Through reading about great world leaders, I found the majority of them had one thing in common: They practiced meditation regularly. In 2001, I started meditating 10 minutes a day. Now every day, both morning and evening, I sit to meditate for a total of 90 minutes.
(I also started practicing Hatha yoga in 2001, which is generally known as simply yoga. Among many things, yoga has been found to help individuals sit still and focus for longer periods of time.)
Meditation is good for all people. Some of us take time to take care of our body through physical exercise. Very few of us take time to take care of our mind.
Meditation helps us in many ways. Our mind jumps from one thought to the other, much like a monkey. Meditation helps us to observe our thoughts and improve concentration.
Mastering our mind can lead us to happiness. Meditation has helped me lower stress, become more self-aware, think creatively and minimize reacting without thinking through. It helps people to lower their blood pressure. It helps one to breathe slower which helps one live longer. It also helps one to live in the present.
Lama Willa who is working on a Ph.D. at Harvard, specializing in meditation, said, “Our body doesn’t lie. It is our mind that plays games. Body is a good barometer of how we are feeling.”
Meditation helps us to observe subtle reactions in our body. If we can catch our reactions quickly and tell ourselves that this too will change, we won’t react negatively.
Meditation helps us to understand our emotions, reactions and feelings. Meditation helps us to pause before responding impulsively and to choose more loving responses.
Willa realized in her three-year silent meditation that most of the problems are created by our mind. She said, “We are perfectly fine at this moment with what we have. However, our mind creates stories and we suffer as a result. When we remember that there are many others around the world who are suffering from being in similar situations, we lessen our pain.”
Our natural state is blissful, as that of a newborn child. Over time, we are conditioned to lose this state of tranquility. Authentic connection to our deeper innate nature is a lifetime practice. Meditation is one of the tools to experience that divine nature that we all have.
Beginners could start meditating just for five minutes a day, anytime and anywhere. The ideal time to mediate is during transition times, sunset and sunrise.
There are many techniques to meditate. Some are based on visualization, such as imagining a candle flame, and some on verbalization, such as a mantra or chanting. These meditations do calm our mind; however, they also make our mind actively focused on external objects or words. Vipassana mediation, www.dhamma.org, on the other hand, makes us explore within ourselves. Experiment with different methods and follow the ones that work for you.
A simple technique that Buddha taught was to observe the breath while inhaling and exhaling, focusing at the place below the nose and above the upper lip, while closing the eyes, sitting with the spine straight and clasping hands. One can sit on a cushion or in a chair comfortably and be relaxed. Thoughts may keep coming and going. Instead of judging or getting angry that you can’t focus, just remember to go back to your breath. Eventually, we get better at meditating. Have a purpose or intention for meditation. Find out the benefits that you want to obtain from meditation.
It has been said that the ideal duration of meditation is directly proportional to one’s age. Therefore, for a 30-year-old, 30 minutes of meditation daily is suggested.
Thus, as we practice meditation daily, we become more aware of our feelings and actions. This will help us to not act rashly and maintain equanimity. Many have said that “the kingdom of heaven is within us.” Let us practice meditation and live happier.
Ashok Nalamalapu is president of iCST — an IT staffing and software testing firm in South Portland (www.i-cst.com). He can be reached at ashok@i-cst.com or 772-6898.
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