The Power of Meditation
There is a Zen saying "Knowledge is learning something everyday. Wisdom is letting go of something everyday". When we let go of the resistance or tension of the mind, we can be with what is, from a place of observation, not judgment or reaction. When we stop trying, we enter a state of being. The state of simply being is a state of surrender and allowing, therefore releasing into freedom and joy. I heard a nun once say "Joy is contentment within". We can achieve contentment through meditation which is the simple act of going within. If we just slow down and listen, the answers are there.
 Meditation is a physical, mental and spiritual experience of active relaxation. At face value it seems so simple that the basic act of doing nothing is such that many believe you get nothing. Maybe it is so simple that the act of doing nothing is in essence the act of everything? Meditation is the process of becoming familiar with that which we are focusing on. The practice of meditation is the practice of being mindful and being in the present moment.
In quiet and stillness we tap into consciousness. We become aware and awake. We are mindful and in the moment. The Wikipedia website definition of mindfulness is "the practice whereby a person is intentionally aware of his or her thoughts and actions in the present moment, non-judgmentally. Mindfulness is applied to both bodily actions and the mind's own thoughts and feelings. In Buddhism, the second kind of mindfulness is considered a prerequisite for developing insight and wisdom."
We are often focused on external factors, events, things or people. We continually look outside of ourselves for answers and rewards as well as for criteria to compare and criticize ourselves. We have "to do" lists running over and over in our heads: pick up the kids, go to the store, prepare for my big meeting, wash the car, call the plumber. In addition, we go into great detail about what we may say and wear. We have a never ending record in our head. I am fat. Why did I eat that extra cookie? I will never get this done on time. They don’t like me. And on and on and on…
The desire to learn and use information effectively; the ability to create, think critically, problem solve, reflect upon experiences, be open minded and share knowledge and experience with others.
At our core we know that to find our true power, our higher power or God is not to look externally or outward but to look within which is known as Antaratma (the inner self). Jesus said if we would obey the life of God within us, He would look after all other things. As we discover inward we find calmness, tranquility and peace for what is. Meditation creates Samadhi, which is an even vision - a vision that cannot be shattered. In our thoughts we create distractions from stillness. We create a state that is anything but internal. There is a difference between having thoughts and thinking! We are not our thoughts. We all have what Baron Baptiste calls "a story". Wouldn’t you like to drop that story for a bit and sit with quiet, nothingness? Not doing, doing, doing. No more chitter-chatter in the head but truly coming into being and feeling. Acknowledging and accepting where we are and being at peace with who we are. With meditation we get in tune with the purity of spirit, being one with the creator, or our higher power. So the way to discover your true power and essence is not out there somewhere, it is right there inside of you.
Meditation is a great opportunity to let go of all external forces and simply check in with ourselves to see what we see without judgment or reaction and just observe. Through meditation we learn to quiet our minds and be still. We practice being in the present moment which is extremely powerful for that is where we tap into our true essence, intuition and see from an unbiased vantage point. In The Power of Intention, Dr. Wayne Dwyer says "When you change the way you look at something, the thing you’re looking at changes".
When we become mindful and surrender to our inherent nature we become aware and in a state of knowing. Grace Barr, an amazing teacher and healer, said "Faith is needed when you are not in a state of knowing.  When you become in a state of knowing you no longer need faith." When we become aware and are conscious we are in the know - in the now.
The nature of the mind is to be still. We create the chaos in our head by allowing our minds to run wild like a puppy. Through meditation we train our mind to completely rest - not a lazy rest, but an active rest of observation and non judgment. Meditation is simply the coming back again and again to the stillness of the mind by letting go of our thoughts, feelings, emotions and pains, acknowledging them and then releasing them. It is complete rest of the thinking mind so we can truly listen to what is going on and feel what we are feeling so we can heal. In Journey Into Power, Baron Baptiste states "In order to heal we must feel."
So what happens when we just sit with ourselves? We may become flooded with thoughts, emotions and feelings. Sometimes it is like sitting with a bunch of garbage - it stinks. But after we sit with the garbage long enough the smell goes away and we become okay with it. We begin to realize that we can’t run away from our garbage, from ourselves. It follows us, so when we stop and sit again it smells again. However, the more we sit with ourselves, the more we get to know ourselves, the more we become okay with it. We don’t try to run and eventually we get rid of the smelly garbage. We become in a constant state of mindfulness of being - not running, but being present for ourselves and for all those around us.
When we become present we may realize things about ourselves that may not serve us well or have any purpose in our lives. Sometimes when we discover these things we justify and make excuses for our thoughts and our behaviors for it’s a human condition to want to be right. We have the need to be right. At my last yoga teacher training with Baron Baptiste, he said "being right is like heroin for humans." However once we are in a state of knowing we no longer hold onto the need for righteousness. When we find our true power it serves no purpose to "be right" for we know when we are in clarity of mind and purity of spirit we are in our own right perfection so we hold onto nothing. No worldly goods will fill us nor praise or lack thereof. We just are and allow the vinyasa (the flow) and the lack of resistance of the mind to be. We discover through acceptance, self love and empowerment from within that we are perfect in our own right.
 Once we become good with ourselves we become good with others. We know that we are all one, all interconnected. In the oneness is where we find our peace, our true perfection and perfection in all that exists. When we are mindful and truly present, we are in reality. In the Miracle of Mindfulness, Thich Nhat Hanh writes "When reality is perceived in its nature of ultimate perfection the practitioner has reached a level of wisdom called the non-discrimination mind-a wondrous communion in which there is no longer any distinction made between subject and object." When reality is experienced in truth, its nature is ultimate perfection. When we see the perfection in all, we then see the divine natural order.
The benefits of meditation are infinite and practicing meditation is accumulative in that it builds. Like building a house on rock, the foundation is hard to create, but once you develop the foundation, even five minutes at a time, the rest flows, as do the benefits. It is like exercise or yoga practice. One time is good, but we won’t get fit or centered with just one bout. Likewise, meditation creates more healing, restoration and balance the more we do it.
Regular meditation reduces resting heart rate, blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stress, physical pain and increases immunity. It is used to treat depression, ADD and has many healing capabilities. The more aware we become of who we are we can acknowledge our own healing capabilities. We become more aware of our triggers and reactions. We can sense stress and distractions coming and deal with grace and ease. Meditation improves total wellbeing, effectiveness and quality of life. Much research on mindful based stress reduction techniques derived from Buddhist traditions are numerous and can be found at: http://www.umassmed.edu/cfm/mbsr.
Practicing meditation is easy - is the stopping of doing that we make so hard. Yoga and meditation go hand in hand. Many describe yoga as meditation in motion. However, yoga is meant to prepare the body to sit for hours of meditation. Today we want all-in-ones, so many of us use our yoga practice or walk as our meditation. There is great benefit to mindful activity but it is not the same as the act of sitting meditation, of doing nothing and just being. The practice of meditation is the simple practice of sitting still and focusing on the moment instead of focusing on the internal complexes of your thoughts or any external factors.
There are many great books and CDs on ways to mediate. One isn’t better than the other, for they all have the same goal: surrender to stillness, quietness, to come into your breath and into your body and just be. To observe like an outsider looking in a window letting the images or thought come then melt away. Letting it all go out of that one moment. You can do it anytime or anywhere, just do it.
As Jesus taught "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do." True transformation and empowerment comes from sharing and believing that it works.
For more on the power of meditation, check out the resources below:
Books (all can be found at www.amazon.com)
- Journey Into Power, by Baron Baptiste Miracle of Mindfulness: A Zen Master’s Method of Meditation, by Thich Nhat Hahn
- How To Calm Down, Even If You’re Absolutely Totally Nuts, by Fred Miller
Website
http://www.learningmeditation.com
Television Documentary
Doing Time, Doing Vipassana, information at http://www.prison.dhamma.org/dtdv.htm
Kiersten K Mooney
Owner of Bala Vinyasa Yoga
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