Spiritual Solutions

Meditation is a state of being where your body and mind are consciously relaxed, yet alert and focused. People who practice meditation report increased awareness, focus, and concentration, as well as a more positive outlook on life.

Meditation is often linked to an image of monks, mystics, and various spiritual disciplines. However, you don’t have to be a monk or mystic to enjoy its benefits; you don’t even have to be in a special place to practice it. You can even do it in your own living room.

There are many different approaches to meditation, but the fundamental principles remain the same. Among the most important of these principles is that of removing obstructive, negative, and wandering thoughts and fantasies, and calming the mind with a deep sense of focus. This clears the mind and prepares it for a higher quality of activity.

Negative thoughts you have, whether of noisy neighbors, bossy office personnel or workmates, that parking ticket you got, and unwanted spam in your e-mail, all tend to contribute to the “polluting” of the mind, and shutting them out allows for the “cleansing” of the mind so that it may focus on deeper, more meaningful thoughts.

Some meditators seek to shut out all sensory input of sight, sound, and touch, and try to detach themselves from the commotion around them. If this is your goal, you may now focus on a deep, profound thought. We are all too accustomed to constantly hearing and seeing things, so it may seem deafening at first, but as you continue this practice you will find yourself becoming more aware of a deeper level of being.

Some body positions you may have associated with meditation, those with impossibly arched backs and painful-looking contortions, may seem threatening. But you need not worry; the principle here is to be in a comfortable position conducive to concentration. This may be while sitting cross-legged, standing, lying down, and even walking.

If the position allows you to relax and focus, then that is a good starting point. While sitting or standing, the back should be straight but not tense or tight. In other positions, the only no-no is slouching or falling asleep. If this happens, then you might try a different position more conducive to being alert.

Loose, comfortable clothes help a lot since tight fitting clothes or belts tend to make you feel tense.

Your place of meditation should have a soothing atmosphere. It may be in your living room, bedroom, or study, or any place in which you feel comfortable. If you plan to take on the more challenging positions (if it makes you feel more focused) you might want to use an exercise mat. In any case, you may want to have your meditation place arranged so that it is soothing to your senses.

Silence helps most people to relax and meditate, so you may want a quiet, isolated area away from the ringing of the phone or the humming of the washing machine. Pleasing scents also help can often help too, so using an aromatic candle can sometimes be a good idea.

You may have seen monks on television or movies making monotonous sounds while meditating; they are actually repeating their mantra, a simple sound which, for these meditators, holds a mystic value.

You do not need to use a mantra, though it should be noted that focusing on repeated actions such as following the breath and humming can help a practitioner enter a higher state of consciousness.

The principle here is focus. You could also try focusing on a certain object in your mind’s eye or on a particular thought, or, with your eyes softly open, focus on a single sight such as a candle flame, a pattern in the carpet or an apple on a plate.

Another routine could be to, while in a meditative state, silently name every part of your body while focusing your consciousness on that part. Be aware of any tension in any part of your body and mentally visualize releasing this tension. It works wonders in relaxation.

Mediation is a relatively risk-free practice and its benefits are well worth the effort (or non-effort, since we are relaxing).

One of the important side effects of meditation is that it has been found to bring about beneficial physiological effects in the body. There has been a growing consensus in the medical community to further study such effects. So in the near future, that mystical, esoteric practice we call meditation might become a science itself.

God is Blessing You, right Now!

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham

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Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-seven years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, “Spiritual Solutions,” at Spiritual Solutions.

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Mind is the Master-power that moulds and makes,
And Man is Mind, and, shaping what he wills,
Brings froth a thousand joys, a thousand ills –
He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass:
Environment is but his looking-glass.
(From As a Man Thinketh, by James Allen)

Attention is the key to life; you tend to become whatever you give your attention to. Rudyard Kipling wrote of a Newfoundland fisherman who seemed to have the appearance of a great codfish. We must look where we are going, because we will most certainly go in the direction in which we are looking.

When the Israelites of old looked toward God, they prospered; when they looked away from God, they came to know want. We are told, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength.” To love God is to give our attention to the transcendence in life. God has much in store for us, but He can give to us only when we give Him our attention.

Victor Hugo, speaking of the tremendous power of concentrated attention, wrote:

“There is neither fog nor problem in algebra which can
Withstand in the depths of the numbers or the skies
The calm and intense fixation of the eyes.”

When we grasp this idea, we feel as the child does when he discovers that a magnifying glass held to the rays of the sun will cause paper to burst into flame.

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