Prince Sidhartha
The Buddha
"The enlightened one" - the worlds  
most famous  
meditator.

 

JESUS
The Christ
 a great spiritual leader used meditation to connect with God.
 

    YODA
Science Fiction's
most famous
meditator!
 

What is MEDITATION? It is often said that if prayer is talking to God, then meditation is listening to God. How can we expect to hear Gods guidance if our mind is not still and free of thought through meditation. It is as if we ask a friend for advice, then continue to talk over them as they answer us. This is why we must turn off the chatter of the mind.

Meditation is not a religion or a cult. It is a method for quieting the mind for inner peace, and also to receive inner guidance. Meditation is a way to clear the mind of mental debris that can cloud our perceptions, focus, inner vision and intuition.

When the surface of a lake is still, one can see to the bottom very clearly. This is impossible when the surface is agitated by waves. In the same way, when the mind is still, with no thoughts or desires, you can see the "Self" this is called "YOGA".                                                                                          

We can control the mental agitation by two means: by concentrating the mind either externally or internally. Internally, we focus on the "Self" or the consciousness of "I am". Externally, we focus on anything other than the "Self" or "I am".

When we take up some recreation on putting the ball into the hole (golf), the other thoughts are slowed down or stilled. We feel we have played a good game when we have achieved perfect concentration. The happiness we experience comes, not because the ball being put in the hole eighteen times, but because we have achieved perfect concentration eighteen times. At that time, all the worries and problems of the world disappeared.

The mental ability to concentrate is inherent to all; it is not extraordinary or mysterious. Meditation is not something that a Yogi/ Instructor has to teach you; you already have the ability to shut out thoughts.

The only difference between this and meditation (the positive way), is that generally we have learned to focus the mind externally on objects. When the mind is fully concentrated, time passes unnoticed, as if it did not exist. When the mind is focused, there is no time! Time is nothing but a modification of the mind. Time, Space, and causation and all external experiences are mental creation.

All happiness achieved through the mind is temporary and fleeting; it is limited by nature. To achieve that state of lasting happiness and absolute peace, we must first know how to calm the mind, to concentrate and go beyond the mind. By turning the mind's concentration inward, upon the self, we can deepen that experience of perfect concentration. This is the state of Meditation".

Meditation is an experience that cannot be described, just as colors cannot be described to a blind man. All ordinary experience is limited by Time, Space and Causation. Our normal awareness and understanding do not transcend these bounds.

Finite experience, which is measured in terms of past, present and future, cannot be transcendental. Concepts of time are illusory, for they have no permanence. The present, immeasurably small and fleeting, cannot be grasped. Past and future are non-existent in the present. We live in illusion.

The meditative state transcends all such limitations. In it there is neither past nor future, but only the consciousness of "I am" in the eternal NOW. It is only possible when all mental modifications are stilled.

The closest analogous state that we can experience is deep sleep, in which there is neither time, nor space, nor causation. Meditation, however, differs from deep sleep, for it works profound changes in the psyche. By curbing and stilling the oscillations of the mind, meditation brings mental peace.
 

                             MORE ON MEDITATION...

Athletes can benefit by achieving quickened reflexes from the enhanced clarity of mind they develop with a regular meditation practice. The lack of mental debris allows the athlete to be clearly in the moment of play and his mind is able to more rapidly access the best response or course of action than if the athletes mind was clogged with mental useless debris.  Meditation also trains the athlete to be in the present moment or in the now, so that he/she is not thinking in the past moments of play, or is not thinking of future possibilities of play and stays in the present moment of play.  This allows the athlete to respond moment by moment to his/her opponent with the perfect response in offense and/or defense for each play.  This does not mean the athlete is not to learn from past mistakes or set future goals. Both are important but are to be consciously noted and then immediately let go so that he/she can be in the present moment of play again.  The subconscious mind will process the lessons of the past and prepare for future goals.

So often we all are bombarded with external stimuli that will clutter our brains with mental debris. Billboards, commercials, television, violence, the news, radio and such constantly feed our minds not only on a conscious level but most often on an unconscious level. Most of what our minds are exposed to and absorb is not even by choice. All of this unnecessary information and images are locked in and stored in our minds and must be cleansed out through meditation to restore us to our natural state of being.

This mental debris clogs, clouds and distorts our personal reality. Over time, exposure to this will remove us from our true self and our inner guide or the God guide within us. As we loose touch with ourselves our life seems to become less peaceful and more chaotic. We can experience anxiety, restlessness, worry, fear, loss of identity, lack of direction or purpose in life, blocked creativity, insomnia and even illness. The symptoms are endless.              

Meditation uses techniques that help cleanse our mind, and to quiet our inner self talk so that we can become still, long enough to re-discover ourselves and connect with the divine creativity and guidance of God. Meditation is found by most to be a peaceful, blissful, loving and a utopic experience.

Meditation is not about going into a trance and becoming unconscious. It is about becoming super-conscious and awakening to infinite possibilities.  Being super-conscious you can still be void of thought and judgment and at the same time aware of all that is happening in the moment. During meditation you may hear sounds outside of you in your awakeness  yet you remain still, having no need to respond, identify or analyze them. You allow yourself to be, as you allow the sounds to be.

It is not necessary to burn incense and candles or perform any rituals to meditate. All you need is the intention to do so. Meditation can be done anywhere at anytime. 

There many techniques to prepare you for meditation, as many as there are different people.  Unlike the cartoon at the top of this page, one does not need to be a monk or guru to find deep meditation nor does one need to be austere or change who you are and be just like the your teacher.  Most techniques that are taught are just guidelines to finding what will work for you. Once you master the art of quieting the mind and clearing out mental debris for meditation, then you will no longer need these techniques. They are only temporary training wheels. From this point on you will only need to sit quiet and still with an intention to be in a meditative state and then you will be.

It is suggested to take a private lesson or class on meditation because it will force you to sit still and train you in disciplining yourself to meditate. When beginning meditation on your own you will be more likely to quit or give up because it is in the first few sessions that the mental debris will begin to cleanse itself out. This process can be frustrating and also disturb your concentration when your goal is to quiet the mind. Cleansing must be accomplished before any deeper meditation sessions can be had and enjoyed.     

                     The Seven Chakras  

Chakras are 7 energy vortexes of the human body where electromagnetic energy is pulled in to charge the body. These chakras start at the base of the spine and move up to the crown of the head.
 

The deeper one meditates, the more higher level chakras are energized.  And the higher we can bring our energies the more connected we are to universal energy and the more enlightened we can become.

If chakras are blocked the body and mind are unable to function at peak levels.  And this can also deaden our magnetic field or aura causing us to repel things we are trying to attract or attract lower level energies, people and experiences which can cause havoc in our lives and bodies.  Remember like attracts like and opposites repel.  What you project into the world is what the world will mirror back to you.  If you are not attracting what you want in life then maybe you need to change the projection you are putting out into the world by clearing your energies, thoughts, words and actions.  It is the old saying, " If you want the world to change then you must change..."  or " Become that which you seek..."

Meditation & especially yoga help open and clean the chakras or vortexes for optimal energy flow,

THE SEVEN CHAKRA NAMES ( still under composition check back later for completion...)

#1  The root chakra located at the base of the spine or pelvic floor..

.....

The Om  Symbol
   
Om is said to be the sound of the creative force of the Universe and that the Big Bang was actually the Big Om.  Om is often used as a mantra (meaning mind tool) to train the brain in becoming still of thought.  Once this is achieved the mantra is let go and silence is observed.

Find a Meditation/Yoga teacher free of ego unlike the cartoon character above.

 

Janise Anthony has been meditating for over 20 years. She offers private and group instruction for meditation.

See Seminars link for Meditation Exploration class description and scheduled workshop dates.                           
or

Contact us at Seminars@SportsHealth4U.com