What is this Meditation Stuff?

"Meditation is a practice in which an individual trains the mind or induces a mode of consciousness either to realize some benefit or for the mind to simply acknowledge its content with becoming identified with what that content, or as and end in itself" - Watts, Alan. 11 _10-4-1 Meditation. "Eastern Wisdom: Zen in the West & Meditations"

A few brief notes on meditation:

-The benefits of regular meditation have been throughly researched and well documented (see some research studies here), below are a few benefits we have experienced that are also regularly cited in research studies:

  • Improved Memory

  • Improved Sleep

  • Improved Blood Pressure

  • Increased Empathy! (Isn't this amazing?!)

  • Improved Concentration

  • Decreased Stress

-Meditation literally changes the brain.  Neuroscientists at Harvard University revealed that meditation literally rebuilds the brain's gray matter in 8 weeks. 

“Although the practice of meditation is associated with a sense of peacefulness and physical relaxation, practitioners have long claimed that meditation also provides cognitive and psychological benefits that persist throughout the day,” says study senior author Sara Lazar, who has direct many studies in this area, “This study demonstrates that changes in brain structure may underlie some of these reported improvements and that people are not just feeling better because they are spending time relaxing.”

— http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3927233/

Mindfulness Meditation Brain Scan

-Meditation has been practiced for 1000s of years.  Many religions including Buddhism practice formal meditations, but meditating by itself does not necessarily have any religious ties.  You do not have to prescribe to any particular rules or beliefs; it can be just a practice.  

-Meditation can be trying at first and that is ok, most things worth our time are.  The act of meditation gets "easier" as you practice.

-Meditation (at least in MBSR) is not about "clearing" the mind.  It is about being aware of what is in the present moment.  You will have thoughts and feelings and sensations.  This is normal and these things should not be resisted or chased away, they are simply acknowledged and allowed to stay or go.  

-During meditation your mind WILL wander.  It is the nature of the mind to wander, so don't let it frustrate you or make you think you are doing anything wrong. You will simply bring your attention back to whatever you are using as your point of meditation or what is happening in the present moment.

Led Meditations

A great place to start meditating is with led meditations.  Led meditations are simply an audio recording with a narrator providing some general direction.  A common meditation for beginners (and more seasoned practicers too) is the Body Scan.  A Body Scan is simply paying attention to different parts of your body.  Can you feel yourself sitting on your chair right now?  The weight?  The pressure? The sensation?Did you notice the sensation before you put your attention there?  Probably not.  A Body Scan takes your attention through your body and consciously notices these sensations moving from head to feet or vs versa.  

BODY SCAN MEDITATION

For beginners, just find a comfortable location, without distraction and listen to the recording.  Your mind will wander, because thats what the mind does, and all you have to do is come back to paying attention to your body.  Here is a short 5 minute Body Scan:

BREATH MEDITATION

One of the most used "points of meditation" is the breath. Simply watching your breath, not controlling it, but "riding on the waves of your breath".  There are also 1000s of led breath meditations.  Here is a short  5 minute meditation using the breath.

CONTINUING TO TRAIN

Just as in fitness, as you practice mindfulness, you will get stronger.  You'll likely find the practice easier, be able to meditate for longer periods, and start to see changes in your life.  We have also found that, again similar to fitness, you will notice when you haven't trained (meditated) lately and be really driven to train (meditate) soon.  Everyone is different but we think a realistic goal is having a practice with 20-30 minutes of meditation daily.  

 

 

WHEN TO PRACTICE

Having a morning practice can be particularly powerful in that it sets the energy for the rest of the day but you should find what works best for you.  The benefits of meditation in some sense are instant, you will likely feel more relaxed and calm following a meditation.  However, there are even more powerful benefits that come from the consistent practice when the benefits permeate through your life, work and relationships.  We have found that we began noticing profound changes after practicing for 6-8 weeks consistently (everyday or 6 days a week).