Meditation. What is it all about?

"A human being is a part of the whole, called by us 'Universe', a part limited in time and space he experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty".

- ALBERT EINSTEIN

Have you been wondering if you should jump on the trend of mindfulness and the whole Meditation vibe? If you have then come along with me while I explain to you exactly why it's such a big thing, and what you are potentially missing out on!

You'll be surprised by the amount of people who have been meditating for years, they may just not have been shouting about it. It’s not such a new thing, in fact it’s been around for an eternity!

Everywhere you look at the moment so many people are looking into mindfulness and looking into finding more balance and freedom from the constant thoughts, stresses and to do lists in their minds. Meditation seems to be the one thing that brings huge and positive change into the lives of so many people.

When we talk about Meditation, we are simply trying to access a different brain wave than your normal waking brain wave rhythm. We use 'Beta' waves for most of our waking consciousness but its 'Alpha' waves that are the most common brain waves that occur at the beginning of meditation as you try to go into a deeper state of mind. Alpha waves calm the nervous system, lower blood pressure and heart rate. This is the bliss we are trying to connect with. And it all starts with YOU!

During Meditation we are trying to turn off the stress button and have some time out from the; 'Fight or Flight' Response. Life can throw you into constant stress and that's stress on your heart, an increase in stress hormones, an increase in blood sugar levels, suppression of your immune system and a number of other negative impacts on your physical and mental health. So we need to access the opposite to the 'Fight or Flight' response, the 'parasympathetic nervous system' which inhibits the body from overworking and restores the body to a calm and composed state. Regular Meditation practice and other relaxation therapies such as Self Hypnosis and guided Hypnosis are perfect for accessing the parasympathetic nervous system and accessing the 'Alpha rhythm' and beyond into the wonderful 'Theta rhythm' which is where you find yourself mostly during hypnosis.

It all really boils down to, 'switching off' the outside world and switching on the natural connection between stillness and breath from your soul level. The gift we give ourselves is an elimination of any negative energy and a surrender to stillness, stillness of mind and body. A releasing of stale thoughts and old energy into the universe and a recharged download of natural beautiful healing and a gentle caress of energy coming in to guide you from your natural compass within.

We are energy and the more we flow with our own energy and follow our intuition our minds seem less troubled. There is high and low energy and you can control this yourself. You just need to learn how it works and the benefits of taking responsibility to learn about yourself and what helps you live a more authentic life according to your internal compass. Put the effort in to explore this and stay in your own lane with it, keep it a personal experience and learn to feel your way out of any negative energy through meditation, releasing stale and old energy and generating new more beneficial, more inline vibrational energy on a daily basis. Learn who you are, learn to be more you and come to the world with 'more' for the greater good of all those you come into contact with.

'Easier said than done', I hear you and your fears whisper. However, you can achieve your sweet spot, your 'bliss'. It will take effort at first but you will reap the rewards.

Find a teacher (perhaps me) who can talk you through the basics and get some sound knowledge and insight. Then take it from there on your own. It’s very much a personal and intuitive practice. Avoid thinking you need the perfect meditation cushion or anything elaborate. Physical comfort is key to being able to find the stillness in the mind but avoid thinking you have to spend money on material comforts. Use what you already have at hand. If you are not comfortable sitting crossed legged on the floor simply just sit in a chair. Less is More in the case of Meditation.

So how to start:

Sitting comfortably with your eyes closed in your designated quiet space with your preference of floor or chair. Close your eyes and just focus on your breath. Don't over complicate anything. Simply breath in and out! (Even if you are bed bound, you still have your mind and you can do this from your bed too)!

Use a Mantra, if that's not your thing find an Affirmation that works for you.

You can try these lovely Mantras and Affirmations:

Prajnanam brahma - The universal Spirit is pure wisdom

Moksha - I am emotionally free

An Affirmation could be: I feel free to be me

I like to make affirmations up in the moment by tuning into what I'm feeling or what I'm struggling with and what I need to remind myself of if my energy is feeling a little off balance. You will find your own way with what works for you. I have used affirmations from books and from Yoga practices form other yogis that work really well too. Have some fun to find out what resonates with you.

On the days I don't want to think too much, I follow a Mantra that I can just repeat with no specific meaning but more of a vibrational focus that the sound produces. So using 'OM' - THE HYMN OF THE UNIVERSE, either out loud or internally. It can really bring you to stillness and help connect you back to your internal compass if you feel a little lost, stressed or disconnected to your own essence and balance.

Now just 'be with yourself' with no distractions and take it from there! Five minutes will be fine the first time you try, then build on it. That's how you start.

"It all has to come from inside, though, I guess." - Jimi Hendrix

Do your own research into the different types of meditation and find what fits. There is no wrong way there is just your way of finding your stillness and comfort.

Perhaps start with a focused meditation on something as simple as, METTA - Loving Kindness. Here's a snippet from 'davidji' - from his book; Secrets of Meditation.

The 13th - Century, Sufi poet Hafiz wrote, "I am a hole in the flute through which Christ breath flows." And if you can see yourself as conduit of metta - not the flute and not the breath but simply as a hole, a channel, a conduit, an empty pathway, then you can flow unconditional loving-kindness in and flow it back out without becoming attached to it. We use our breath as the vehicle to transport metta first into our heart and then back out to others, using your heart as a point of reference for gradually radiating loving-kindness outward.."

So I leave you with this wonderful sign off from the words of the great 'davidji' from his best selling book - Secrets of Meditation;

"Abam brahmasmi, baby!' = I am the Universe, baby!!

JH x