What is meditation and what will it give to the common person. What gives practice and the effects of practice

What is meditation and why is it needed? How do you learn to meditate? What if you can't stop thinking?

Meditation is now a very common activity, but very few people really know what meditation is.

Some believe that meditation is focusing on something, others believe that meditation is when we think, imagine what gives us peace or satisfaction. In fact, these are all just opinions.

The real purpose of meditation is to slow down time and ultimately to completely stop the flow of thoughts in our mind.

Concentration, contemplation - these "exercises" are not really meditation. They only predispose to it, relax and "turn off" brain activity. In reality,

Meditation is a state of mindless awareness.

It is not an act of doing - it is a state of consciousness!

You can talk about what meditation is for a long time. Consider it from a scientific point of view, as a means of studying the brain and revealing all its possibilities; in terms of culture and religion eastern countries... But most of today's lay people perceive meditation as a means of reducing stress, and I must say, this is a valid and scientifically proven conclusion. By plunging into a state of meditation, we can achieve a state of complete relaxation of the body and mind.

Imperturbable mind, clear concentration, clarity of contemplation, improvement in communication, disclosure of skills and talents, steadfastness of spirit, healing, the ability to use internal energy, relaxation, rejuvenation, and even luck are all possible effects of meditation on a person.

You can endlessly list the advantages and possibilities of meditation. Main question that interests the suffering - how to achieve this state of complete detachment?

Contrary to stereotypes, meditation does not require any special skills and knowledge or, moreover, psychotropic substances and drugs. Meditation, as a state of peace of mind, has no boundaries, and is available to everyone.

At some point, I had matured advice for beginners - not with the aim of helping to become a master or guru, but in order to help start your path and continue to move along it. You do not need to observe them all at the same time, take at least one, and when you notice progress, add more.

Start small... Start with just 5 minutes a day. If it goes well, increase it by another two minutes, and do it for a week.
First thing every morning! Or the last thing - before bed! It is easy to say, "I will meditate every day." Instead, set yourself a reminder and do.

Don't bother with the setting. Most people are overly worried about where to do the session, how to sit, what to sit on ... this is all well and good, but not so important to get started. Start by simply sitting in a chair or an armchair, or on your bed. Later, with experience, you can think about where is better - of course, where it is quiet and comfortable, where no one will disturb you.

Check your health. Prepare yourself for meditation, pay attention to your condition: anxiety, fatigue, health. These are not obstacles to meditation. These are the reasons that demand it! And these are the characteristics that you will then evaluate - "before" and "after".
Count your breaths... Try counting one as you inhale and then counting two as you exhale. Repeat this procedure until a count of 10, and then start over. During meditation, we do not control our breathing, we just watch it!
Love your mind. Over time, you will "notice" your feelings and thoughts floating up during your meditation. Accept them as friends, not intruders or enemies. They are part of you and your environment. Be friendly. There is no need to fight them, somehow crush them or drown them out. Smile at them mentally and follow your eyes like clouds in the sky.
Don't worry about doing it wrong. It's okay to be wrong, we all do it. You cannot meditate in the wrong way. No ideal way! Just be happy that you are doing this!
Don't worry about freeing your mind. Many people think that meditation is "freeing" the mind, or "stopping" all thoughts. This is not it. Sometimes this can happen, but that is not the "goal" of meditation. If you have thoughts, then that's okay. Your brain is not a factory that you can just shut down.

When thoughts or feelings arise, you can try to stay with them for a while. People want to push away such feelings and emotions as: disappointment, anger, anxiety ... But the practice of meditation is surprisingly useful for this, which allows you to stay even with such feelings for a while. Just always keep in mind the installation: "I am an observer! Not a participant in events, not a player ..."

Know yourself. What's going on inside? It is difficult, but in the process of meditation, wandering in your feelings, thoughts, memories, you can finally begin to understand yourself.
Become friends with yourself. Instead of self-criticism, try, on the contrary, to love yourself for who you are, become a friend to yourself.

Distract yourself with light, sounds, energy. Try to pay attention to this after observing the breath. Just keep your eyes in one place and pay attention to the light in the room where you are. The next day, besides the light, focus on the sounds. The next day, try to notice the energy in the room around you. It is easier to do this with your eyes closed.

Have you ever meditated? How often do you do this? Share your results in the comments to this article, please! And write your tips for beginners! Let's help them together!

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Over time, people noticed that almost all meditators live long and have extraordinary health. This fact was of great interest. modern world... With the help of many scientific research it has been proven that consistent meditation really does have a positive effect on health and emotional condition... In addition, meditation allows you to get away from the realities of life, for a while to forget about problems and losses, to become a simple impartial contemplator, which helps to understand yourself and solve seemingly insoluble life problems.

What does meditation give?

Nowadays, it is very difficult for a person to completely relax. Even in your sleep, you feel tension and anxiety. Meditation sessions provide complete relaxation, immersion in a state of peace and tranquility. Due to this, the emotional background is quickly leveled, meditation gives a powerful surge of strength and joy.

During breathing slows down, the blood begins to be more saturated with oxygen. Thanks to this, blood pressure is stabilized, the heart muscle is strengthened, the airways are cleared, which contributes to the prevention and even treatment of many diseases.

Many experiments were carried out, during which it was scientifically confirmed that with the help of meditation people were cured of many diseases, even such terrible ones as oncology.

It is noted that meditation strengthens the immune system, even special antibodies are produced that fight viruses and infected cells. With maximum exertion, which sometimes cannot be avoided, meditation gives the fastest positive result of relaxation and rest. Inside the body, hormones of joy and happiness are produced, this state is remembered and persists for a long time. Therefore, people engaged in meditation are much more resistant to stress and respond more adequately to all situations that occur.

Sooner or later, everyone thinks about the meaning of life. Meditation allows you to know your own "I", to feel the connection with the Universe. Helps you learn your own mysterious inner world and understand your purpose.

With the help of meditation, you can find answers to many questions, find harmony and joy in life.

These are just a few answers to the question of what meditation gives, in fact there are many more. But only in practice can you appreciate and understand the full power of the magic of meditation.

What is meditation

Meditation can be defined as a special state of inner concentration. By concentrating on the sensations of the body, the person drives away disturbing thoughts calms down and relaxes. Many meditation enthusiasts admit that often after this, the solution to problems comes to mind by itself.

The word "meditation" comes from the Latin word meditari - mentally contemplate, ponder. The practice of meditation is especially well developed and described in the religious movements of the East.

However, before you figure out how to learn how to meditate, beginners do not need to study the religious and philosophical components of meditation.

There is an opinion that meditation is characteristic not only of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and their streams, but was originally inherent in all world religions as a special state of concentration for prayer. Meditative states are described in Old Testament and Torah, distinguish Christian and even Islamic forms of meditation.

Meditation in its secular understanding became widespread throughout the world in the second half of the 20th century. Since then, theorists and practitioners from different spheres medicine, physiology, psychology. But despite the fact that many interesting properties of this state were described in their works, it is worth noting that its nature is still not fully understood.

Why Meditation Is Helpful

Since the mass craze for meditation, scientists have written hundreds of articles about its properties and how to meditate properly to improve your health, both mental and physical. They describe that meditation helps to reduce blood and intracranial pressure, affects brain activity and even affects metabolism. Meditation is also an established psychotherapy method. It helps relieve stress, mental strain, and even fight physical pain. In this sense, meditation and relaxation are closely related.

Meditation, depending on your goals, allows you to:

withdraw from problems for a while;
relieve mental and physical stress;
normalize heart rate and blood pressure, calm down;
quickly regain strength;
look at the problem in a new way and find a non-standard solution;
understand the true causes of anxiety;
understand yourself, identify truly important goals in life;
helps to relax and have a good rest at night ( meditation for sleep).

Basic rules of meditation

To distance yourself from worries and hassles, you need a quiet, secluded place where you will not be disturbed for 15-20 minutes. If you cannot achieve complete privacy, you can use earplugs and a blindfold. Many take them with them on the plane to meditate during the flight.

Silence is not the only sound background. Music for meditation or recording of natural noises is also used in many practices.

The position of the body during meditation is not limited to the notorious lotus position. In fact, you can meditate while sitting, lying down, standing, and even while walking. Perhaps the only requirement is a straight back with straightened shoulders.

Special objects help to focus, which can be held in hands, slowly feeling. These are rounded stones, rosary. Many adherents of religious theories talk about their sacred sense... But if you do not go into the transcendental depths, then the mechanism of action of these objects is very clear. They work like a pen that you fidget with convulsively to calm yourself down while performing in public, helping to relieve stress.

Many meditation practices involve contemplation. The easiest way is to look at a candle flame or water. There are also ways of meditation that are based on considering geometric shapes with their subsequent complication. To do this, you can purchase special books with such drawings - yantras and mandalas.

Meditation can seem like a daunting task for women on parental leave, as the baby can call at any moment. When asked whether it is worth trying to ignore external signals, trying to maintain the mood for meditation, the practitioners answer: if you hear your name, and this is important for you, get distracted and answer. Nobody can take away the opportunity to start meditation again.

Meditation for beginners: how to start meditating

To explain how to meditate for beginners is not overloaded with information, we will describe one of the most simple ways associated with breathing exercises.

You will need to sit in a comfortable, stable position. You can sit on a chair or armchair, put a pillow under your lower back. Most importantly, do not forget to keep your back straight and put your feet on the floor over your entire foot. Close your eyes and place your hands on your knees, palms up. At first, just observe the breath, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. Watch as the air enters your nostrils, expands your lungs, and then exits back, carrying away the tension. When you relax, start breathing with a certain rhythm: on the count of “one” - inhale, then hold your breath for four seconds - “one-two-three-four”, exhale in two counts - “one-two”.

Meditation before bed can be similar to auto-training. Lie in bed and imagine yourself lying on the beach with your feet to the water. Try to feel the water touching your toes on your feet. Then each wave gently envelops you more and more, rising higher through the body. By retreating, it takes away your fatigue and anxiety. The body from bottom to top is more and more filled with warmth, and you feel more and more every cell of it.

These are just some of the suggested techniques. You can try several and find your own that will help you relieve stress.

People who strive to improve spiritually, intellectually, physically, are interested in various practices that can fulfill these tasks. Meditation is the most famous and common practice that can help a person achieve peace of mind, learn to move away from stress, improve emotional and physical health, and make many other positive changes in your life.

What is a person's need for meditation?

Human life is rarely easy and carefree. Most often, people have to overcome various trials and difficulties. Overcoming them, a person often experiences conditions such as: stress, anxiety, anxiety, irritability. In such a state, it is difficult to enjoy life, effectively cope with daily tasks, and achieve success in various aspects of life. The practice of meditation allows a person to achieve a state of consciousness in which he becomes able to take complete control of his thoughts and emotions, sensations. Ability in the right moment to discard unnecessary emotions that interfere with achieving the goal, to control oneself in any situation, to lead a normal life without stress and anxiety - this is an incomplete list of what meditation gives to a person.

How do you learn meditation?

There are several ways to learn meditation: with the help of books, a teacher, or on your own. The most important condition, by fulfilling which you can learn this practice, is regularity.

Having decided to master the practice of meditation, you need to plan a time when you can be on your own, and no one and nothing will distract you. Sunrise and sunset times are considered ideal times for meditation. The temperature in the room should be as comfortable as the clothes, and you should not experience any inconvenience during meditation. Think of a posture in which it will be comfortable for you to meditate, it is good if you train yourself to meditate while sitting on a chair with a straight back or c. It is not entirely recommended to meditate while lying down, as there is a risk of falling asleep during it. Optimal time the duration of the meditation is 20 minutes.

The essence of any meditation is to bring your mind into a state of calm, but lead to this state in your own way. We will look at two techniques of meditation, concentration and mindfulness.

Concentration Meditation

The purpose of this meditation, as mentioned above, is to bring the mind to a state of calm. Your task while performing this technique is not to be distracted by arising thoughts and sensations. Thoughts cannot be turned off, they will appear, there is no need to resist. Let them appear, let them go. There may also be images, sensations, the meaning of which you want to understand and appreciate. If we talk in simple words: you need to learn to stop thinking during meditation, learn to achieve inner and outer "silence". The main sign that you have achieved success in this practice will be the ability to turn off your active mind for at least a few seconds. How can this state be achieved?

Choosing an object for concentration

By focusing your attention on something, it is easier to disconnect from thoughts. You can begin your meditation by concentrating on the breath. Fix your attention on the sensations of inhalation / exhalation. Breathe deeply, evenly, and calmly. Record the sensation of air entering and exiting your lungs. As you concentrate on your physical sensations, you will begin to relax.

You can also choose other objects for concentration, for example:

Image, think about which image is right for you. It could be a fire, a candle flame sea waves etc.
The point is between the eyebrows. Close your eyes, imagine this point. Concentrate on her.
Darkness, black screen.
Breathing, you can continue to concentrate your attention on the breath throughout the meditation.

When thoughts or sensations come during meditation and distract you from the object of concentration, do not resist them, just let go. Of course, it will not be easy to achieve a state where you can turn off your thoughts and still remain conscious even for a short time. But when you succeed in doing this, even for a few seconds or a minute, you can assume that you have succeeded. This time will increase with each workout.

Conscious meditation teaches you to perceive reality as it is, helps a person get rid of suffering, through awareness and understanding of the causes of their occurrence. As a result of the practice mindfulness meditation a person's sensitivity and intuition increases, the mind becomes calm and balanced, a person becomes able to make decisions, act correctly, find harmony and happiness, this is a list of what meditation gives at the psychological level. At the physical level, mindfulness meditation has beneficial influence on the psychosomatic state of a person: relieves depression, sleep disorders and appetite; normalizes blood pressure; helps to get rid of alcohol and tobacco addiction; helps fight chronic pain.

How mindfulness meditation works

All these positive changes will occur due to the fact that the mind is cleared of the "dirt" that is formed when we assess and respond to external and internal stimuli in the form of events, thoughts, feelings, images, etc. For example, an event occurred that we do not like, then we have a reaction to this event in the form of negative feelings (anger, fear, resentment, etc.). As a result, we suffer, we think about how to avoid it. Even positive reactions can be distressing. For example, as a result of the fact that we cannot access our attachments. Attachment is something or someone for which we have a strong attraction.

There are many situations in life that evoke negative feelings in us (situations at work, family problems, etc.), as well as attachments (comfort, food, sex, alcohol, cigarettes, the person we love, etc.). etc.). Our main attachment is our ego, the image of our "I" and God forbid, if someone encroaches on what belongs to our "I", we have a storm of emotions and feelings and cause the most intense suffering.

Often this all happens to us on an unconscious level. That is, a person may not be aware of why he feels bad, where these feelings come from. The reasons that caused these conditions remain on a subconscious level and poison our lives, affect our feelings, mind, health. Therefore, it is very important to keep our mind in balance.

So mindfulness meditation allows you to learn how to get rid of it. mental junk and prevent its reappearance. This is achieved by impartial observation of their feelings and lack of response to the stimuli of the inner and outer world.

You need to start mastering mindfulness meditation by choosing a method of doing it, there are only three of them:

The first way is awareness of the actions of the body, mind, heart. Awareness of the body's actions means focusing your attention on its movements. When we make any movements, we are not aware of them, we do it purely mechanically. When doing your daily activities, record your movements, what does this mean? For example, while moving your hand, try to become aware of this movement. When you shower or bathe, feel and be aware of the contact of the water with the body. Awareness of the action of the mind means simply observing the thoughts that appear in our head. Pay attention to them without judgment. Likewise, with emotions, one should not judge what is good or bad, this is not the task of this practice. To be just a witness to what is happening around, to accept the present moment as it is, that is the point. Dedicate 40-60 minutes daily to the awareness of the above actions. Over time, such training will bring tangible benefits in everyday life.

The second way is awareness of breathing. Observe the rise and fall of the abdomen as you inhale and exhale. Observe how the inhalation raises the abdomen and the exhalation lowers. As you become aware of these movements, your mind and heart become calm and emotions disappear.

The third method is also based on breath awareness, but unlike the second, attention is fixed on the point of entry of air. Feel the air entering your nostrils, feel the coolness at the point where the air enters.

Choose from these three ways the most suitable for yourself, i.e. the one that is easiest for you to perform.

Mindfulness meditation can be done while sitting or while walking.

Sitting practice: Take a comfortable posture in which you can remain for 40-60 minutes without changing it. Keep your back straight, breathing should be even. The pose can be changed only in case of urgent need. Observe how, at the point above the navel, inhaling and exhaling raise and lower your abdomen. If during the practice any hindrance arises in the form of a feeling, thought, stimulus from the outside world, switch your attention to this hindrance, then switch back to breathing.

Walking: You will need to be aware of the movement of the legs that touch the ground. You can walk in a straight line or in a circle. Lower your eyes and look at the ground a few steps forward. Direct your attention to how each foot in turn touches the ground. If a hindrance appears, be aware of it, and then turn your attention back to your feet. Lead time 20-30 minutes.

There are many reasons that can prompt a person to start mastering the practice of meditation. But each person still has their own, albeit similar. Why meditation is necessary for him, he will answer himself as a result of regular training.

Hello friends!

Even before the total immersion in travel, I read a lot of literature of the so-called spiritual nature and crossed paths with people who, with their examples, showed me a simple and efficient way to harmony: calming the mind.

Meditation is a type of mental exercise (based on concentration, relaxation and awareness) used as part of a spiritual-religious or health-improving practice, or a special mental state that arises as a result of these exercises (or for other reasons).

As you can see from the definition, meditation is both a process and a state. There are many ways to implement them, and every day this multitude continues to grow. This is facilitated not only by natural interest, but also by the accompanying increased commercialization of the so-called. " spiritual development", Where the vein of dishonest bribe-takers inevitably begins to penetrate.

In Borovoe (pictured - my friend)

This tendency, however, has a twofold result: on the one hand, esotericists get another toy at their disposal, on the other, pure practices increase even more in their own value.

In general, in Runet, I drew attention to the fact that very vague definitions inevitably keep pace with the concept of meditation, in the spirit of "opening the third eye", "merging with divine potential" or "esoteric wisdom". All of them, in a certain sense, somehow reflect the experiences of the meditator, but no more than a one-sided projection.

Meditation has only an indirect relationship to all such fantasies. Moreover, simplicity and naturalness, on the contrary, makes it a very down-to-earth and earthy technique, without loud words and troubles. Although meditation in the form we know came to us from the east, it, first of all, works with your quite tangible psyche, and certainly not with divine energies and the radiance of angels.

Even the Buddha initially carefully tried to cleanse her of all superstition, religiosity and ritualism. And then he did not escape the transformation of his own teaching into an organized religion.

Of course, all people are different and therefore work practices will be different for everyone. Therefore, coming to tranquility of the mind through concentration on the chakras or angelic light will be just as effective for someone as through ordinary breathing.

Why does a person need meditation?

The purpose of meditation is to calm down the talkative monkey called the mind. You've probably paid attention to how the thought process can take you into distant wilds, fantasies, or deep reflection. How many problems have been generated because of this? When, starting with the harmless thought of a walk in the park, we suddenly find ourselves drowning in anger towards the offender, who may have been dead for a long time.

However, this does not mean at all that the thought process should be completely stopped. This is as widespread a myth as is the necessary esoteric component.

The attainable peace of mind is a very natural state in which the mind, like a mirror, simply reflects the coming and going phenomena. Whether it is sensations in the body, thoughts or emotions that suddenly arise.

The nature of the mind is such that it is possible to stop its thought process only with the help of great tension, from which we, on the contrary, try to get rid of. This is a contradiction that any practitioner encounters with a sufficiently diligent attitude to practice.

The results of meditation are different:

someone feels a surge of calmness and strength
someone decides their deepest psychological problems
someone gets rid of chronic ailments caused by the same destructive mindsets (the so-called psychosomatic diseases)
someone overcomes stress and turmoil
someone draws inspiration for creativity
someone gets rid of depression and neuroses
and someone just expands consciousness

Me, somehow, meditation in general and the start of a completely new life.

However, you should not make such accompanying experiences goals. This will only increase the tension and make meditation an out-of-mind activity that, instead of releasing, will lead to stress.

If you are experiencing other emotions and impressions, it’s not scary - there are many variations here; not less than the number of people living on earth.

Before the face of Buddha in Thailand

As for the subjectively experienced experience, there is no point in describing it and even reading about it. These are all personal projections and experiences of each individual practitioner. They can easily accommodate both bright and beautiful experiences and quite frightening ones.

People often ask the question "what is the meaning of meditation" and confuse a cart with a horse. Meditation is a process, it is immersion in the here and now.

How to learn this and where to start?

It is very easy to start meditating. Enough 2 simple steps:

sit with a straight back (stable body position)
start observing your natural breathing (without trying to control it)

Neither lotus positions, nor seven-part positions, nor mantras, nor even closed eyes are necessary conditions for starting to meditate. A steady posture and simple concentration with awareness are more than enough to get you started.

ALL! According to one of modern masters, Mingyura Rinpoche, meditation can be easily woven into daily life: while cooking, walking or even driving. The main condition for successful practice is awareness!

However, you shouldn't completely reject the rest. The lotus position, mantras, eyes are the same instruments as breathing and awareness. But if we can do without mantras, then we cannot do without awareness.

Of course, learning meditation is better under guidance. experienced master... For this simple practice has mass side effects, which is not always easy to cope with.

How long should you meditate per day?

The answer is predictable: the bigger, the better. However, few people from our modern environment can afford to devote 4-6 hours a day to practice. And even the 2 hours recommended by vipassana seem like a huge luxury.

And this is normal, because only monks can afford to devote so much time to practices. We are lay people, and our demand, adjusted for our daily vanity, will be completely different. The practice can be easily woven into our daily life: while walking, before bed, or on the way somewhere.

The so-called. "The art of small steps." Mingyur Rinpoche repeatedly speaks about him in his wonderful book "Buddha, the Brain and the Neurophysiology of Happiness".

Its principles are as follows:

20 minutes a day can be a lot
try to meditate for 2 minutes, but daily
it is better to meditate badly than not meditate at all

Gradually, in a natural way, 2 minutes will grow to 5-10-15, etc., plus stable states will begin to be woven into everyday life, making even routine tasks tools for practice.

As a result, the accumulated "drop by drop" ocean will become a very good help and will begin to bear its beneficial fruits at the level of the deep psyche.

In the foggy Himalayas

How and when this will happen is unknown to anyone. And you shouldn't concentrate on it. It is better to direct the efforts of attention to practice.

And what kind of metamorphosis will take place thanks to her - depends on the meditator. The main thing is not to stop and treat the process of meditation with a share of patience, wisdom and discipline.

That's all, friends! I don’t know what else to say about the basic principles of meditation. Therefore, if you can add something on your own, please write in the comments.

And, traditionally: if the article seemed interesting to you, please share it on your social networks. This is the best reward for me as an author.

Calm mind to you and deep awareness!

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