Meditation: A Gift That Keeps On Giving
If we are honest with ourselves, particularly in these uncertain times, we would all say that we want more peace of mind, compassion, calmness, happiness, gratitude, intuition, relaxation, balance, courage, healing energy or to just be present with ourselves... Sounds good doesn’t it? And that’s exactly what meditation can offer.
When I think of mediation, the quote from James Allen in “As a Man Thinketh’ comes to mind
“Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. It is the result of long and patient effort in self-control”
This quote provides a philosophical perspective on the calmness that I think speaks to an ongoing practice of meditation and the benefits it can bring. The quote prompts me to consider insight meditation which involves focus on breath and noting physical and mental sensations that occur; this method is practiced by those who intend to transform their minds and in turn cultivate qualities such as compassion and wisdom.
It seems meditation offers a bounty of benefits. Speaking to two mediation teachers, they have also said that calmness is a great benefit of meditation that you can experience straight away after one session. In fact, in a simple short seated meditation session, calmness will occur as the act of stopping and breathing kicks in the parasympathetic system (your rest and digest system).
Developing a daily practice that works for you is key and people find the calmness they experience in the meditation session follows them into their day. One of the mediation teachers that I spoke with explained that “scientific research shows that 20 minutes of meditation a day starts to maximise the physical health benefits on the body and brain. Even though 20 minutes is the ideal time frame, the main thing is to develop a practice that fits into your lifestyle and to do it daily. 5 minutes every day is better than 20 minute twice a week. It is about forming a health habit.”
There are now many studies that show that mediation can also cause neuroplasticity (changes in the brain). Johann Hari outlines in his book, Lost Connections where he says “Neuroplasticity is the tendency for the brain to continue to restructure itself based on experience.” What he is talking about here is the exciting and intriguing notion that, by using meditation as a daily practise, we can create changes in the brain and how we use it.
Mediation however isn’t just one static exercise. Calmness is not the only benefit to mediation; mediation comprises many methods and is an ongoing practice.
Here are just a few of those methods.
Zen Mediation:
Ancient Buddhist Tradition following the breathe and letting the mind “just be”.
Benefits: Develops a sense of presence and alertness.
Mantra Meditation
Focusing on a mantra (word, syllable, or phrase) to quiet the mind. So as you repeat the mantra it creates subtle shifts in feelings and is beneficial for self-confidence, increased compassion to others or go into a deeper meditative state.
Qigong Meditation
An ancient Chinese practice which focuses on connecting to energy in the body to and through the body for healing purposes.
Loving Kindness Meditation
Derived from the Buddhist tradition (Metta Bhavana) causes neuroplasticity in the left hand side of the pre-fontal cortex, a region associated with positive emotion.
To people who may not be aware of these, or if you’ve a beginner, it can seem complex and slightly daunting. Before I knew a bit more about it, I certainly felt this way. I imagined sitting with myself alone, at the mercy of my many thoughts running across my mind and not really being sure of what to do with them, except needing to react to the strongest ones that were vying for my attention. It felt uncomfortable and unfamiliar. We are not really taught in the western world (although I heard that mindfulness is being taught in schools now) to just be with ourselves, it is unfamiliar and risky; what are we really meant to do anyway?
When I first started to dabble with practicing mediation techniques, I even tried an 8 week course where I sat in a room with others on a Tuesday evening on a chair trying my best not to fall asleep and feeling like I inevitably failed to “get it”. I wasn’t even consciously aware of the type of meditation that I was attempting to do. (It was mindfulness by the way.)
Mindfulness is probably one of the best known methods of meditation. It is based upon mindfulness based cognitive therapy, co created by Professor Mark Williams, who has written a few books on the subject. Mindfulness is basically being aware that you are breathing which is beneficial for reducing the effects of depression and anxiety and increasing happiness.
David Hamilton in his book How the Mind Can Heal the Body, states that “mindfulness is the simplest form of mediation. As you become mindful of the fact that you are breathing, you are putting your attention on the breath. This activates the prefrontal cortex of our brain. The prefrontal cortex, which is like the head of the brain, controls concentration, compassion, attention, free will and the ability for self-control to emotional triggers.”
I use the headspace app daily now, which consists of various mediation exercises, such as guided and non-guided meditation, focused attention, body scan, noting visualisation, skilful compassion, reflection and loving kindness.
The app ranges from 3-20 minute daily practises and 10-20 minute long sessions for courses. I rave about Headspace as an app; it really resonated with me - particularly the cartoon graphics which I find playful and dynamic.
I would like to think that I will continue my meditation practice; it is definitely a journey and something that I never thought I would have done so it has been a change in perspective for me. One of the meditation teachers I spoke to, Gio, explained that it appears that the ultimate benefit of meditation is dependent on the style of mediation, and on whether you have received good instruction and connection. Gio said to me once that meditation helps you to discover what the mind is in itself. “Everything shows itself in the mind” is what he said.
I believe that meditation can be our tool to understand ourselves and those around us as we choose to grow into our changed selves. Many things that you thought are more definite are more malleable; who you think you are is not always very accurate and who you are is much more open. It is a nice thought to think that we are not fixed and we can change and grow into something new.
Written by Rebecca Olayinka
Rebecca is from London and has lived in Bristol for 14 years. Rebecca attended UWE and now works as Senior Practitioner (Social Worker) in Bristol. Rebecca loves poetry and is currently working on her first manuscript.
References:
Williams,M & Penman D 2011, Mindfulness, A Practical Guide to Finding Peace In A Frantic World, (1st ed, Little Brown Book Group, London)
Hari, H 2018, Lost Connections – Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression and The Unexpected Solutions, (1st ed, Bloomsbury Publishing, USA.)
Hamilton, R.D 2018, How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body, (2nd ed. Hay House UK.)
Allen. J As a Man Thinketh.