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Time Out to
Meditate
Stressed out?
Meditation is the most direct route to the most important kind of
relaxation -- relaxation of the spirit. And it is the oldest known and
most profound method of calming down.
 Consider the
proliferation of day spas in Jakarta, offering the total relaxation
experience, with aromatherapy, dimmed lighting, water fountains,
ambient music – all to help your aching muscles and over-stimulated
senses relax.
But where is the spa for our tired, tortured minds? How do I shower my
mind with positive thoughts to reinvigorate my sense of purpose each
week?
Of course meditation is not new. It has been around for thousands of
years in various forms; in fact it exists in every religion in the
form of contemplation, reflection, mystical experiences and so on.
While meditation helps us to relax, calm down, focus and concentrate,
the ultimate purpose is to reconnect with the core of our being and in
turn reconnect to the purpose of life to address life’s fundamental
questions such as: Why are we here? Meditation is like coming home to
where we belong in our own minds.
We have become noise addicts, seekers of distractions; anything to
keep our overactive minds entertained. Why? Because we think too much,
and much of that thinking is unproductive. We have become slaves to
our minds. Surrounded by gadgets to keep us engaged in various forms
of communication we have become disengaged from ourselves, strangers
to ourselves, our thoughts and emotions. Many modern maladies such as
alienation, violence and depression have been explained as a mourning
of this loss of self identity.
While we crave peace and silence, spending time in silence is
ironically something many of us try to avoid. In physical silence the
ticking of a clock or our own breath can be deafening, while the sound
of the chatter inside our head can seem even louder. It’s that room
that you have never cleaned out, never attended to, and there are lots
of things lurking in the dust and the shadows.
Meditation does not require a commitment to long stretches of time.
Ten minutes in the morning and the evening is enough to begin with.
This can also be enhanced by one minute stops every hour. So what do
you need to do? Find a clean, uncluttered space in your home and find
a time when you are feeling refreshed, rested but alert. Sit in a
comfortable chair or on a cushion or mat on the floor.
You can enhance the environment, creating your own “mind spa” by
playing ambient music, burning fragrant oils and dimming the lights.
It is helpful to keep your eyes open, focused on a point in front of
you. Begin by observing your thoughts. Don’t judge, just observe and
let the thoughts go. The mind will begin to slow down.
Here is a sample of suggested thoughts for a short meditation:
Gently I bring my energy away from external distractions. I bring all
my attention to a point in the middle of my forehead just above and
behind my eyes, toward a single point of focus inside. I now look
through my eyes as if they are windows. I am a still point of
awareness looking through my eyes at the world. I am a point of
spiritual energy -- silent, still, peaceful. My natural state is
peace; I am a being of peace. Keep slowly repeating these thoughts
until they resonate.
Become attuned to what is going on inside your mind, and start to
integrate the practice of meditation into your daily life, stopping
every hour or every few hours to recharge. Learn to tame your
emotions, thinking positively and switching to a healthier lifestyle
all help enhance the quality of your meditation.
+ Melinda Hewitt
For more guidance on
meditation go to
www.just-a-minute.com for short guided meditations with or without
music.
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