TRUTHS AND MYTHS ABOUT MEDITATION

Writing about any type of meditation is a challenge because there are many misunderstandings on that regard.

What is real and what is not?

I am going to do my best to explaining it, according to what I have learned from my teachers.

What is Meditation?

According to a short course I took at the Yale University “The Science of Well Being” Meditation is a practice of turning our attention away from distracting thoughts toward a simple point of reference (breath, bodily sensation, compassion, a mantra word) etc.

I am a certified teacher of Mindfulness Meditation. I have meditated for 8 years, morning and night, with marvelous outcome in the areas of physical and psychological health.

Is it true that to have an effective meditation you cannot have any type of thoughts.?

It is not an absolute true, because the job of the mind is to think. Nevertheless, a good meditation happens when you realize that your mind is wandering, and you go back to whatever object you have choose to be the meditation’s anchor. It can be the breath, a mantra, the light of a candle, or any other object. All type of meditations  are good, you just need to choose the one that provide you the  best outcome. In my personal case I choose Mindfulness Meditation.

What is Mindfulness Meditation? It is about 2 things: Attention, and Attitude.

ATTENTION: It is living in the present moment, the past is gone and can only help as a reminder not to repeat the same mistakes, but you cannot change it, and ruminating about the past can hurt us deeply. The wounds won’t heal till you can leave them behind. If we think about the future, it can cause us anxiety about the unknown, so the only reality we have is the present moment, and we can use it to observe the sensations on the body, and to contemplate the thoughts with curiosity and openness without getting trapped by them, just observing like you observe the clouds on the sky that pass without leaving behind  any trace of them.

ATTITUDE:  A good attitude’s base, is acceptance of whatever is happening, without judging the experience as good or bad, knowing that it will pass like all other things. They come, the stay for a while, and suddenly they pass…Can I be ok with this exactly as it is? 

Exercise:

Close your eyes and focus your attention on your breath, noticing where is easier for you to follow, on the tip of your nose, the chest, the belly? After some seconds you will notice that the mind wanders because that is what the mind does. Focus your attention again on the breath and observe how are you breathing; is the breath swallow, deep, short, long? What type of emotion do you experience? Observe very carefully if any emotion arise like fear, anger, boredom, or nothing at all? Mindfulness meditation is about observing our experiences not only during the minutes that we are meditating, but beyond those moments. That is the only way we get to know who we are, and what is the origin of our reactions.  Start with a practice of 10 minutes and grow the time as you progress.

What Meditation Improves?

Biological

Blood pressure

Pain

Stress markers

Cellular health

Psychological

Stress 

Anxiety

Cognitive function

Depression

Addiction

Eating DisordersQuestions or comments please post them on the blog, or email to gladys.gonzalez@ocipeace.org