Photo by: Spisharam
Meditation involves silencing our mind. It is not an intellectual activity, but an attempt to expand our consciousness and be aware of our ‘real sense of being.’ Meditation can be a practical tool for relaxation, concentration and better health; it can also be an invaluable tool to self discovery. Through meditation we develop the capacity to be content with ourselves as we are. It is a happiness not dependent on external wealth and success. If practiced correctly, meditation can be a powerful antidote to depressive thoughts.
How To Meditate
It is hard to pick up meditation from just reading an article, but I would like to share a few basic pointers about what meditation involves. No matter what form of meditation you follow, the basic shared principle is to quieten your thoughts and mind. We can sit in a chair for many hours, but, if thoughts continually pass through our mind then our meditation will be ineffective. Ultimately the aim is to have a mind free of thoughts. It is in this inner silence that we can experience a consciousness of real peace.
At first glance, people may find the concept of stopping thoughts very difficult. If you try sitting silent for a while, you will probably be inundated with thoughts. When giving meditation classes, the difficulty of controlling the thoughts is a common experience. However, if you sincerely try, you can learn to reduce the power of thoughts over yourself.
These are some tips I suggest for controlling your thoughts:
You control your thoughts not the other way around. Always remember it is you who can decide which thoughts to pursue and which to reject. Never feel a slave to your own thoughts, even if at times they seem powerful.
Patience. Don’t expect a silent mind after the first few attempts. We have been thinking all our life; to change a habit of a lifetime requires persistence and perseverance. Meditation, like any worthwhile activities requires dedicated and focused intensity.
Detachment. If you keep rejecting thoughts, what happens is that you may be aware of thoughts, but, they have much less intensity. A thought bubbles up, but, it becomes easier to detach from it. You start to see thoughts as independent and outside of yourself. This is a good sign, it shows you are developing the capacity to separate the sense of self from your mental thoughts. From this point it becomes easier to stop your thoughts completely.
Concentrate on something. It is hard to control our thoughts through the power of the mind. To achieve inner silence it is advisable to choose something to focus our attention on. This may be the use of a simple mantra; it may be concentrating on a candle or flower. Personally, I concentrate on the ‘heart center’. Try listening to your heart beat and feel your awareness leaving the mind and entering the heart. If you can consciously leave the mind, it becomes much easier to reduce the power of thoughts.
Intensity. If we are satisfied with outer life, we will feel no aspiration to meditate. Effective meditation requires an aspiration to discover inner peace and inner happiness. Meditation is not something to be done mechanically; it should be done with intensity and focus. Meditate with the feeling that this is our last day on earth.
Meditation and Depression
When we are depressed, we will notice a powerful stream of negative thoughts. Often when we become depressed, we don’t feel like meditating, everything seems lacking in hope. However, if we can meditate effectively; if we can go beyond these negative thoughts and quieten the mind, we really can have a dramatic change in our frame of mind. This ability to silence the mind is invaluable as an aid to overcome unhappiness.
However, I would caution one thing. We have to be careful, if we feel miserable or angry, we need to be even more careful that we meditate properly. If you sit down to meditate but can’t stop the thoughts endlessly going round, it is better to give up and try something else like going for a walk. The reason is that when we meditate there is tremendous intensity. If we just ‘concentrate’ on our negative thoughts we make them more powerful. Therefore, when meditating to overcome depression, it is even more important to detach from these negative thoughts. It is the ability to silence the mind and thoughts which will help the depression to clear.
I became interested in meditation when studying in my final year at University. I had enjoyed the usual student life, but, there I had an increasing sense that something was missing; nothing could really give the sense of satisfaction I was searching for. I read a few spiritual books and wanted to try meditation. I went to some meditation classes organized by the Sri Chinmoy Centre in Oxford and have been meditating as a student of Sri Chinmoy for the past 9 years.
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Mindfulness meditation is my particular favorite as there is no secret mantra involved and it feels very natural to me.
Free youtube videos on mindfulness at http://www.learnmindfulness.co.uk/videos
There are situations under which the meditation shouldn’t be practiced. When you are very depressed, very anxious, panicked you shouldn’t try closing your eyes and meditate. The meditation under these circumstances might make the condition worse. When you are depressed and you practice the meditation sitting alone, it might make you introvert, you will internalize your troubles, instead of expressing to others and coping with them. When someone is depressed, anxious, stressed I first recommend them to talk, be with friends, family, share their troubles or seek counseling. Self treatment by using meditation is not the right choice. Of course I will recommend the meditation to cope up with day to day stress, it is a great remedy. In addition good relationship and intimacy are the key to a healthy living, as they help you express your fears, insecurities and unfortunate events. Aerobic exercise is something that I recommend when you are depressed, this helps the body produce neuro-chemicals that greatly enhance the feeling of well being. If you are anxious or panicked, ‘sigh of relief’ and deep breathing will help you reduce your symptoms and help you gain control.
Mindfulness technique helps with bringing the awareness 100% to present moment, if integrated into daily activities it will certainly help with coping up with depression and anxiety. You may start with simple reminder to the tasks that you are doing like ‘I am washing dishes’, ‘I am walking home’ etc. When the awareness is focused to present moment all the anxieties and stress disappear. You may read more about mindfulness at:
http://www.clicktomeditate.com.....ation.html
In addition the meditation shouldn’t be practiced in place of getting medical treatment or consulting. Meditation need to be integrated as part of healthy living, but it is not a substitute for a conventional medical treatment as and when needed.
You must be cautious of the people who recommend meditation as a remedy for everything, for all situations, they are simply naive
Meditation is practiced from many years in India and Tibet. People lead a happy life using the power of the meditation. Now due to globalization it has become a trend through out the world.
I rather like the alternate deffintion to “meditate”, rather than to preform a ritual of Tibet, I like the idea of focusing ones mind on something. So, as in to “meditate” on a thought. So, rather than copying someone else’s form of meditation; find your own, and it will let you find yourself. I believe that is what they were truely trying to commuinicate.
love this website. meditation is truly the energy, drive and power of my life.
i blogged about this a few days ago: http://zoegolightly.wordpress......es-lately/ :)
also this movie is amazing – about meditation adn going within – called Spiritual Warriors – you can only get on Amazon or iTunes.
sending my love and Light to you all :)
Zoe Golightly
That’s a nice Article about Meditation, ..
have you guys heard of sacred breath??
The Sacred Breath is a “staple” meditation of a true teacher. It becomes so natural, so much of a second nature, that they just do it automatically from time to time, without even thinking about it. When a teacher is doing this meditation, it doesn’t “show” very much. There is a little breathing that can be mistaken as a sigh, and a subtle shift in energy. It takes keen awareness and observation for an elder student to perceive that their teacher is doing “something”
Nice introduction to meditation. Those interested in learning more about how meditation can be used to deal with depression should check out a book I just finished, by Jon Kabat-Zinn (who’s written a number of excellent books on meditation) and others called The Mindful Way Through Depression.
There are as many ways to meditate as there are people. We are all individualised expressions of Source energy. My preferred way is to feel gratitude for something that you can genuinely feel gratitude for and then to expand that glow by gently focussing on it and relaxing into it.
I think that meditation can really help people with depression. Of course you have to have your physicians advice, but in most cases it works. Silence itself can have a healing effect on the body and mind especially in our fast-pace society.
Counting from 1 to 5-6 when inhaling and from 1 to 5-6 when exhaling is a great way to stop the chattering. It works. :)
Love and Light,
Francesco
http://breathewithfrancesco.co.....r-last-day
I think meditation is a great aid for depression. It can help you see through to the truth of the situation and also lift depression before it even starts.
it’s such a coincidence that you got into meditation in your final year in university. i’m in my final year too, and i feel the huge need for relaxing my mind, to be detached from it. it’s just getting too noisy up there. i’m doing my own research on how to meditate and i want to thank you for your contributing thoughts and tips for meditation..
very informative post , meditation is a cool way to reach the top of psychological pleasure and comfort which relieve for sure the stress , anxiety …
also will regulate the natural rate of emotions to be in its normal case .
thank you .
Michael
how to meditate for beginners
In a life that needs the quiet strength that I have been told meditate would give I found this be very helpful. I am going to try to apply the suggestions in order to make my first experiences the best that they can be with a positive outlook no matter what happens. Thank you so much.
Using a mantra can be one of the best ways to get started in meditation. It acts as a key to quieten and learn how to control the mind and develop concentration, which then leads you into meditation. Of course, working with sound is a great advantage too.
Your comment about focusing on your heartbeat is very perceptive. It does indeed help remove the distraction of the mind to focus on the heart. I would also add to focus on your breath. This gives you two things to focus on (breath and heartbeat). You will find yourself entering deep meditation and your mind calms down and you feel centered. this is healthful to do.
This article is a must-read for people undergoing depression. Meditation is a low cost way of helping you control your thoughts.
Meditation is one way of communicating to your inner self . We experience bliss and serenity when we meditate. Prayer is one way of meditating. It calms our soul and give us tranquility in our hearts. You can read an inspirational book or a bible while you meditate. You can make a poem or compose a song under a tree or in the shore and appreciate the gift of nature that God gave us.
I found this article through another on Pick The Brain. In regards to concentrating I tend to concentrate on the rhythm of my breathing or, if I’m meditating with my eyes open, a specific spot on the wall in front of me.
I’ve not tried focusing on my heartbeat but it sounds like an interesting idea.
According to me, meditation refers to a state where your body and mind are consciously relaxed and focused. Practitioners of this art report increased awareness, focus, and concentration, as well as a more positive outlook in life.
If meditation is done properly, it can do wonders on your soul, body as well as on mind. You can control your thoughts with the aid of mediation. Your mind will feel relaxed and once you get to know how to do this properly, your body would become addictive to this magical relaxation technique.
The only way I can get rid of all my thoughts when I meditate is to turn off all lights,place a lit candle 8-10 ft in front of me and just stare at it while lying down. I try not to blink and just stare inside the flame.
Within a few minutes I’m really calm and can feel myself in the most relaxed state. That’s what works for me. Everyone’s different.
All other forms I’ve tried just don’t work but the candle method works for me.
Meditation is the best thing for relaxation. I have tried a lot of things, but nothing is better than meditation. Of course you have to learn to do it the right way, otherwise it will not work.
Lovely post and very informative. Great explanation on how meditation can help with depression. There are so many great benefits of meditation both physically and mentally. I love to meditate as it gives me such a feeling of peace and balance. Therefore I have no doubt that it will be great for people suffering from depression.
Love and Light
Jessica T.
Wow, it is very interesting and useful, thank’s. I will try to meditate really soon and I will do it with your text. Keep up the good job and Happy New Year to you and your readers.
Good article :) I also recommend meditation by prayers it is a tried out fact that really clear up the mind
Enjoyed every bit of your post.Thanks Again. Great.