Understanding Meditation - Your questions answered

Understanding Meditation – Your questions answered!

I’m here to answer some questions about meditation.  I’ve had so many people say things to me like “I don’t have time to meditate, I can’t see anything and everyone else can, I just can’t relax, I don’t get any peace from the kids partner etc, don’t you have to sit on the floor in the lotus position chanting, it doesn’t work for me, what can meditation do for me etc, etc”.  Well I’d like to help you understand meditation, what it’s about and how it works.

I’ve been meditating for 24years and even though it was a long time ago I still remember the first few times I meditated and it was just the same.  I was in a big room full of strangers with no music in the background just a man up the front talking.  It was difficult to say the least and there were always the few who talked freely about all the wonderful things they saw during the meditation.  I thought it was just me who couldn’t see anything and just me who didn’t feel like it was working.  After talking to a few people on the break I found out that most of us felt the same and we wanted to make it happen.

A few of us got together for a meditation session each week because we all wanted to be able to do it.  Someone found a couple of meditation tapes we put them on and did them at each session.  Then we got copies and did them at home and each time we got together after that we had improved but it was a slow process.  It’s just like everything else that you do, you need to practise it to get better at it, to perfect it.  No one can just do a meditation and instantly get to a really deep level and see everything really clearly just like watching a movie or not be distracted by noises, all that takes practise.

Anyway let me answer some questions.

“I don’t have time for meditation”.   Meditation is a way of life not a chore that you must do.  The science surrounding meditation tells us that 30minutes of meditation is equivalent to 2hours of sleep.  So in fact if you meditate every day you will gain time in your busy schedule because you won’t need as much sleep.  And if it just isn’t possible to get the time or the space during the day then do it when you’re going to sleep because your subconscious mind never shuts down so it will be taking in every word and you will find that you will sleep much better.  Especially if you do one that is specifically for night time because at the end instead of bringing you back to the conscious level it will talk you down into a deep sleep level of consciousness.  Then if you do find that you wake up during the night put it on again, it can only help you.  It’s always difficult getting into a new routine so set a specific time of day aside to do your meditation and do it at that time every day.  Before you know it you’ll be wondering why you didn’t do it before.  I wake up earlier in the morning to do my meditation; I just lie in bed and reach for my IPod.  The morning can be good because you can start your day with a positive message and visualise your day going to plan.

“I can’t see anything when I meditate” Which immediately makes you think you can’t do it.  Well I’ll let you in on a little secret; most people don’t actually see anything, it’s more like an impression or a thought.  It’s like daydreaming most of the time you just think about the scene or the situation but if you meditate regularly some people develop the ability to see all the pictures in full colour.  It took me years to actually be able to see the scenes while meditating but I did find it easier to recall a scene from somewhere I had actually been or a photo.  So if you get some photos of places and look at those during the day or before you meditation that will help you to visualise.  I have made short movies for clients with pictures and some relaxing music behind them so that they have some images to recall.  It is enough for you to just think about what is being said in the meditation because the subconscious mind will still take it all in and process it.  So don’t worry about not being able to see anything and those who can see everything in great detail usually, from my experience, are in the minority.

Another thing that’s helpful to know is that you don’t look at the inside of your eyelids.  The technique is to look to the distance or look at a screen on a far wall.  And just let yourself go don’t worry or think about doing it right or wrong just do it, with practise and time it will become easy.

“I can’t relax”.  The natural way to relax is with deep breathing, slow deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.  From there a good way to learn to meditate is to relax the body by thinking about the parts of the body and either relaxing them or first tense that section and then release.  This is how I start my meditations, this way people can get to the meditative level without worrying about seeing colours or scenes.  The next step is a deepening exercise which is to count down from 10 to 1, 20 to 1 or 50 to 1 whatever gets you to relax more.  Know that as you count down you are going deeper and deeper into relaxation.  If you get distracted or feel yourself starting to come back up then just count down again, it doesn’t matter how many times you do this.  After this comes the visualisation but you start with a scene that you are familiar with, somewhere you can feel relaxed.  Be in that place for a while continue to breathe deeply and look at the scene, think about it or get an impression of it.  However you do it doesn’t matter, because your subconscious mind will pick up on it and relax your mind and body. 

The more you worry about not being able to do it or see it the less you will relax.  However it works for you is right, whatever way you do it is ok the main thing is the end result, relaxation and meditation.  As long as you think you are at a meditative state you will be there because your thoughts create your reality.

“Don’t you have to sit on the floor in the lotus position chanting”?  Well that might be the way the Buddhist Monks do it but no you don’t have to do it that way.  I mean would you really be comfortable in that position?  The whole idea of meditation is to be comfortable and relaxed.  You can sit or lie down but if you can work towards meditating in the sitting position you will find that you can do it anytime and anywhere which is extremely handy.  You can then do short meditations during lunch or during a stressful situation.

“What can meditation do for me”?  Meditation is a technique to make you feel relaxed and more energised because it slows down the brainwaves and heart rate allowing your body to relax and recuperate.   The other reason for meditation is to connect you with your subconscious mind to change your beliefs so you can change your life and to create new beliefs to heal yourself.  You will feel better within yourself because a guided meditation will give you positive input and affirmations. 

So if you are sick and tired of feeling sick and tired you have a choice, a way to change that, a way to feel better.

Here’s where I give you the definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome.  Think about it, if your life is not working for you the way you’ve been doing things then how about changing the things you do.

The choice is yours, is your life working for you the way it is or is there something you want to change or improve? 

For more information, Meditations and Meditation Music go to Meditation As Medication