me to be as powerful as possible with each workout.
Start with a fresh state of mind
The best thing for you to do is to face all the expectations, positive or negative, and then just forget them and start with a new state of mind. You can learn how to approach meditation one minute at a time with the book mentioned.
You might think that meditation is a simple practice, but notice that your mind is always racing from here to there. You can’t concentrate.
But the first step to meditation is easy: you must watch your breath. Inhale and exhale by breathing deeply. It helps you to focus, and become better in meditation.
If you find yourself pondering about other things, and your mind deviates off, concentrate again on your breathing.
Meditation is all about concentration. When you recognize that you’re not on the right track, don’t get discouraged and just keep on practicing. You should return your mind to that right state gently.
Don’t quit too quickly, as practice makes you better; so always keep that in mind.
Conclusion
Meditation can help you in reaching peace of mind and build “Mindfulness Muscle.” With all your thoughts at work and in running daily life, you should at least have a few minutes of peace in your routine. Just move on with your life, with some form of meditation at your side.