What is MEDITATION for?

Today, there are many people who meditate, probably including some of your acquaintances; But there was a time when this practice was not so available. For centuries, wandering monks and nuns, mystics and ascetics have kept this art secret, using it to reach higher states of consciousness and to get to the apex of the road they were touring. The rigorous practice of meditation was the prerogative of a select few, willing to renounce the world and dedicate their entire existence to it.

Today times have changed: from the Zen of the 1950s of the last century, to the influence of the Indian yogis and swamos in the 1960s, to the current interest in mindfulness, meditation has become a common practice and its benefits are already well known, while the practical benefits it brings are advertised in all media, physical and virtual. With this Psychology-Online article we will try to understand, then, what is meditation for.

Index

1. What is meditation
2. What happens to you during meditation
3. How to start meditating for beginners

Meditation is a way of get in touch with the deepest part of oneself, in that area where an immense bag of information hides, where reality takes a different definition from how we normally know it.

There are different types of meditation, and it's found in all cultures and religions of the world, because it works. Although the shapes are different, some principles are common to all shapes. In fact, meditation is the practice of focus on a particular object, usually something simple, such as a word or phrase, the flame of a candle or a geometric figure, or the inspiration and exhalation of the breath.

In everyday life, the mind continues to process a mountain of sensations, visual impressions, emotions, and thoughts. In general, when you meditate, you focus, trying to limit the stimuli that bombard your nervous system, while calming the mind.

Meditation is the practice of paying attention and focusing your own consciousness. When you meditate, pleasant things start to happen, first small changes, then more and more radical:

1. When you can focus consciousness, you have more power. When you focus any form of energy, including mental energy, you have more power.
2. Improve concentration: when you focus the mind, you concentrate better; When you focus better, you act better. You can do more in the studio, in the office, in sports, in any activity. In this article we talk in depth about improve concentration.
3. Precisely for this reason, spiritual teachers and texts often suggest practicing meditation only in the context of other spiritual activities and disciplines, which help to develop compassion and wisdom, so that this power can be used properly.
4. The senses are used more fully. Although meditation is regarded by some as an ascetic practice that serves to control the senses, can also sharpen them, in very sensual ways. Anything you like - food, sex, music, art, massage, etc. - can be made even more enjoyable through meditation. When you really pay attention to something, you make it that much more enjoyable; and you do not need to increase the dose to feel pleasure, so you can enjoy it without excess.
5. Meditation increases awareness and sensitivity, and therefore is an excellent antidote to daze and distraction.
6. The mind calms down and you can feel a sense inner peace, joy and well-being.
7. You can directly test the transcendent interconnection that already exists, and be more aware of it.
8. Improve attentionMeditation involves training in attending to an object, while letting distractions pass, which is why it also improves attention.

Here you will find more information about benefits of meditation for the brain.

One of the great things about meditation is that it is actually a very simple activity. All you have to do is sit quietly, put your attention inside and focus. If you want to experience the feeling of meditation, follow these instructions:

1. Find a quiet and peaceful place and sit comfortably with the back quite straight. If your favorite chair gives you a hug that you can't escape, find a chair that supports you more.
2. Take a deep breath, Close your eyes and relax.
3. Choose a word or phrase that has a special or spiritual meaning for you. Some examples: "There is only love", "Be happy", "Believe in God".
4. Begin to breathe through your nose and while you breathe, repeat within yourself, without verbalizing it, the word or phrase you have chosen. You can whisper it, even subvocalize it (that is, move your tongue as if to pronounce it, but without marking it out loud), or repeat it in your mind. If you are distracted by something, go back to the word you were repeating. If you find it difficult to breathe through your nose, do it through your mouth. Alternatively, focus on breathing, in the air that enters and leaves through the nostrils, repeating it every time you realize that you are distracted.

Keep meditating for 5 minutes, or even more, then slowly get up to go back to your daily activities. Paying constant attention can transform everything we do into a form of meditation; Any activity that we undertake with concentration and awareness becomes meditation. In this article you will find more information about meditation techniques for beginners.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to What is meditation for?, we recommend that you enter our category of Meditation and relaxation.

• Bodian, S. (2016). Meditation For Dummies. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
• Ornisch, D. (1998). Love & Survival: 8 Pathways to Intimacy and Health: The Scientific Basis for the Healing Power of Intimacy. New York: William Morrow & Co.