Meditation is a mental discipline that is aimed at achieving complete relaxation. It is often promoted as an alternative to tranquilizers and painkillers in the management of emotional stress and physical pain.
Origin
This ancient art has been used for centuries by both healers and spiritual leaders. It is a central practice in many Eastern religions. Buddhist spiritual leaders, for example, believe that meditation frees the mind to release its healing power. In the United States, widespread interest in meditation dates to the 1960s when Maharishi Mahesh Yogi went from India to teach his technique called Transcendental Meditation. It requires no special mental or physical discipline other than the chanting of or concentration on, a specific sound or thought during daily half an hour sessions. By the early 1970s some 90,000 men and women had tried this form of meditation and many of them volunteered as subjects of medical studies to document its effects.
Practitioners
Yoga instructors, acupuncturists and other alternative practitioners sometimes conduct classes in stress management and meditation. Therapists trained in the techniques have been conducting classes in schools of the performing arts and they are being invited into the corporate world to teach meditation for stress management. Some have also put their instructions on tapes and in books for home use.
When is it used?
Meditation is used as a means to manage pain, coping with psychological stress, overcoming insomnia and dealing with panic and anxiety. It is also an adjunct to conventional medicine in controlling asthma, high blood pressure, angina and other chronic disorders. It is also useful for mental disorders.
How does it work?
Research indicates that meditation produces changes in the nervous systems that are the opposite of the "fight-or-flight" response to danger. Specifically, meditation appears to trigger the response. Reduced cortical levels foster relaxation. Western researchers, who have studied the physical effects of meditation on yogis and Zen Buddhists as they are in the process of fusing it, have found that it slows metabolism, reduces oxygen consumption and lowers carbon dioxide production. Brain studies done in the United States and in Japan indicate that there is also an increase in alpha brain waves, which normally occur during relaxation.
What to expect!
As the aim of meditation is to achieve a heightened sense of mindfulness through concentration, activities are geared to this goal. For example, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, a psychologist who pioneered the use of meditation in pain management, starts by urging members of a group to concentrate totally on each detail of a raisin: its appearance, feel, smell, taste, texture and so on. Participants are then asked to transfer this heightened awareness to their breathing. Finally, they are instructed to focus completely on their pain, so that they can begin to gain control over it.
The ability to concentrate on breathing to the exclusion of all other activities also has a calming effect, which can help overcome anxiety and relieve panic attacks. By focusing entirely on taking in and letting out one deep breath at a time, a person can control the feelings of panic.
Meditation for the MR
The person with MR suffers from disharmony of physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual personality. Meditation helps to harmonize these layers. Meditation curbs the scattering of the mind and helps to concentrate the mind.
Once the mind is concentrated it is trained to focus on a single point. It could be a symbol (like 3, cross crescent moon etc.) or a sound.
One could gaze on the symbol or chant the sound. Practical studies show that if the person can write, it is advisable to write the mantra/word repeatedly.
Follow this simple method
1. Relax your body
2. Relax your breathing. Make it slow, silent and smooth.
3. Start to gaze/chant your symbol/music.
4. The will simply bring wanders back on the job. Do not over exceed your limit.
Gradually increase your dose of chanting. Regularity and Practice are the key to success.
