I have to admit I am not usually one to spend time pondering. I have had my share of moments that I think, “I have to meditate on this.” I am so rarely that I will even consider trying that. I tend to just “go with the flow” and do what comes naturally. What I have a hard time with is being in the moment, without thinking.
Well, this is not really a problem with meditating, though. It’s more due to a lack of awareness of the moment, as meditation is often just a state of mind. My friend Janna, who is not a meditator, once told me that her meditation experiences were more often like an aha! moment, a feeling of clarity and peace, that you were able to tap into the deeper states of consciousness. It’s a feeling that brings about an almost spiritual state.
It is very easy to get caught up in the moment, forgetting about the larger picture. That state can create a sense of disconnection, so much so that we can be more easily lost. It is easy to let our minds wander, and our mind’s wandering is easily confused with other thoughts.
It is an excellent time to meditate, because we’re often more aware than ever before about what we’re doing and why. That awareness is a valuable way to help ourselves, and it can help others as well. When we’re meditating, our mind might feel as if it’s going through a lot of thoughts that we don’t want to be thinking, but all of those thoughts are actually happening anyway.
To meditate, you need to have a relaxed mind. If you’re doing it when you’re tired, or just too busy, you might lose track of where you are, and what you’re doing, and how you feel. This is one of the biggest reasons that meditation is a great idea.
Awareness is a good thing, but it is only one of the many things we can do to improve our minds. The other thing is to take care of our bodies, as they are a powerful tool. In fact, our bodies are the one thing that most of us can do without even thinking about, and this is one reason why we tend to feel good after we meditate.
Meditation has a long history in the East, but meditation has been particularly popular in the West since the 1970s. It has also been popularized by a number of other Eastern philosophies, including Buddhism. But meditation is not just about meditating. It can also be about being aware of your body, your surroundings, and your thoughts—the very things that cause us to feel good and are important for our well-being.
With that in mind, I am going to share with you my views on what meditation is, and then ask you to ponder the questions that follow it. As you sit on the edge of your chair, you can start by taking a deep breath before you sit down. Breathe in, out, and then sit in with your thoughts. You can think about anything you would like. Of course, this is just an initial exercise. You can go back and do more if you wish.
The benefits of meditation are manifold. Meditation is just one of the various practices that have been taught over the years by teachers like Patanjali, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. It is a way to bring your attention to an idea that you feel is important to you. It can also be a way to calm your mind so you are more focused on what is actually going on around you.
I’m not even sure if it is a good idea or not, but I don’t think I would want to do it if I was in meditation. I would rather be focusing on something fun, enjoyable, or something that is a good workout. I think you would be better off just going to the gym or taking a yoga class.