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Meditation Practice

Meditation is a natural process of withdrawing attention from external conditions and directing it inward to a chosen focus of concentration. It is a practice that is thousands of years old and there are quite a few different techniques or ways of doing it. However, done properly, all lead to forgetting the body exists, quieting the mind and realizing we are neither body or mind, we are spirit.

There are numerous physical and mental benefits derived from practicing meditation which in and of themselves make it worthwhile doing on a regular, ongoing basis. Then, there is the added icing on the cake - it eventually causes us to awaken to higher levels of awareness and consciousness and to come to know our true identity - who we really are (Spirit).

Physical Benefits

Over the last 40 years, the physical benefits of regular meditation practice have been scientifically studied, documented and widely reported in medical journals, magazines, newspapers and the general press. These include:

• Stress reduction,
• Slowing of our biological aging process,
• Strengthening of the our body's immune system,
• More orderly functioning of our body's organs, glands and overall systems,
• Refinement and enlivening of our nervous system,
• Better organized thought processes and enhanced powers of concentration, and memory,
• Refinement and enlivening of our nervous system,
• Lower blood pressure and
• Deeper levels of relaxation.

For these physical reasons, regular meditation practice is now increasingly recommended by many physicians and other health practitioners as a part of integral health medicine.

Mental / Awareness Benefits

For thousands of years, consistent practice of meditation over long periods of time has also been widely reported to cause inner peace. Some of the symptoms of inner peace are:

• An awakening of regenerative energies,
• A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than from fears based on past experiences.
• An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment,
• A loss of interest in judging self,
• A loss of interest in judging others,
• A loss of interest in conflict,
• A loss of the ability to worry,
• Overwhelming episodes of appreciation,
• Feelings of connectedness with others and frequent attacks of smiling,
• More awareness of the love extended by others as well as an uncontrollable urge to extend it to others.
• A tendency to let things happen rather than to try and make things happen.
• Awakening capacities of the brain to experience higher states of of awareness and consciousness,

It Is Life Changing

It is amazing but even a week or two of meditating 20 minutes a day quiets our mind and we can see new possibilities that lie outside of our previously constructed definitions. Our awareness grows and there's no way to fit it back inside the old container. At the same time, a lingering nostalgia makes our ego uncomfortable with letting go and leaving the past behind, but it is best to acknowledge the power of quieting and centering the mind and move slowly toward our future.