This is the time of year perfect for new beginnings, a time when many of us make New Year’s resolutions—perhaps we open a new savings account, join a gym, begin a yoga practice or start a weight loss program. But what about a resolution that will not only nourish the present but one from which you will reap the benefits for years to come? I’m talking about meditation, a practice, if done regularly, that will not only bring but allow a greater sense of relaxation and peace and has a myriad of other benefits.
Relaxation and Peace
Meditation is a state of “perfect rest.” Through meditation we learn to quiet our minds which brings peace into our moment-to-moment awareness, which, in turn, helps us live life to its fullest. Meditation may also relieve unpleasant mental and physical states most of us feel either regularly or from time to time. When we sit with our breath, allowing our thoughts to flow by without either grasping onto them or rejecting them, our usual states of fear and anxiety diminish and a greater sense of peace begins to appear. We carry this new mental state with us into our lives outside of mediation, improving everything we do.
Health and Breathing
The techniques of meditation allow us to feel the positive effects of correct breathing while recharging the body with energy. When we meditate, our breathing regulates, our heartbeat slows and establishes a greater rhythm as the circulatory system evens itself out and hypertension and stress diminish. Regular meditation creates greater breath control, which encourages a vital state of health, and the restoration and strengthening of the energy flow in the body. This natural healing, of restoring the power to your body, can strengthen your immune system, promote better work performance, and speed your clarity of thought.
Manifestation of Desires
I like to think of meditation as a direct connection to the power and beauty of the universe. Instead of trying hard and attacking your dreams by relying solely on personal willpower and strength, meditation creates a flow to fruition, an entrance to all that is good and beautiful in the manifest and as-yet-unmanifested worlds. You are accessing a higher frequency that speeds up the results of your intentions and desires.
Increase Your Intuition
We were born with the gift of intuition but as we age, it often becomes a forgotten talent. We rely on others and the outer world to solve our problems. Meditation will help you get in touch with your higher self. The more you meditate, the greater your frame of mind, the greater its expansive view. You begin to see things differently and you think from a more intuitive place. Meditating regularly will help you clear your mind of distractions and teach you how to better recognize this subtle voice from within.
Bring Joy Into Your Life
Meditation stimulates the prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain that can create a greater sense of well-being and that helps us operate from a joyous state. There is a profound and deep joy that comes from meditation. This joy isn’t that which is dependent on positive events in one’s life, but instead occurs at a time of stillness. It arises from within—which means it has always been a part of you. Underneath fear, anger, insecurity, guilt and uncertainty, there is a natural supply of unconditional joy that can be found through meditation.
Meditating For World Peace
The highest form of meditation moves us from a solidified sense of self and personal ego to a state of universal consciousness. The world as it is today contains such uncertainty that it is easy to experience fear. World peace, justice and love come from each of us, so as we strive to find inner peace through our meditation practice, we understand that we must also meditate for world peace. It is hard to imagine that one person has the power to create a world of peace, but our minds and the energy we send out through focused thought has a power beyond belief, and it is meditation that trains our focus. Every spiritual practice in he world holds the belief that peace must exist in the individual heart before it can exist in the outer world. Each day at the end of our meditation, we take a few moments to send out the intention of peace. Rest your attention on your heart and quietly repeat, “May all beings in our world experience peace, love, kindness and harmony.”
Wishing everyone a year of spiritual growth and transformation.