“There’s no substitute for the practice of meditation” Wayne Dyer
Meditation means different things to different people and for many it stirs up feelings of the unknown, confusion or a touch cynicism. This post will try to demystify meditation and highlight why you should introduce a daily practice into your life.
Over the last 20 years the emergence of mindfulness practices, of which meditation is one, has been crazy. With Yoga bringing mindfulness practices to the masses, a growing community is highlighting the benefits meditation as an alternative and/or complementary form of practice worth investing in.
The Latin meaning for meditation is “to think, contemplate, devise and ponder” and historically has been steeped in religious tradition. Buddhism is the religion most associated with meditation – picture a Buddhist monk reflecting in silence – and it’s thought the practice originally stemmed from India.
Nowadays different forms of meditation are everywhere with gyms, yoga studios and other health and wellness practices leveraging this powerful spiritual practice. Increasing reports from high performance coaches and athletes, successful business people and celebrities – including Oprah Winfrey, Hugh Jackman and Madonna – highlight meditation is here to stay. In fact a growing number of organisations are offering meditation as part of their employee health and well-being programs.
For those on the fence or who think it’s a bit fluffy let’s talk about the benefits you can expect. The reported benefits – some of which have been proven in clinical studies whilst others haven’t – include reduction in stress, depression and anxiety and improvement to mood, energy and sleep. It’s also thought the mental discipline developed during meditation supports improved focus, attention and higher levels of resiliency.
Benefits experienced personally after 18 months of practice includes lower levels stress, higher levels of relaxation, improved levels of energy and an overall sense of positivity and well-being. Whether this is real or just a result of the placebo effect we may never know but whatever the reason the benefits easily justify the daily commitment.
When it comes to meditation there are three different types of practice which will all affect the brain differently. We’ll attempt to explain these simply however the key takeaway is that whichever you decide to do, they all will deliver benefits in terms of your mental well-being.
Focused Attention
This involves calming your mind by focusing your thoughts on a particular object, experience or sensation. Common examples include focusing on your breathe, a particular object in front of you or a specific memory and avoiding the invariable wandering and chatter that your mind will want to do. For best results do this sitting up in a quiet room for between 5 to 20 minutes.
Most guided meditations are a form of focused attention and useful if you’re not sure where to begin. These days there’s an app for everything and meditation is no different – the two best we know of are Calm and Headspace and both offer free options to help you get started.
If you’re looking to try meditation for the first time, we’d recommend starting here because of its simplicity and the fact that you can do it for as little or as long as you like. For example if 5 minutes seems to long, start with 2 minutes and work your way up over time.
Open Monitoring
This form of practice focuses on developing and maintaining an awareness of your thoughts and feelings without judgment as you complete almost any activity. By bringing your conscious thought to how things make you feel you can minimise the internal chatter. Importantly leaving aside judgement of your feelings is critical in developing an enhanced and peaceful state of mind.
Unlike the other forms of meditation open monitoring can be done in a wide range of activities as you go about your daily routine. For example when going for a walk you might focus your attention on how your feet feel at they hit the pavement. When eating a meal you might think about how your mouth feels as its chewing and the sensations you feel as you swallow. When driving in your car you might actively think about how the different muscles in your body feel as you sit in the car seat.
We have mixed feelings about open monitoring for beginners. On the one hand its simplicity and the fact you can do it almost anywhere is appealing however it can be hard to sustain because there’s no set routine, regular process or particular trigger that reminds us we should be doing it.
Self-Transcending
The third practice is that of self-transcending – or the various versions similar in nature – and it’s arguably the most complex and secretive of the three. The theory behind transcendental meditation is that over time the mind develops deeper states of conscious thought which is often referred to as the “fourth state of consciousness”. Research suggests that self-transcending meditation can only properly and safely be done with a qualified instructor and for this reason the specific steps to do this are clouded in secrecy. At $1500 a pop teaching this form of meditation can be lucrative business for those qualified to do it which might explain the level of secrecy you might encounter.
We’re not proclaiming to be experts and certainly won’t be instructing anyone soon however here’s the gist of how it’s done. Similar to focused attention it’s most effectively done in a quiet room, sitting up with your eyes closed. From here you bring your attention to your selected mantra – more on that below – and as your mind wanders to other thoughts you gently bring your attention back to the mantra. Ongoing practice over time is said to develop a deeper sense of consciousness.
Quickly on mantras, some information out there suggests that one of the most important roles an instructor provides is aligning the correct mantra to each person. The thought process is that if an individual uses a mantra that isn’t right for them then the development of deeper levels of their consciousness may be harmful or damaging. A cynic may counter that this is a convenient excuse to make more people pay for the cost of an instructor and we’ll let you be the judge of that. For those wanting to try this without shelling out a heap of time and cash, a quick google search will give you a heap of mantras and the meaning behind them to choose the one that feels right for you.
Whilst we wouldn’t recommend diving straight into this form of meditation, we found it useful when we were looking to extend our practice after doing focused attention for six months. It did result in a different type of experience and at times a more refreshed and energised feeling afterwards.
We’ve attempted to highlight the different forms of meditation and provide some basic steps for those looking to get started. Our experience has been hugely positive and it’s one of the most positive changes we’ve introduced in our own lives so far.
Action for the week:
- Consider the benefits of meditation and whether there’s a need or opportunity to introduce this to your life
- You can get started by setting aside 10 minutes for some focused attention (or another form) meditation
- If in doubt, try it – what’s the worst that could happen?
Meditation is an absolute game-changer. There isn’t anyone on the planet that wouldn’t benefit from lower levels of stress, higher levels of energy and relaxation, and increased resiliency. We think it’s the bee’s knees and can be a major factor in leading a healthier and happier life.
We’re going to continue the theme of well-being in our next post as we identify natural foods that will help your health, your waistline and your taste buds at the same time.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on meditation, your experience both good and otherwise, and any other comments or questions you have. Please reach out to us at any of our social media channels.