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Meditation is one of the most valuable practices for anyone interested in personal development and spiritual development. Like many things, meditation is very easy to learn, but difficult to master.
I am the first person to admit that I am not a great meditator. I have stopped and started practicing meditation more times than I can count. I am far from being an expert. Meditation is something that I actively work on, and hope to improve upon.
In this post, you will learn about the many benefits of meditation, see common objections to it, learn some meditation techniques, and how to integrate it into your life.
Keep in mind that the world of meditation offers a wonderful variety, and this discussion in itself is limited.
The Benefits of Meditation
The physical and mental benefits that meditation can provide are nothing short of amazing, especially when you consider how much of an exercise meditation really is. simple.
Many of these benefits come from mindfulness, or moment-to-moment awareness, of what meditation can instill in us. Mindful meditation is something that we have access to at all times, and some effects of meditation can be felt very quickly.
Just ten minutes of conscious meditation is enough to change people’s perception of time, for example.
Very fast effects
most people imagine that they will not be able to feel the benefits of meditation until they become experts; and that only Buddhist monks who isolate themselves from the world and meditate all day, every day, can attain the superpowers that meditation provides.
While it’s certainly true that the more you invest in meditation, the more benefits you get in return, these aren’t just reserved for those who are deeply devoted.
According to an experiment, meditate 20 minutes a day for five days would be enough to reduce stress, even in comparison to a muscle relaxation group.
And significant structural changes in the brain have been shown in meditators after just 30 minutes of meditation per day for 8 weeks. It is very easy to go far.
Improved attention and concentration
Meditation improves attention and reduces distraction. Meditators are able to disengage from distracting thoughts – thoughts that become less “sticky”.
And that tends to make people happier. Likewise, meditation reduces “cognitive rigidity,” which means creative problem-solving could be made easier.
The mindfulness that meditation engenders improves executive function and enables higher emotional regulation. It reduces the tendency to ruminate on negative thoughts, and helps curb automatic or impulsive behavior.
It also improves self-esteem, at least in the short term. To sum up, fully conscious meditation improves cognitive ability in general, pretty much all areas (although it would be great to have more research confirming and detailing these findings).
Decreased depression and anxiety
Based on the above, it is therefore not surprising that mindful meditation is useful in the treatment of anxiety and depression disorders.
And there is no shortage of research demonstrating this. If you like discovering the more cheesy side of science, I suggest immersing yourself in the fascinating review of papers from 2011 on mindful meditation and psychological health.
Here’s something likely related to the anxiolytic effects of meditation: Mindfulness turns out to help treat sexual disorders as well, which means it can be a valuable practice for the millions of people who would need to do so. work in this area.
“Mental problems feed on the attention you give them. The more you worry about them, the stronger they become. If you ignore them, they lose their power and eventually disappear. “- Annamalai Swami
Positive physical changes
There are also physical benefits to meditation. In particular, meditation improves immune function, so that those who meditate fall ill less often.
Meditation can also slow down, prevent and even reverse the process of age-related brain degeneration. Given the immense toll dementia takes on the elderly and their families, I think this gives everyone a good reason to ponder.
Transcendental meditation has been shown to improve measures of cardiovascular health and decrease the incidence of cardiovascular disease and mortality from any cause.
Both yoga and meditation have tremendous health benefits, including improving cognition, breathing, reducing cardiovascular risk, lowering body mass index, and lowering blood pressure. blood pressure and the risk of diabetes.
Yoga also strengthened immune defenses and improved joint disorders (unlike transcendental meditation). Yoga reduces stress-related inflammation and improves overall health in a number of ways.
Better eating habits
Mindful meditation also leads to healthier eating habits and weight control – obviously another area that many people struggle with.
In general, mindful meditation induces positive health measures and outcomes in a variety of areas. For those interested, I suggest you read this article for more details.
Improved human relations
Last, and not least, Carson et al. have shown that conscious intervention improves relationships and the satisfaction that comes with them. More precisely, “the intervention was effective by positively impacting couples’ relationships, in terms of satisfaction, autonomy, rapprochement, proximity, acceptance of the other, and relationships of distress. ; by having an effect on the optimism, spirituality, relaxation and psychological distress of individuals; and maintaining these benefits for 3 months ”.
Obviously, meditation has a lot to offer. I’m sure there will be more benefits to be discovered in the years to come, but there should be a lot of work convincing most people that meditation is something worth incorporating into their lives.
What if meditation was useless …
You might find this statement weird after seeing all the benefits of meditation. But the ultimate goal of meditation is not to make us feel better or to ease our anxieties or to relax. There are other methods for this.
Paradoxical nun?
Meditation may be the only activity you engage in and you should not seek anything. Nothing to wait, nothing to hope for. And you will see, it is not obvious.
Therefore there is no such thing as failed or successful mediation. There is simply what is or when it happens nothing more nothing less.
Here is the whole paradox: the benefits are real and today many scientific studies come to reinforce what certain spiritual currents announced 2000 or 3000 years ago. But at the same time, mediation does not have the direct objective of bringing you all these benefits.
To meditate therefore 🙂
Objections to meditation
Meditation is just New Age spiel / Meditation goes against my religion.
First of all, meditation doesn’t have to be a religious thing. While meditation is often associated with Eastern religious traditions like Buddhism or Taoism, it also has a component of all Western religions, and is just as easily an age-old quest. You don’t betray your religion by meditating, nor do you indulge in anything religious if you are an atheist.
And it’s not just New Age hippies doing meditation, either. This may have been true a few decades ago, but meditation has since become commonplace. She is incredibly popular among many segments of the population, including sports champions as well as other public figures. In addition, it has been studied extensively, so there is a strong scientific rationale for meditating.
“This is universal. You sit down and watch your breathing. You cannot say that it is a Hindu breath or a Christian breath or a Muslim breath ”-. Charles Johnson
Meditation takes too long, and I just don’t have time for it.
As you can probably guess, the people who think this way are probably the people who would benefit the most from a little mindful meditation. Nonetheless, there is a legitimate concern: who has time to sit for twenty minutes doing nothing?
“Nature is not in a hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” – Lao Tzu
Meditation does not require taking time. Even just five minutes a day can have a significant impact. Many studies have shown that it does not take a long time compared to the benefits of meditation. For example,
“In a 2011 study from the University of Wisconsin, non-meditators were trained in mindful mindful meditation over a five-week period and tested on patterns of brain activity using an EEG. Conscious meditators who practiced an average of five to 16 minutes per day saw significant positive changes in their patterns of brain activity – with patterns suggesting a stronger orientation towards positive emotions and connections with others, compared to people. who were on a waiting list for the training ”.
And if meditation makes you more productive, it seems like a successful time investment.
How to Meditate: The Practical Guide
Finally, we come to the best part! In the next section, I’ll discuss some of the many varieties of meditation, but for now I’m going to stick with a few good practices that you should start.
Like physical exercise, meditation practice is best when it involves “warming up” and “cooling down”.
First of all, you will need to find a quiet and comfortable place, free from distractions. Make sure your kids are making noise in another room, your phone is on silent, and you don’t needs to do something during your meditation time slot.
If you are expecting an important call, choose another time to meditate. Many people believe that the morning is the best time for meditation – it’s quieter, people are less likely to disturb you, and you don’t have that much time to talk you out of it! Of course, whatever time works best for you, it’s fine; this is just a suggestion.
“If you can’t meditate in a boiler room, you can’t meditate.” – Alan Watts
I would also strongly advise against meditation after a big meal. Feeling uncomfortable will be very distracting. Conversely, when meditating on an empty stomach, if you are hungry it will also be more difficult to concentrate.
Tips for getting started
- Commit to practicing your meditation for the entire time slot you have booked (whether it is five minutes, an hour, or some other length of time), even if you are bored or not going well. You will complete your meditation even if you find your mind is wandering
- While not essential, taking a few minutes to stretch or do some yoga poses will help you relax and make the meditation session easier. Stretching relaxes your muscles and tendons, making it easier to sit or lie down more comfortably. I have found my post-yoga meditation sessions to be much more productive
- Meditation sessions are best when you’re in a good mood, so take a moment to be grateful. Think of a thing or two that shows how great your life is.
- Before you begin, take a moment to remind yourself why you are meditating in the first place. It could be anything; I personally am terrified of Alzheimer’s disease, so I might think about how my meditation practice keeps my brain healthy. What you focus on is just the little reminder that you are doing something worth doing
- While not essential, taking a few minutes to stretch or do some yoga poses will help you relax and make the meditation session easier. Stretching relaxes your muscles and tendons, making it easier to sit or lie down more comfortably. I have found my post-yoga meditation sessions to be much more productive
- Finally, state your intentions. Say something to yourself like, “I’m going to spend the next X minutes meditating. There’s nothing else for me to do or think about during this time
Find the right posture
It’s time to get into position. There is no such thing as a “correct” posture, but most people meditate while sitting, either on a chair or on a cushion.
Many people meditate in the “lotus” position, with their left foot on their right thigh and vice versa, but this is not essential. The most important thing is that your back is straight and in good posture.
Not slumped! If you do get drowsy while meditating, try to do so with your eyes open to let in more light.
If you have back problems or just can’t maintain good posture for some reason, try meditation positions that are more gentle on your back.
Finding the right back arch is important
Focus on your breath
Basic meditation itself involves focusing on your breathing. Breathe deeply, preferably through your nose, and breathe out through your mouth.
Try to make your exhalations last longer than your inhales. There are many ways you can work on the breath that you can do – I found the one I just tried today to be very satisfying, it involves counting up to ten breaths over and over.
Count an inhale, an exhale. When you reach ten, start over. Inhale: one, exhale: two. Once you’ve progressed, count each inhale / exhale set for one.
As you focus on your breathing, thoughts will inevitably try to distract you. If you lose track while counting, don’t get upset – just start over from one.
You don’t “win” anything by counting as much as possible, so there is no reason to be frustrated!
Accept your thoughts
Here is an extremely important point: meditation is not meant to stop your thoughts, but rather to let them go.
So when a thought comes up, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Just take that thought, watch it come, let go, and come back to your count or just your breathing.
You will never be able to completely calm your mind, and that is not your goal either.
The purpose of being aware is to be able to observe your thoughts with discernment.
“Make no mistake, during meditation the consciousness itself is devoid of judgment – that is, when you meditate you are simply observing without intentionally thinking of anything and without doing anything. judgments – which is not to say that you do not have critical thoughts while being aware.
“Consciousness and mental activity are two totally different things. Consciousness observes this mental activity without passing judgment, but the mental activity itself sprouting from you during meditation completely encompasses you, and this includes thoughts which are related to your beliefs and opinions ”.
As you meditate, you develop attention not so much by being able to focus on the object of your attention (the breath, in this case) for longer, but by noticing those moments when you are distracted.
When you find yourself distracted from your breath, it means that you were unable to notice the pull of the first thought that started another full thought stream and stole your attention.
So, make a game of trying to catch that first thought that is trying to get your attention away from your breath. Just keep doing it until the allotted time is up.
End your meditation session
When your meditation session is over, there are two things you need to do to “cool down” and ensure that you get the maximum benefit from the experience.
- Just like you did before the meditation, spend a minute or two showing yourself thankful. Preserve the good vibrations!
- Have a clear idea of what you are going to do next, whether that is having a cup of tea, reading the newspaper, brushing your teeth, etc. Allow the mental clarity of meditation to accompany you on your next activity, rather than quickly giving up and frantically launching yourself into the rest of your day.
And that’s all ! You have completed your formal meditation for the day! But that doesn’t mean your mindfulness practice is over – you need to continue to have moments of clarity and awareness throughout the day. Here are some suggestions for integrating mindfulness into your daily life:
Extend mindfulness into the rest of the day
- Whatever you do, take a pause occasionally and breathe deeply for a few moments. Try to do this several times a day, between 20 seconds to a minute.
- Play au “game de the observation”Take a moment to become fully aware of your surroundings. Observe everything around you with as many senses as possible. This is a good time to appreciate the beauty of the world around you.
- Use “dots de Contact“. Pick something that you do regularly, more than once a day, like turning a doorknob or opening your laptop. Every time you do it that day, become aware of what you are doing and the physical sensations of your hand. This is a way to become aware of something that you normally take for granted.
- Let yourself completely immerse in la Music. Pick a song (even one you’ve never heard before), put on headphones, and try to tune in to the subtleties of the sounds. Notice the play of each of the instruments.
- Practice mindful awareness while doing tasks, such as folding laundry or washing dishes. Normally these are small chores, but you can turn them into conscious practice by paying attention to any sensations that occur while you are performing them.
- take of the showers conscious. Feel every sensation when showering – how does your skin feel when it comes in contact with water? What is the sensation created by temperature and pressure? Notice how the drops of water are flowing over your body.
- Mon prefer : Play a game of “watching” the next thought that pops up in your head, whatever it is. Usually this allows you to have awareness and conscious clarity for at least a few seconds before a thought arises. Once done, you are ready for it, you notice it, and you can play again.
The Many Types of Meditation
What I just described above is just one of the many types of meditation. But I strongly encourage you to experiment with other types and to continue to meditate in whatever methods work best for you. I’ll briefly touch on a number of these in a moment, but you can find a lot more options here.
Breath meditation
In the basic meditation described above, the object of your attention was your breath. Breath is a great choice for two main reasons: it is always available to you, and it is something that happens both consciously and unconsciously.
But it is far from the only choice. You can try doing similar mindfulness meditations, but focusing on a picture, word or phrase, or even a flickering candle in a dark room.
Pay attention to sensations
Another great option is Mindful Eating, which involves being fully aware of all the characteristics and sensations that food can elicit. The “classic” example of mindful eating is grape meditation, which involves eating a single grape and fully experiencing each of your senses. But you can do it with any food.
Body scan
Personally, one of my favorite methods is body scan meditation, which I do for a few minutes after each yoga session.
This meditation involves focusing your attention on each part of your body, noticing how they feel and gradually relax. It feels good, and helps you find out which parts of your body may be holding excess tension.
Mediation with mantra
Mantra meditation is another option, which I have never personally experienced, however. It involves repeating a specific mantra (eg, “om”) over and over in your mind throughout your meditation session.
It seems like a fairly easy method to incorporate into your daily life, just by mentally repeating your mantra while continuing to do whatever activity you are doing. Here is more information on how to perform mantra meditation.
Mediation of benevolent love
An alternative method of meditation that has quite different benefits from mindfulness is loving-kindness meditation. It consists of wishing everyone happiness and well-being, often by silently repeating a certain mantra.
These meditations tend to require focusing on yourself first, then a close friend, then someone you don’t feel particularly close to, then a difficult person, then all four equally. , and finally on the whole universe.
Here is a guided meditation that can take you through that. And here’s another one that is related, and that is the compassion meditation.
Use guided meditations
All of the above meditations are usually performed in a seated position, but walking meditation is often easier to do over longer time ranges because it is easier to maintain good posture.
Focus on the physical sensations of walking, such as the sensations in the soles of your feet as you walk. Imagine your feet kissing the earth with every step. This is a good explanation for describing how to meditate while walking, and this article details several different forms of walking meditations.
Finally, I would like to point out, especially for beginners, that guided meditations are often easier to follow than meditating your own way. Try a few and see what you like!
How to practice meditation regularly
Perhaps the hardest thing about meditation is actually practicing it consistently. I have tried many times and failed, but I am determined to succeed this time.
In this section, I will describe a method for making meditation a habit.
The obvious place to start is to make sure that you are as motivated as possible to establish a meditation practice. To that end, it helps to understand the benefits that meditation can bring to your life. I guess there are some amazing benefits that can actually only be discovered through regular practice, but reading through the first section of this post is a great start.
You will also need to connect your meditation practice to your deepest values. Of course, this requires some thought about what your values are in the first place!
This may lead you to ask the following questions:
- What do you think about most of the time?
- What do you spend most of your money on?
- How do you spend your time?
- In which area of your life are you the most reliable and disciplined?
- Imagine yourself in 10 years. Looking back, what are you most proud of?
Now that you’re motivated enough, it’s time to put this into practice. It requires having a healthy state of mind in order to develop new habits. There are two different mindsets I’m thinking of, and you might find one more effective than the other, although the second is usually a safer bet if you do it right.
- State spirit «doing la good chose en ce moment “. It might tend to make meditation less of a habit, but it could also lead to you meditating more by being more flexible. Instead of thinking of habit change as a long, long-term process, just focus on what the right attitude is. at this moment. It can seem daunting to think about having to meditate every day. And it can be intimidating enough to keep you from getting started. But you know that meditating is the right thing to do, so if you have the time to do it right now, just start meditating now. I describe this mindset in more detail here.
- State spirit habit, long spa. Rather than thinking of meditation as an option, treat it as a particular part of the day, like showering or sleeping. This mindset involves more planning, and can sometimes break down if conditions don’t hold up on a given day. But carried out in an efficient manner, it can make it possible to decide to make meditation an automatism. For this you need to plan in advance what time you are going to meditate, how long your sessions will last, where they will take place, and the specific kind of meditation you are going to do.
If you decide to go for the second state of mind, I recommend that you make meditation part of your morning routine. You need to be consistent, and mornings are usually the time when you’ll have the fewest excuses to avoid.
You should also make it easier on yourself with the length of your session – try to devote a time window shorter than the time you can devote to it in order to make it a habit. Even two minutes a day can become a habit, and can then be gradually increased.
Make mediation a habit
To make it a habit, you can take advantage of your psychology and make the path easier. Set up triggers that you associate with meditation.
When you see or hear this trigger, you know it’s time to meditate; over time, you can condition yourself in this way so that you no longer have to actively decide to meditate, you just do. Set up something in your surroundings that reminds you to meditate on time, such as
- A phone alarm at the time of your choice
- A reminder post-it placed in strategic places, such as your bathroom mirror
- Dedicate specific clothes that you wear while meditating, and that you prepare the night before. Feel free to get creative with your triggers.
And you, do you have any experience of meditation? How Has Meditation Helped You? Do you have any tips to share?
Sources – Go further
http://www.journaldelascience.fr/cerveau/articles/meditation-modifie-durablement-fonctionnement-cerveau-2814
http://www.rigpa.org/lang-fr/enseignements/extraits-darticles-et-de-publications/autres-articles-et-publications/la-recherche-scientifique-sur-la-meditation.html
http://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/sante/20150210.OBS2104/un-cerveau-plus-jeune-grace-a-la-meditation.html
Benefits of meditation: the scientific evidence!
http://lecerveau.mcgill.ca/flash/capsules/outil_bleu27.html
http://www.buddhaline.net/Neurosciences-et-meditation
http://www.journaldelascience.fr/sante/articles/meditation-pour-lutter-contre-maladies-inflammatoires-3585
http://www.pearltrees.com/t/scientifiques-meditation/id7984833