Meditation

Meditation is recognized as a specific consciousness state in wich deep relaxation and increased internalized attention co-exist. It is the liberation of the mind from all disturbing and distracting emotions, thoughts and desires. Through meditation the individual connects with his higher self, remaining silent, seeking inner wisdom. Upon entering a meditative state our body accesses a state of relaxation and self-contemplation.

Pranayama(breathing exercise) is recommended in advance of the practice ,so the heartbeat slows down and the individual enters in a state of balance. By meditating, clarity is achieved, anxiety is reduced, improves cognition, sleep quality, memory and fights depression.

Preparation for meditation

Breath control

  • Pranayama is a technique that keep us in the present moment. Gives us mental peace, focus and clarity.

Calming the mind

  • Another great method to calm the mind and to gain the ability to concentrate during the meditation pratice is to chant Om(aum) loudly, as long as you can.

Discipline and dedication

  • Don’t expect meditational experiences to occur in the first time you meditate.
  • Just do your practice regularly and persevere.
  • The same time and place, every day.

Time

  • The best times to meditate is early morning,between 4 til 6am , and before sleep.
  • Alow at least 4 hours before meditation after taking a meal, this is because the attention is drawn to the stomach and digestion process.
  • Eat moderately.
  • Start half and hour meditation daily, and slowly increase the time.

Suitable place for practice

  • It’s recomended a quiet place and preferably to use the same place daily.
  • It should be clean and conductive to tranquility.
  • It should be also well ventilated,but not breezy.

Relaxation

  • One of the biggest obstacles to meditate is physical tension.
  • If there is pain, stiffness or general tension in the body, the awarness will tend to dwell in the body.
  • The ability to transcend the body to attain meditation experience will be impossible.
  • An excellent and simple method of sistematically relaxing the body and mind is Shavasana(deep relaxation position of yoga).
  • Do Shavasana 20 min before meditation is enough to relieve any stiffness and tension in the body and mind.

General obstacles

  • Mental disturbances like irritability, hatered pride, jealousy, selfishness etc can all be rooted out by practice of Yama and Niyama also known as strong foundation of the Yoga.
  • These ethical practices purify the mind and eventually aspirant dwells in its own true nature, peace and eternal joy.

Thought

  • The aim is eventually to transcend rational thoughts,when this occurs, meditation will take a place.
  • The aim of meditation is to dive deeper into the mind, beyond the realms of rational thought.
  • Therefore when performing meditation practices, try to reduce intellectualisation as much as possible.