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360 Learning Meditation Methods
360 Learning Meditation Methods: Meditation for Beginners "It's NOT What You Think"about this author Rev Nancy, E-RYT, DD, PhD
Enjoy this article, "Meditation is Not What You Think" (considered good meditation for beginners info) that I wrote many years ago. It will help you in the heroic journey of learning meditation: One of the most important and beneficial activities for reducing stress and management of it. Of course learning meditation is the most powerful portal to your Soul, and the true purpose for its cultivation and practice. If you have come to 360 before, welcome back for another go-around on a spherical journey to wholeness. Check TABS left for articles; there may be a few more informative meditation methods and inspiring stories uploaded since your last visit. Enjoy opening your heart while learning meditation. Read, study, contemplate and then rest in your true nature. Namasté with Heartfelt Blessings,
Learning Meditation* ©Copyright, Reprinted from Happenings, Cenvil Recreation, 1992 Meditation Is Not What You Think by Nancy Ash If you want to lead a fuller, more rewarding and joyful life, then meditation practice may be very helpful to you. No matter how busy you think you are, there is always time for meditation. As a practitioner of this timeless (and timely) discipline for the past 18 years, I can readily say that it has helped me immensely. In my opinion it is the most powerful stress management tool there is. The dictionary offers a definition of meditation as "the act of continuous thinking," which in actuality is quite a paradox. Meditation, as it has been taught for thousands of years, is the training of mind to clear all thought. It is a process of “emptying”—releasing thought from within and allowing our true nature to become realized. The true nature of mind is what one may call “the clear light of bliss.” In this state of consciousness, all thought processes dissolve into a great emptiness. This emptiness is not darkness (like a black hole), but is pure spaciousness and primordial wisdom. Therefore, meditation is a sacred journey that returns us to this true nature which is lucid and empty. Our mind is by nature clear and empty like the vast blue sky; our scattered thoughts are like puffy white clouds obscuring the sky. When one engages in a meditation practice, the most startling realization is that one has absolutely no control of his/her mind. The untrained mind is like a drunken monkey, jumping around and around without any control. Meditation trains the mind to be still, allowing calm to abide spontaneously. Then our true nature can be potentiated. According to recent scientific studies in brain research, the average person can not control thought waves for more than five seconds! Through regular practice with various meditation techniques, the mind becomes still, calm and relaxed. Eventually, consciousness is more clear and the practitioner can maintain this state for longer periods of time. Then equanimity—calm and peace—arises and abides spontaneously, staying longer and longer. Meditation practice brings many wonderful psychological and physiological benefits which include: realization and development of what Dr. Jean Houston calls the “possible human”—enhanced zest and enthusiasm in life, deeper love, kindness and compassion to all sentient beings, and a better understanding of the self in relation to the universe. Physically proven through extensive research with Yogins, various Asian monks, European, and Western skilled practitioners, one can reap tremendous benefits such as lower metabolic rate, decreased heart rate and blood pressure, reduced respiration rate, and reduction of lactate concentration in the blood (blood lactate level is related to anxiety and tension). Also, during meditation your skin resistance increases, sometimes as much as four hundred percent, which is interesting because the more tension and anxiety one has, the lower the skin resistance. To cultivate a new way of being, allow meditation to guide you in its gentle but powerful way. You are invited to attend my Meditation Classes in the Clubhouse exercise studio, Mondays and Fridays at 11:15 a.m.
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