20090508 - Meditation - 55s -



Physical and mental fatigue can reduce immunity levels and thus make a person

illness. 

prone to

Meditation is one of

the many wonderful ways to relax body and mind.

Body, Mind and Spirit  Body

and Spirit are connected by

Mind  Mind

connects with the outer world through sensory organs  You have started your life with almost a blank memory  Mind generates thoughts and emotions

MEDITATION – GOOD HEALTH  Regular

exercise, good nutrition, personal hygiene, good sleep and relaxation, value-orientation, along with positive attitude

can help keep mind and body HEALTHY and less prone to illnesses.

Meditation helps in understanding ourselves and more particularly the nature of

~ is restless

~ is cluttered by thoughts, desires, memories ~ randomly moves from one thought to another ~ difficult to focus the mind especially when you want it to be still / calm

Benefits of meditation        

improvement in mental and physical health feeling good about oneself and others relief from stress and anxiety alleviation of pain greater sense of self-actualization self-directedness if interested, initiates into spiritual realm gives you the POWER to change your life

TTER

FOR THE BE

Frequently Asked Questions / Doubts : 1. Meditation is meant only for those who are spiritually inclined. With worldly attachments I am not spiritually inclined. 2. Meditation, Pranayama and Yogasanas are all generally considered as one package. Hence, starting with Meditation is not likely to be helpful.

3. At my age and stage, and with my present habits, activities, desires, tendencies, etc. I may not get the intended benefit ; it may all turnout to be a big waste of time. 4. Sitting idly, without doing any work, is not a part of my nature. Also, my family may feel that I am becoming increasingly other-worldly, and hence, may not cooperate / appreciate.

5. Is Spirituality / Meditation helpful in handling stress and many other similar situations ?

WE TAKE BATH / SHOWER EVERYDAY TO KEEP OUR BODY CLEAN. MEDITATION IS THE INNER SHOWER THAT KEEPS OUR MIND CLEAN.

SPIRITUALITY is necessary for improving the QUALITY OF LIFE. YOGA includes Dhyana, Pranayama and Yogasanas. Yoga enriches one’s spirit and gives inner strength.

When you meditate … What happens in the body … Body reaches a heightened restful state while at the same time the brain becomes calm but remains in a state of heightened alertness. Heightened restful state - lowered heart rate and pulse, slow and calm breathing, and relaxed muscles. Heightened alertness - high activity of alpha and beta waves.

What happens in the mind...  With

lots of practice, the mind stops reacting to thoughts, memories and desires and follows constructive actions

 Continuous

practice of meditation helps in acting constructively rather than merely helplessly reacting to life-situations

 When

the mind is calm, body improves its overall

Research has established beyond doubt that … Practicing meditation

on a regular basis for at least a month will result in experiencing better physical health, feeling better about lives, a higher sense of self esteem and thus feel

better-oriented in life.

Meditation is an adventure to discover our Self –

our strengths, and our hidden treasures

One simple Method of Getting started in Meditation

• Sit comfortably • Concentrate on your breath • Observe the feeling • When thoughts drift,

return to your breath • Observe thoughts, acknowledge them • Use breath as an anchor

What is Meditation ?

A tool for experiencing Physiological,

mental and spiritual well being

Relaxation Meditation • Sit in a comfortable position with back straight ~ keep all your things away • Close your eyes, slowly ~ with out any fear • Imagine a relaxing scene ~ really a pleasant and memorable one

a

• Let some pleasant and soothing music help

you to relax and focus.

Playing background music helps to improve your focus and helps to stop unwanted thoughts.

• You can repeat this exercise anywhere

In Meditative state your breathing becomes slow, deep, smooth, and abdominal. • Focus your attention on your

breathing.

Concentrate on breathing in and Count your breathing using the numbers 0 to 9. • Visualize images of the numbers while breathing, so as to make your breathing slow, deep & smooth. • •

out.

health, relaxation & positive attitude flowing into your body when you

inhale

and

stress, pain & negative attitude flowing out from your body

Let us combine these two and experience ~ in a small way.

Practice Practice Practice

What is your goal, in your Life ? You want unconditional joy. The TRUTH is you are already that ~ regardless of your present Physical, Mental, Emotional & Spiritual condition. Sincere Effort is needed to discover your inner reality. Practice sincerely, and bring it into conscious awareness from your innermost depths.

Spirituality is belief in someone or something which is bigger and more powerful than all of us. You have not seen him, but you can feel his presence. Spirituality is being religious, without being ritualistic. Spirituality is believing in the religion of humanity; involves supporting what is right against what is wrong.

Spirituality in practice is living a full and meaningful life. Be Good and Do Good. Help Ever; Hurt Never. Be Honest; Work Hard and Honestly. Adapt WORK IS WORSHIP attitude. Walk your Talk. Practice Moral Values. Truthfulness, to the full.

“ In deep meditation the sense organs stop functioning; the mind does not look outward. It is like closing the gate of the outer court in a house. There are five objects of the senses : form, taste, smell, touch and sound. They are left outside.” ~ The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

“ The flow of this continuous control of the mind becomes steady when practised day after day, and the mind obtains the faculty of constant concentration. How are we to know that the mind has become concentrated ? Because the idea of time will vanish. The more time passes unnoticed the more concentrated we are.” ~ Swami Vivekananda

“ PRANAYAMA means the control of PRANA breathing is only one of the many exercises through which we get to the real Pranayama. Breath is like the fly-wheel of this machine, the body. In a big engine you find the fly-wheel first moving and that motion is conveyed to finer and finer machinery until the most delicate and finest mechanism in the machine is in motion.

The Breath is the fly-wheel, supplying and regulating the motive power to everything in this body… ~ Swami Vivekananda

PROCESS OF MEDITATION First sit in the posture in which you can sit still for a long time. All the nerve currents, which are working, pass along the spine. Let it be free from all pressure. Sit for some time and let the mind run on. You simply wait and watch. Knowledge is Power. Until you know what the mind is doing you cannot control it … Sit for some time and let the mind run on. You simply wait and watch. . . Do not try to control the mind, but go on with the rhythmic breathing for ten minutes. The Heart will become peaceful. You will learn what rest is.

3 Stages in MEDITATION The first is what is called DHARANA, concentrating the mind upon an object. . . . But the mind is wavering. When it has become strong and does not waver so much, it is called DHYANA, Meditation. And then there is a still higher state called SAMADHI or Absorption, when the differentiation between the object and yourself is lost.

PRACTICAL HINTS ON MEDITATION 1. You must practice at least twice everyday and the best times are towards the morning and the evening. The early morning and the early evening are the two periods of calmness. Your body will have a like tendency to become calm at those times. 2. Purity ~ Physical and Mental. All Uncleanness, all that would draw the mind down, must be abandoned. 3. Patience; at first, there will be wonderful manifestations, but they will all cease. Wait, and continue the practice. 4. Perseverance. Never miss a day in practice.

“ Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity within by controlling nature, external and internal. Do this either by work, or worship, or psychic control, or philosophy – by one or more, or all of these – and be free. This is the whole of religion. Doctrines, or dogmas, or rituals, or books, or temples, or forms, are but secondary details. .....

“ . . . .Teach yourselves, teach everyone, his real nature, call upon the sleeping soul and see how it awakes. Power will come, glory will come, goodness will come, purity will come, and everything that is excellent will come, when the sleeping soul is roused to self-conscious activity. All power is within you; you can do anything and everything. Believe in that, do not believe that you are weak; Stand up and express the divinity within you. .....

“ . . . .This infinite power of the spirit, brought to bear upon matter, evolves material development, made to act upon thought evolves intellectuality, and made to act upon itself makes of man a God. ~ Swami Vivekananda

“ Belief in Karma ought to make the life pure, strong, serene, and glad. Only our own deeds can hinder us; only our own will can fetter us. Once let men recognize this truth, and the hour of their liberation has struck. Nature cannot enslave the soul that by wisdom has gained power and uses both in love. ~ Annie Besant~

“ O! Youth or young man, whoever you fancy that you are neglected by the gods, know that if you become worse, you shall go to worse souls, or if better to the better. In every succession of life and death, you will do and suffer what like may fitly suffer at the hands of like. This is the justice of Heaven. ~ Plato

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