Meditation for You
Written By: Zachary Burton
Meditation can be described as “a practice of connecting with universal energy that flows through everything in existence.” The goal is to unify mind, body, and spirit to reach a state of heightened awareness. This can be experienced in different ways. There are vast amounts of meditations that range from chanting verses or mantras, to going about your daily life in a meditative state. With today’s technology, you can even listen to certain frequencies that put your brainwaves in the state that meditation initiates. Many ancient cultures say that we are a part of source consciousness that lies outside of space-time and that meditation aids in harnessing that energy into the material world. With this newly transmuted power, you can live your life in a state of mind that improves your quality of life.
If we all could take at least 20 minutes out of our day to meditate, we would change ourselves and the world around us! A long-term practice by a massive amount of people facilitates change. A study was conducted in 1993 that monitored how group meditation affects a population. The study took place from June 7th to July 30th, 1993 in Washington D.C. and had approximately 4,000 participants. Each day, the participants practiced a form of meditation known as Transcendental Mediation. The results concluded that homicides, rapes, and assaults had decreased in Washington D.C. by 23.3% by the end of the study.
So how do you start if you have never meditated in your life? A good first start would be to monitor your breath throughout the day. Inhale through your nose into your diaphragm so that your belly fully expands upon inhalation. Naturally, your stomach will act as a pump to exhale all of the carbon dioxide out of your lungs. In the beginning, you will have to be mindful of this practice. After a while, however, it will become effortless. If you want to sit while meditating, just monitoring your breathing can be a good tool. Youtube has a great selection of meditations to explore.
Personally, I have tried various techniques and my favorite is practicing Kundalini Yoga and Meditation followed by a live gong session. When I am at home, I like to put on high quality headphones and experiment with different frequencies and nature sounds during my meditations. After having practiced for a couple months, I was able to attain a state where I was thoughtless and experienced a slight euphoria. There is a ton of information available to help you discover what meditation fits you best!
- Hagelin JS1; Orme-Johnson DW; Rainforth M1; Cavanaugh K1; Alexander CN1; Shatkin SF1; Davies JL2; Hughs AO3; Ross E4; “Effects of Group Practice of the Transcendental Meditation Program on Preventing Violent Crime in Washington, D.C.: Results of the National Demonstration Project, June–July 1993”, D.C.Institute of Science, Technology and Public Policy Technical Report 94:1, 1994. Social Indicators Research (vol 47 issue 2: 153-201, 1999)