26. august 2023
What is meditation?
Meditation is not one thing, but an umbrella term, which subsumes a huge number of diverse practices. What they have in common is that they work as training sessions for your mind. Mindfulness is the skill - the mental muscles - you get from this mental workout. Mediation can involve cultivating a deeper source of happiness, changing your brain for the better, and mental training so that you can see, taste, smell, think and feel more clearly.
And all this is possible with a complementary approach, meaning you can sustain a successful career and nurturing relationships. Depending on your meditation direction of choice, you can meditate to gain the mental and physical benefits, to deepen your connections, and/or to gain profound insights into e.g. the nature of the mind and the mysterious self,
Meditation defined
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APA Dictionary of Psychology:
meditation
#n. profound and extended contemplation or reflection in order to achieve focused attention or an otherwise altered state of consciousness and to gain insight into oneself and the world. Traditionally associated with spiritual and religious exercises, meditation is now also used to provide relaxation and relief from stress; treat such symptoms as high blood pressure, pain, and insomnia; and promote overall health and well-being. "
National Library of Medicine (NLM)
"Meditation is an umbrella term, which subsumes a huge number of diverse practices. It is still unclear how these practices can be classified in a reasonable way. Earlier proposals have struggled to do justice to the diversity of meditation techniques. To help in solving this issue, we used a novel bottom-up procedure to develop a comprehensive classification system for meditation techniques. In previous studies, we reduced 309 initially identified techniques to the 20 most popular ones. In the present study, 100 experienced meditators were asked to rate the similarity of the selected 20 techniques. Using multidimensional scaling, we found two orthogonal dimensions along which meditation techniques could be classified: activation and amount of body orientation. These dimensions emphasize the role of embodied cognition in meditation. Within these two dimensions, seven main clusters emerged: mindful observation, body-centered meditation, visual concentration, contemplation, affect-centered meditation, mantra meditation, and meditation with movement. We conclude there is no “meditation” as such, but there are rather different groups of techniques that might exert diverse effects."
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A mental workout
Think of meditation as a training session for your mind. It's like doing a workout, but for your mental health. You are training on being alert, awake, non- judgemental, and present in your meditative experience, and to a lesser and lesser degree distracted by thoughts. You are training on being mindful.
Many meditation practices revolves around directing our attention inward to understand the workings of our mind and/or mind-body relations, which constantly influences our life experiences. Meditation is not about stopping or changing thoughts. Instead, it is about observing both inner and outer sensory impressions to gain a deeper understanding and control of your mind.
Despite its spiritual associations, many meditation practices is universally beneficial practices. In the contemporary world, meditation has transcended its traditional roots, becoming a widely accepted form of mental exercise. Its benefits are not limited to spiritual growth but extend to tangible improvements in daily life. Regular meditation can lead to many benefits.
Even short, daily sessions can be highly beneficial. Many find that starting or ending their day with meditation helps set a positive tone and manage the stresses of daily life more effectively.
Appreciate life's pleasant moments more and be more resilient in facing life’s challenges
A common misconception is that meditation is a passive state - like relaxing. On the contrary, meditation involves active concentration and the use of attention to focus on the experience. What distinguishes mindfulness from staring out of a car window is the mode of focus. Meditation is about being actively present in the experience in an undisturbed, accepting, and uninvolved manner. This enhances good experiences and makes the bad ones shorter and less significant. Mindfulness and meditation is not about thinking clearer about the stream of experiences; it's about experiencing more clearly and acceptingly, and being curious, without chasing after the pleasant or avoiding the unpleasant. Through that, you can learn to appreciate life's pleasant moments more and be more resilient in facing life’s challenges.
To achieve the meditative state, one directs attention toward the experience with the right mode. With a bit of practice, you will soon discover a vast untapped potential: to experience pleasant feelings more intensely and to be more resilient in facing life’s challenges.