Mindfulness Meditation.
The following information comes from a book which totally transformed my life. I highly recommend you read "Mindfulness - a practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world" By Mark Williams and Danny Penman.
Numerous psychological studies have shown that regular meditators are happier and more contented than average. These are not just important results in themselves but have huge medical significance as such positive emotions are linked to a longer and healthier life.
- Anxiety, depression and irritability all decrease with regular sessions of meditation. Memory also improves, reaction times become faster and mental and physical stamina increase.
- Regular meditators enjoy better and more fulfilling relationships.
- Studies worldwide have found that meditation reduces the key indicators of chronic stress, including hypertension.
- Meditation has also been found to be effective in reducing the impact of serious conditions, such as chronic pain and cancer, and can even help to relieve drug and alcohol dependence.
- Studies have now shown that meditation bolsters the immune system and thus helps fight off colds, flu and other diseases.
The benefits of mindfulness meditation.
- Sit erect in a straight-backed chair. If possible, bring your back away from the rear of the chair so that your spine is self-supporting. Your feet can be flat on the floor. Close your eyes or lower your gaze.
- Focus your attention on your breath as it flows in and out of your body. Stay in touch with the different sensations of each in-breath and each out-breath. Observe the breath without looking for anything special to happen. There is no need to alter your breathing in any way.
- After a while your mind may wander. When you notice this, gently bring your attention back to your breath, without giving yourself a hard time- the act of realising that your mind has wandered and bringing the attention back without criticising yourself is central to the practice of mindfulness meditation.
- Your mind may eventually become calm like a still pond - or it may not. Even if you get a sense of absolute stillness, it may only be fleeting. If you feel angry or exasperated, notice that this may be fleeting too. Whatever happens, just allow it to be as it is.
- After a minute, let your eyes open and take in the room again.
Despite these proven benefits, however, many people are still a little wary when they hear the word 'meditation'. So before we proceed, it may be helpful to dispel some myths:
- Meditation is not a religion. Mindfulness is simply a method of mental training.
- You don't have to sit cross-legged on the floor, but you can if you want to! Most people who come to class sit on chairs, but you can also practise bringing mindful awareness to whatever you are doing, on buses, trains or while walking to work. You can meditate more or less anywhere.
- Mindfulness practice does not take a lot of time, although some patience and persistence are required. Many People soon find that meditation liberates them from the pressures of time, so they have more of it to spend on other things.
- Meditation is not complicated. Nor is it about 'success' or 'failure'. Even when meditation feels difficult, you'll have learned something valuable about the workings of the mind and thus have benefited psychologically.
- It will not deaden your mind or prevent you from striving towards important career or lifestyle goals; nor will it trick you into falsely adopting a Pollyanna attitude to life. Meditation is not about accepting the unacceptable. It is about seeing the world with greater clarity so that you can take wiser and more considered action to change those things which need to be changed. Meditation helps cultivate a deep and compassionate awareness that allows you to assess your goals and find the optimum path towards realising your deepest values.
A one-minute meditation.