Meditation Practice and How it can Help you

“I pay homage to you, O Breath,
For the whole universe pays homage to you”.
-Atharva Veda

Meditation is a mind body practice. Although the practice of meditation goes back thousands of years, it is now finding foothold among mainstream Americans. A report based on data from the 2017, National Health Interview Survey found that US adult’s use of meditation in the last 12 months tripled between 2012 and 2017, from 4.1 percent to 14.2 percent (NCCIH, 2019).

At times, people chose to start a meditation practice, wanting to bring order to inner life, as a method of disciplining the mind, said Rolf Sovik in his book Moving Inward. Others may start a practice for health reasons, stress management, pain management, and lower blood pressure. It is a wonderful and therapeutic tool to promote cardiovascular health , preventing cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the world. Some may want to improve their critical thinking and creativity skills. Regardless of the reason, a few minutes of a consistent, daily meditation practice will make us better at who we are.

You may wonder How does that work? This is the deal. Thousands of thoughts bombard our mind daily. Most of those thoughts are negative, and many of them are repetitive. All our life experiences; what we see, hear, smell, think, and feel are salted down and kept in the subconscious mind. Good, bad, fear, and joy, every experience is stored down in the basement of our mind.

“Meditation is a vital practice
To access conscious contact
With your highest self”.
-Wayne Dyer

Often times, we react and act according to reflexes and emotions swimming up from that depth. We say and do things without thinking, without being consciously aware. We react to situations, from our subconscious mind, instead of responding with a clear, conscious mind. Meditation is a way to change that, by moving inward. We do so by training and exercising the mind to do what we want, rather than having it run rampant. Much like we take a child by the hand, preventing him from running into the street, tame a horse, and give a monkey a banana to stop it from jumping from tree to tree, we give the mind something to do. We give the mind a place to rest, to be still.

When we decide to focus on the breath, we are initiating a practice of mindfulness and awareness and focus, leading to meditation. We are still, eyes closed, and we direct all our awareness/focus to the flow of the breath. The mind is anchored to the breath, resting in the breath, consciously aware of the breath flowing in and flowing out of the nostrils. Of course, the mind is not always willing to obey, so it tries to run away, but we bring it gently back to the breath, over and over again until it becomes better disciplined.

This is how we learn to observe our thoughts, to become the witness within. This is how we discover toxic thoughts that bring us down and cause stress and anxiety and low self-esteem. We can rather choose good, productive thoughts that will guide us to personal growth. By learning to harness the power of our mind, we free up space, so the creative and productive ideas have room to develop and expand.

There are many types of meditation. Transcendental meditation focuses on a mantra and mindfulness meditation focuses on being in the present moment. They are all therapeutic, as long as the practice is based on honest and good intentions. There is a wonderful world of meditation techniques out there, waiting to be discovered, and breath awareness is a good place to begin.

There are many types of meditation. Transcendental meditation focuses on a mantra and mindfulness meditation focuses on being in the present moment. They are all therapeutic, as long as the practice is based on honest and good intentions. There is a wonderful world of meditation techniques out there, waiting to be discovered, and breath awareness is a good place to begin.

• Sit in a comfortable position, with your back straight and head aligned. Allow your hands to rest on your lap. Gently close your eyes.
• Take a few minutes, Relax tour body, consciously moving from head to toe. Let your whole-body rest.
• Note the rise and fall of your abdominal area, as you breathe in, and as you breathe out. Let your breath be easy and calm and breathe as if your whole body is breathing.
• Bring awareness to your breath. Sense the touch of cool air flowing into your nose, as you breathe in. Sense the touch of warm air, leaving your nose, as you breathe out. Breathe out and cleanse your entire being. Bring in and nourish your entire being.
• Keep your awareness on your breath. Focus all your attention on the breath. Breathe in and breathe out, breathe in, and breathe out, and keep all your focus there. When your mind drifts, bring your focus gently back to your breath.

To become successful at anything in life, we must practice, over and over and over. Start with sitting for five minutes a day, then increase the length of your practice as you see fit. It is not about the length of time that you meditate, but rather the focus you bring to the experience. Enjoy the practice, and the therapeutic benefits that meditation brings to your body, mind, and spirit. Meditators are nice people to share the world with. They are calm, and comfortable in their own skin, in their own life.

NAMASTE

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🇳🇴Annelie Holmene Pelaez believes that we all have something to teach each other. Her contribution is to help adults over age 65 to gain better health and more happiness in body, mind, and spirit. Her expertise is based on her Norwegian background, experience in critical care nursing, and meditation practice. In her book, Say Yes To a Better Life, she explains that mindfulness nurtured by meditation and health literacy is the key to sustaining a healthy, self-actualized life, as well as inner peace and confidence. For questions , more information, or to purchase her book, reach her at www.northboundspry.com.