An Introduction To The Benefits Of Meditation,
And The Types Of Meditation
By
John Culbertson
What Is Meditation?
The word ‘meditation’ conjures a variety of images in
people’s minds, depending on their experiences, beliefs
and prejudices. For some people the word stirs deeply
spiritual ideas, whilst for others, images of calm
tranquillity and deeper self understanding. For those
new to the idea of meditation, it may be associated in
their minds with purely religious practice, although
this is certainly no longer the case. There are many
benefits of meditation which have well established
backing in the medical world, and there are many types
of meditation to suit all individuals, regardless of
religious beliefs, or even if they have no religious
belief at all.
Much of the practice of meditation can be traced through
the traditions of yoga, which were brought to the West
from India, and so there are deep roots within Hindu,
Buddhist, Sikh and other Eastern traditions, but in fact
the practice of meditation predates this introduction from India, and the concept flourished in
the world of martial arts, where focus, concentration
and the health benefits were long recognised an
essential part of the training.
The idea of using meditation to relax the muscles and
calm the mind has long been used in counselling
procedures, and with an increase in the amount of stress
and chaos of our modern daily lives, these techniques
have been shown to have a dramatic effect. Those who
work in psychotherapy see people every day who are
suffering from the stress of work, family, finance or
other concerns, and consider meditation in one form or
another to be an integral and essential part of not only
the healing process, but in providing a way of dealing
with the continuing life after the counselling is over.
Meditation has many forms, and the purposes of
meditation and the benefits depend upon the type of
meditation performed. The medical world, in particular
those who work in both psychology and physiology agree
that the practice of meditation actually has a
measureable effect on the brainwaves, and that we enter
a state of consciousness which is distinct from our
normal everyday awareness. It is believed that this
changed state of awareness not only has health benefits
that are physical, such as cardiovascular health, but
can lead to a deeper understanding of oneself.
Within this context of both physical and mental
well-being, there are two main types of meditation,
although each may take on different forms, and the
benefits of meditation may vary depending upon the type
practiced. One type, usually referred to as
‘mindfulness’ has the person focussing on keeping an
open mind, and not focussing on any one particular
thing. Instead, they try to shift focus so that no
particular concentration on a problem, question, object
or concern occurs, but instead the mind is repeatedly
brought back, and encouraged to skim along the surface.
The other type is quite the opposite, and encourages the
person to focus very deeply on one object or thought, to
the absolute exclusion of anything else.
Both of these types of meditation share the same general
benefits, of taking the mind, or at least the conscious
mind, away from the everyday troubles and concerns, and
into a place that is calm. In so doing, the body
responds by relaxing the muscles, and if performed for a
reasonable length of time, and regularly, the long term
health benefits for the body are very established and
meditation should be considered as beneficial physically
as it is for the mind.
People often assume that in order to meditate it is
necessary to sit on the ground, in a form of yoga
position, but this is not the case. Certainly there are
forms of meditation based in the yoga tradition that do
encourage this method, but it is by no means the only
form, and not always the most practical either. It is
perfectly possible to practice meditation whilst
walking, or doing some other repetitive task – even
knitting!
The Benefits Of Meditation
The benefits of meditation are twofold – there are those
for the mind, and there are also those benefits for the
physical body. The two elements of a person are not, of
course, separate and distinct. The healthier a person’s
mind, then often the healthier they are physically.
Often it is clear that those people who are healthy and
live a good long life have a positive attitude, and a
healthy mind, whereas it is also very obvious that
people can think themselves ill, and become physically
poor in health merely by dwelling on the idea, or on
stressful or negative things.
Our world, and our mind, are busy places, and sometimes
it seems as though we have no time to stop and think. If
we don’t have time to stop and think, then clearly we
cannot be doing much thinking! Think of it a little like
running your bath – the tap is on, and the water is
rising, and we manage very well. But eventually, unless
we learn to turn the tap off or pull the plug
occasionally, the bath will become full, and the water
will simply begin flowing over. Meditation has been
likened to the idea of turning off the tap, reducing the
level of the water, and allowing room for fresh ideas or
thoughts. In this way, one of the many benefits of
meditation is considered to be the way in which it helps
to open our minds to new ideas, to new levels of
creativity. Not surprisingly, those who are highly
creative people in one field or another, whether it be
science or art, are often those who practice meditation.
Because there are so many types of meditation, it is not
always obvious that this is what is being done, but Both
Einstein and Edison were firm practitioners of
mediation, and no one can argue that their minds weren’t
open to new ideas and positive creative thoughts!
Aside from the clear psychological benefits, there are
many physical ones too, and through developing an
ability to quieten the mind and calm the body, the
breathing slows down, the pulse slows, blood pressure
reduces and the whole body relaxes. It has been shown to
improve blood flow, and for those with high blood
pressure or recovering from heart problems or surgery,
this has shown to be of huge benefit.
Meditation has also been proven to reduce the risk of
anxiety attacks, muscle tension and even improve
conditions such as arthritis and certain allergies.
During meditation the level of serotonin, a chemical
produces naturally by the body, is increased. Serotonin
is directly responsible for the way we feel, and so
meditation can trigger a physical process that results
in us feeling happier, less depressed or anxious, and in
turn this can help those who suffer from headaches,
insomnia, low esteem or low self confidence and negative
behaviour such as anger. Many phobias have been
decreased in severity or even cured through repeated
meditation.
Additionally, meditation has been demonstrated to have a
positive impact on the immune system, by increasing the
rate at which the cells in our body that combat
infections are produced, including bacteria and even
cancer. Ultimately it is quite clear that almost anyone
can benefit from the health advantages that meditation
can bring, and improved health and welfare is in turn
likely to lead to a better quality of life, and a longer
one.
Types Of Meditation
There are so many different forms of meditation that
there is almost certainly one for everyone, regardless
of spiritual, physical or environmental conditions or
limits. Generally, after looking at the various types of
meditation there will be one that seems to stand out
more than the rest, and usually this is the best one to
try, at least to begin with.
The three main forms are known as insight, visualisation
and mantra, although each of these has many different
forms too. The first type, insight meditation,
encourages you to clear your mind of all thoughts, and
to focus on something such as your breathing. By
concentrating entirely on your breathing, you try to
clear your mind of all thoughts, and this can help to
create a sense of oneness, and of peace and clarity.
The second method of meditation is visualisation, and in
this the person has a clear goal in mind – for example,
to have a more peaceful life. During the meditation they
would focus entirely on this goal, and visualise in
their minds the goal coming true, creating a clear
picture of what their life would be like if they
achieved that goal, how they would see themselves. Often
the best way of achieving something is to regularly
visualise it being the case, and meditation of this type
not only has all the benefits of other forms, but helps
to create a greater chance of the goal being realised.
The third type is the mantra, often the one most
commonly imagined when the word meditation is used. Most
often this involves the person making a repeated sound –
the most well known being either ‘om’ or ‘ah, alah’. By
making these chanting sounds, the mind is cleared of
thoughts, and the sound or mantra becomes the only thing
that is being focussed on or thought about. Not only
this, but some sounds, such as ‘om’ create a deep
resonance in the body, and help to stimulate it,
generating a number of health benefits. Some mantras,
such as the ‘ah, alah’ have deep spiritual meanings in
some religious faiths too.
Certainly it is quite clear that meditation helps us to
achieve peace, a more open mind and consequently a mind
more open to new ideas, and greater welfare physically,
resulting in better health and a better quality of life.
Clearly these benefits don’t occur overnight, and
meditation is a practice that should be followed on a
regular basis. Indeed, it is the regular use of
meditation, and its anticipation, that generates a good
deal of the benefits.
Whether practicing alone, in your own home, whilst out
walking , or as part of a group, you will be able to
find one of the types of meditation which best suits you
and how you feel about it, and you may even feel that
some of the benefits of meditation suit your particular
needs and that therefore one particular form is of
greater benefit to you. No matter what your beliefs or
circumstances, there will certainly be a form of
meditation to suit you, and to provide greater peace,
creativity and well being in your own life.
(C) 2008
About the Author:
John Culbertson is a new age teacher, speaker and
lecturer. He teaches and speaks on psychic
development (a six-month course), psychic
protection, numerology, astrology, angels, tarot and
almost anything else relative to the new age field.
He is available for private psychic channeled, reiki,
and spiritual coaching sessions through his web site
http://www.mysticjohnculbertson.com |