Meditation

The Health Benefits of Calm Abiding

The benefits of a meditative practise on the mind, body, and soul are multi-faceted. Physically, during such a practice the body is consciously relaxed, easing and releasing tension in the body. Many people carry the perceived day-to-day stressors inside their body. They may carry it in their shoulders, their face, or lock it away by clenching their jaws, or brows. Most visible tension can be seen in the upper body, however, stress also manifests internally in such conditions as stomach ulcers, cancers, hypertension, irritable bowel syndrome, and a multitude of other conditions. Based on the above, it is quite apparent that relaxation of the body itself is an important benefit of a meditative practise.

Mentally, during a meditation practice, the mind is quieted by giving it a particular focus such as chanting a particular mantra, focused attention on the breath, or a certain visualization. The thoughts of everyday living are willfully stilled and subdued so that one enters into a state of being where there is an awareness of only the sound of one’s mantra, or the state of awareness where there is only the rhythm of one’s breath.

Achieving this state of peace takes practice since – especially in our Western culture, our minds are free to roam where they may, absorbing and processing those things important to us as individuals.

However, once this state of peace is achieved and the body/mind is quieted, the spiritual body can awaken to Universal bliss and wisdom. This is the ultimate goal of meditation – the awakening of the body and mind in order to awaken the Spirit. The awakened Spirit aligns the God Consciousness within each of us allowing us to live at a higher vibratory rate.

How to Meditate

“The most important pre-requisite is mindfulness, in order to develop a quiet, focused state of mind which permits us to be mindful or aware of immediate experience. It is also called “calm abiding”, because or minds are calm but focused on some object. Once we maintain our focus on the object for sometime, we gradually reduce the effort required to maintain focus while still maintaining awareness. The less effort needed to maintain the focus, the greater is our calm abiding skill. Tension reduction is crucial because tension makes our practice rigid and unhealthy. Our goal is pliancy; a relaxed but focused state.” Tibetan Book of Healing, P.142, by Dr. Lobsang Rapgay.

I have heard it said that we talk to Universal Source through prayer, and that Source talks to us through calm abiding, or meditation. Achieving master over mindfulness is therefore an essential key when learning to meditate. What exactly then is the concept of being mindful? I find the word itself – mind-full A bit humorous since the goal of meditation is to be mind free. However, the exact interpretation of mindfulness means to simply pay attention to what you are focusing on. This paying attention is performed in the present; your observation of what is happening right now at this very instant. Being mindful is present moment awareness.

Meditation practice can be performed anywhere, sitting down, standing up, or laying down. There is no one set technique for participating in a meditation practice nor is there a prescribed set time for a meditation practice. The easiest and most practiced way to achieve this is to focus on your breath.

The Buddha gave the following discourse concerning being aware of one’s breath: “What is the way to develop and practice continuously the method of full awareness breathing so that the practice will be rewarding and offer great benefit?

“It is like this, the practitioner goes into the forest or to the foot of a tree, or to any deserted place, and sits stably in the cross-legged position, holding one’s body quite straight. Breathing in, one knows that one is breathing in; and breathing out, one knows that one is breathing out.

“. . . The full awareness of breathing, if developed and practiced continuously according to these instructions, will be rewarding and of great benefit.” (Adapted from The Sutra on Full Awareness of Breathing, translated by Thich Nhat Hanh.)

An Easy Meditation Practise

1. Sit on the floor either in lotus or half-lotus position, or at the edge of a chair, keeping your spine erect.
2. Breathe in two to three times, inhaling through your nose, and exhaling through your mouth. As you exhale, physically relax your muscles in your body while still maintaining an erect posture. Feel your neck and face, and brow muscles relax.
3. Close your eyes. Breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose, drawing the air down into the pit of your stomach. This will cause your lower abdomen to push out slightly. Notice the air as it enters you nose. Observe how it feels as it fills your lungs.
4. Next, exhale slowly through your mouth. Pay attention to the air exiting your mouth. Notice how it feels as it exits your lungs and mouth. Just observe it.
5. Continue this process as long as you’d like to, preferably 15 to 20 minutes.

The challenge in the above exercise is what I call “soft” focus on the breath. Don’t try too hard to notice or analyze your breathing. Just pay attention. Quite often when I am teaching meditation it is quite apparent who is trying to “force” their attention. The shoulders tense and rise, the jaw may clench, and the brows may furrow together. The key is to relax and to just allow the breath to come and go while observing it.

If a thought arises such as “Did I pay my cell phone bill?”, or “I’m hungry”, don’t ignore the thought, just notice it and return to your breathing.

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