Meditation

[Kimberly]

What is meditation? What is not meditation? How does meditation relate to mindfulness?

[Beth]

Meditation, to me, is the practice of becoming mindful. I learned one type of meditation, although there are many, and I don’t believe there is one type for everyone. I learned to use breathing to help bring myself into a state of awareness, even if only for a moment. Meditation can happen anywhere, it doesn’t have to be with others or alone, it can be driving, washing dishes or in a quiet space. I prefer to meditate in a quiet space, although sometimes with soft music, and to close my eyes. This allows me, for now, to shut out some of the distractions around me and helps me to begin to quiet my brain. I was taught to find an image that works for me, to help see my thoughts without judgement and then pass them along. Some people use a “TV screen”, or sitting on the edge of a river. For me, the one that seems to work best is imagining a river flowing toward a waterfall. I can hear the edge of the fall but can’t quite see it. I am sitting by the river, watching the water flowing toward the falls, and I hold in my hand a picture, like a snapshot representing the thought I am having. Sometimes I have to hold the picture for a few seconds before I can lay it in the river and watch it flow down towards the falls. This represents letting go for me, and helps me to observe my thoughts as they arise. I do not hold on to any of the photos, because the concept is to let go of the thoughts.

After some time, I stop having a photo in my hands and can just enjoy the river and the sound of the falls. Very quickly I am holding another picture, often the same pictures keep coming up. I believe for me, meditation is about realizing what is on my mind, what is really troubling me and then being able to stop holding judgement on myself. I am able to rest in my mind and begin to try to create patience with my mind, not fight against it. I become aware of sounds and smells, and my body and then rarely, I will feel a sense of oneness and peace. Most of the time, I am laying photos in the river and even though I don’t always feel oneness, I feel calmer and more at peace with who I am, the decisions I’ve made, and forgive myself. This may be early in the stages of awareness but it has really had an impact on how I think and feel. I find meditation in the morning, evenings and lunchtime help me to slow down. I can get very busy very fast and thrive on complicated situations, but this isn’t what I was made to do. I need to slow down and enjoy moments, as they are happening. I find I am much less hard on myself when I feel the moments.

I do not believe meditation is sitting on a fancy rug or pillow and sitting so still and quiet until I am uncomfortable. I believe sitting for long periods allows you to become aware of your bodily discomfort and begin to understand pain differently. However, the idea of meditating for “instagram”, (love Colleen’s term) isn’t my idea of meditation. I find the breath can help me come to awareness while driving or doing other tasks that are stressful, and I believe this is a type of meditation as well. Any kind of meditating to prove to others you are “meditating” may not achieve the sense of peace or oneness others may be seeking.

[melross1]

Meditation is what you want it to be and what you make it. If you just sit there, its meditating. If you use beads, its meditating. If you need to let the monkey mind happen, let it… let the thoughts in, acknowledge them. then let it go or don’t. That’s meditation. There is no right or wrong to mediation. It’s being true to yourself. Finding your inner self, our inner world. We just need to remember to always be kind and compassionate.

If it comes from the heart, and its true, and you’re finding your true inner self I believe there is mindfulness there. I’m finding myself, parts of me that I either lost or didn’t know, but I like. I’m finding that I’m more mindful of who I am and who I want to be and where I want to go in life.

[regmarlew63]

Meditation is a tool. It helps us on our path to enlightenment. It has so many benefits to the body, and for me most importantly helps in bringing calm to a hectic thought pattern. Ultimately it leads to bliss. Just like the asanas in our practice of yoga, it is about self exploration, self discovery and self transformation. It creates a platform for openness.
Our thoughts are part of the experience. When we meditate, we develop compassion for ourselves. We can direct that compassion to others too.
Meditation is not being without thoughts and having a totally clear mind. It is not always being completely still. It doesn’t have to have total silence to be done. I was surprised to learn that meditation can take place in an active state even, as in walking.
Meditation helps with mindfulness by giving us focus, bringing an awareness to what we carry around inside. It opens us up to what is actually important and allows us to free ourselves and let go of the things that have no room in our lives.
Regina Lewis

[betshellhaas]

I believe anything can be a meditation. However, meditation is taking the time to sit in stillness with yourself, acknowledging thoughts that come in and allowing them to leave. It is about remaining in the moment and allowing anything to come up as needed. I used to work at an Outback Steakhouse and one of my jobs as a kitchen worker was to salt and wrap potatoes in foil. I always found this very relaxing and meditative. I would forget that I was working and really just start noticing the feeling of the potatoes in my hands and the smells of the potatoes. Meditation does create mindfulness because you’re focusing on the present moment and not the past or future. Mindfulness is all about being fully aware of the task at hand. My job as wrapping the potatoes might be considered a moving meditation. I very often view yoga as a moving meditation. I’m focused on my breath and allowing my breath to guide my movements. I’m focused on my practice and that is it. What is not meditation? That is a hard question to answer. You are not in meditation when you’re worrying about the past or future. You are not in meditation when you’re sleeping. You are not in meditation when you are multitasking. Give your meditation that mindfulness of exploring one task at a time. Give it your full attention and allow things to come up.

[LAD92761]

Meditation in what I believe is it’s full form is still a bit of a mystery to me. I learned some things yesterday in Laurie’s class that is helping me connect the dots as well as through our readings. Unfortunately I had to leave during the meditation she conducted with the class to teach a Karma class and I was not able to attend her workshop that she referenced since I was teaching my Karma class then too. BUT I am attending a meditation class in Indianspolis in mid June so look forward to putting remaining pieces together then.

I have also tried the Insight app to meditate at home but to be honest, I haven’t found a voice on the app that soothes me, most bother me and I can’t focus.

BUT I have experienced Petta (sp?) and Emily using meditation in Savasana as well as Emily using Nada breath and mudras and have found myself in a state of bliss, what I call mindful bliss and have a feeling of lightness that is unexplainable. So that state is what I feel is meditation.

I have used words to plant thoughts with my students during centering and at beginning of savasana, tied to class themes and intentions. (I learned this from Kimberly as I have loved how she does this.). After class, I have had a couple of students tell me those words really resonated with them and appreciated my sharing as they were getting focused. Is that meditation?

I’m still quite intrigued and so happy that the teachings of yesterday have sparked my interest to learn and experience more. And I will.

[sally200]

Meditation is a choice to set time for being quiet, do nothing, and allow your mind to rest. Meditation is a practice, and the more your practice the more you notice how it calms, and gives you clarity. Meditation creates an expansive state of mind, free of signals, and doings, just being.

Meditation is not being high, asleep, or hypnotized. It is a unique physiological state.

Mindfulness is a result of an active mediation practice. You notice what you are noticing, your awareness is sharp. You are clear on your path, and you pay more attention to your words, your listening, and connection with people. I feel you are more compassionate.

[heatherfly]

Meditation, to me, is an intentional turning inward for the purpose of understanding the habits and content of the mind. With a clearer view of what’s there it’s possible to learn to weed the garden so to speak. Or at least gain compassion for the overgrowth. I teach mindfulness meditation to all my clients. It has been for me a pivotal habit allowing me to reduce the negative impact of my own “stuff”. I like to say this to clients: “there used to be a joke that there is no such thing as bad sex. Clearly only a man would ever make that joke. (Insert haha here) But I believe there is no such thing as bad mindfulness practice.” If the practice is spent with a completely busy mind and you’ve noticed that then it’s a success. If the practice is spent bringing the awareness back to the intention only one time after a long stretch of distraction it is a success.

Clients come with so many different experiences and mindfulness practice or meditation is so easily tailored to the needs of an individual. I’ve suggested a daily practice of pet-the-dog meditation. Experience the entire act of petting your dog with all your senses and when you notice your mind wander, just come back.

Meditation is the joining of attention and intention. If this union isn’t there then it isn’t meditation. So many things in life can be or become meditation. Mindfulness differentiates itself from the broader category of meditation with its present moment awareness. The present moment or something about it is the object of mindfulness practice whereas meditation can be transcendental or guided imagery or other focal points that don’t involve present moment awareness.

[EmilyD]

I always thought meditation was getting to a place where my mind is totally still. I always thought it had to be in a quiet, dark, lonely place to be successful. For years, I’ve said I can’t meditate for those reasons. My mind is very busy. The only time it is “still” is when I’m sleeping, and even then I have vivid dreams. And, I have trouble carving time out of the day with three kids. But, I took Laurie’s Yin Meditation class in addition to our Sunday meditation and breathing class and came away with a different perspective. Now, I think meditation is a chance to find one’s deeper self. It’s okay for thoughts to come and go. Those thoughts can tell me more about who I am…what am I worrying about, decisions I need to make, challenges I need to face. With Yin mediation, I’ll find “pockets of peace”, and with practice, the thoughts will be less and less. I like meditation that way. I don’t feel like such a failure when I can’t do it “the right way.” I can do it anywhere – as long as I am in the moment, truly focusing on the experience, and being completely present. One can use a mantra, mala beads, a focal point (like a mandala or candle)…whatever it takes to find some quiet and peace for one’s soul.

It is not sitting on a meditation cushion, staring blankly into space, with nothing on my mind. I guess it can be, but it’s not the only way. There is no one right or wrong. It can vary greatly for each individual – just like an asana looks different for each person’s body.

I think meditation helps us get ready for mindfulness. Mindfulness is defined as “a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.” Through different methods of meditation, we dig deeper into who we are. We become aware of feelings. With practice, it leads us to being mindful more frequently in every day situations.

[dooley]

Meditation to me can be an effective form of stress reduction and can improve quality of life. It can lead to a state of thoughtless awareness and allows you to focus on the present moment. You are able to become a different person. How can you achieve all this. Meditation has to become a habit. A time you set everyday to meditate. You can meditate sitting or lying down. It can be five minutes, ten minutes, twenty minutes, or longer. It can be very difficult to accomplish but with practice you entire into a new frame of mind. One that allows you to be calm in moments of strive. It changes you you are and how you look at life in general. In other words, awareness of peace is achieved when mental charter is decreased.

Meditation is not a form of concentration, loss of control, exercise, or about turning off your thoughts. You are learning to observe them with out judgement.

Mindfulness is the ability to be present. To rest in the here and now and be fully engaged with whatever we’re doing in the moment

Meditation and mindfulness are two important. Each practice enhances the effectiveness of the other. Being mindful gives you the opportunity to be present in the moment and when you use mindfulness with meditation practice, for example when you do a body scan, which focuses on being present in each area of the body in order to relax and prepare for meditation. One becomes part of the other

Meditation is a skill and takes consistent practice to get comfortable.

[CindyHurst]

Meditation is grounding, centering, balancing, healing – it’s mindful, insightful, intuitive, perceptive… I’m certain I could write many more words to describe what meditation is, but not sure I can actually describe what meditation is not. There are so many “things” that we do in our daily lives that may not commonly be considered as meditative, but in fact, can be very meditative – doing the dishes, walking the dog, folding laundry. We can be in a meditative state as we practice asana; we can also be in a meditative state as we swim laps. Meditation is a very personal practice that can be done at any time if one is mindful.

As we learned in Laurie’s workshop, the purpose of meditation is to develop a greater understanding of our inner world, our inner spirit, our inner self. In the book Wherever You Go, There You Are, Jon Kabat-Zinn writes, “Above all, meditation is about letting the mind be as it is and knowing something about how it is in this moment. It’s not about getting somewhere else, but about allowing yourself to be where you already are.” He also writes that mindfulness means “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” He thinks of mindfulness “simply as the art of conscious living.” This is how mindfulness and meditation relate to one another – by being where you already are.

[msinghal]

According to Patanajali’s classical 8 limbed path of yoga, meditation (Dhyana) is the 7th limb, just short of the final enlightenment (samadhi). All other prior limbs are preparation for the physical, mental, and spiritual body to attain that final goal. Yet, to meditate, I feel, one does not have to wait until the requisite level of asana, pranayama practice has been achieved. Meditation, to me, is a journey of self-exploration and self-transformation, and hence it can be enjoyed whenever and however one chooses to try it.

Meditation is simply the art of opening to each moment: when one is synchronizing body, breath, and mind in vinayasa, it is meditation. When one is simply listening to the sounds of nature, or the innocent cackle of children, it is meditation. When one is immersed in the simple act of practicing or appreciating music, dance, or any other art form, it is meditation. As Alan Watts, a meditation teacher, says, “When we dance, the journey itself is the point. When we play music, the playing itself is the point. Same is with meditation. Meditation is the discovery that the point of life is always arrived at in the immediate moment.” If this is meditation, then mindfulness (the state of being completely and fully attentive to the act experiencing sensations and feelings, but no judgment) and meditation are integrally connected.

[lisaclick48]

Meditation is a practice where an individual uses a technique or focusing on an object or thought to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state. With consistent practice, it’s a way to learn about yourself in a state of calm acceptance. Taking a break from busy schedules and life happenings to enjoy a state of peace of simplicity. The benefits are well documented to increase energy and mental health to a reduction of pain. It’s a way for the brain to reduce the number of external signals our body and brain ask to process. Meditation and mindfulness go together since mindfulness is a moment to moment nonjudgmental awareness. There is evidence that mindfulness practices are beneficial for the brain’s self- regulation by increasing activity in the anterior cingulate cortex. A shift using the right prefrontal cortex is claimed to be associated with a trend away from depression and anxiety, and towards happiness, relaxation and emotional balance. Meditation is not concentration, meditation is just one form of concentration. It’s not relaxation. Meditation can make you relax but it more than just relaxing. Meditation is not a religious practice or a state of mind. It is not a self-hypnosis or a thinking state. I’m seeing a huge benefit doing daily meditation in my personal practice. I feel more grounded and peaceful despite the chaos that surrounds me.

[KHuttsell]

Meditation is the ability to sit and be present with the moment. Mindfulness comes to mind: being in the present moment. The true joy of meditation is being able to clear ones mind and just let thoughts and feelings flow freely in and out without judgement. For some mediatation is sitting on a pillow or mat. For others it may be lying down. What is most important to remember is that there is not one right way to meditate. Music may help your mind relax or it could become a distraction. Chanting helps some to quiet the “mind chatter.” While for others it may take their attention.

Mediation is not just for the enlightened yogi. Anyone can utilize the benefits of this practice to enrich her life. I have personally found so much peace and clarity in my recent practice of meditation. When I stopped judging my thoughts and let them pass – wonderful things happened. I began to have a deeper understanding of who I was and frankly who I want to be. In a conscious state, I am more able to sort out what thoughts and feelings to dwell on and which ones to let go.

[Author]

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