How is meditation done? What are its effects on ones daily life?

Answer 1

To me it is about quieting the mind and being still. You can then connect with your Higher Self or the Universal Source which helps you to feel peaceful and find answers to your own questions. Being a peaceful person with a quiet mind helps you to keep a sense of perspective about daily life and sometimes it helps to calm others who come into contact with you.

Answer 2

A meditative place is actually a place of not thinking, of just being present and enjoying being in your body and feeling your energies and those around you, so learning how to really do this is much more important than learning how to think or what to think.

A good way is to have a nice, plump cusion to sit on. If you sit on a chair, you're more likely to fall asleep. Sitting on the floor takes a certain amount of attention to not just fall over. Set your timer for about 15 minutes, that's plenty for a beginner and as many days as you can, at least a couple a week.

Sit with your back straight and place your hands loosely in your lap. Close your eyes and quietly count from 0 to 10. Then count back down to 0 (9, 10, 9). When you get back to 0, count back up to 10 and back down to 0 again. Do this until the timer goes off. That will give your mind something to occupy itself with. After you get the hang of not making mistakes with the counting, try and just sit there quietly and watch your thoughts. Just watch them go by, don't "develop" them, just notice them and not pay any attention. Don't try and ignore them, just don't put attention on them when they arise.

That should get you to a place where your conscoiusness shifts into a feeling place, not unlike the way you feel when you just wake up from a very deep sleep. Now, don't rush into activity, don't get on your cell phone and yack it up to someone about how you just meditated :-) Try and move slowly now and keep that meditative place you just got to as long as you can in activity. With practice (years) you will be able to be in that place all day.

Answer 3

There are many techniques. Find a tradition that embraces meditation and follow along. Going into a meditative state (changed consciousness) helps calm the body, mind, spirit and bring balance.

Answer 4

There are many forms of meditation. Its ultimate purpose is to awaken one to their true "being"...ie....to take one beyond simple ego awareness toward a more universal state of awareness.......People that meditate often claim to grow in love and compassion for all life while finding that they have less need for pride, to judge others or material things.

Answer 5

I agree with a lot of what's been posted here. I've been meditating a very long time, and have studied it in retreat facilities (monasteries) as well as in doctoral programs academically.

I think one core element of a lot of meditation practices is the very, very basic matter of just being honestly present with your current experience. There are lots of techniques to help someone do that, mostly having to do with stepping out from under our ordinary too-busy thinking (like the bumper sticker, "Don't just do something, stand there").

It can be very simple, helping us be more sensitive and present. And it can be very relaxing.

But it can also be kind of tumultuous on occasion, since as we get more intimate with our actual experience, our heart's wounds and such can come up for reconsideration and healing.

And while very, very simple, it can also be very, very profound, as we tend eventually to fall in love with being itself, to the point we start to realize there's really and truly a miracle going on ... and everything is that miracle.

That wonderful realization isn't something to like just believe in as some kind of spiritual concept. It's just something to see, with honesty and sobriety and a kind of matter-of-fact love.

Answer 6

In a lonely place concentrate your mind with in your self & rmember your God without getting attracted to any moment / action. This meditation gives mental strength & calmness/ pliteness in life to achieve our Goals.

Answer 7

oh wow, i meditate every day for 15 minutes.. just say what you want to happen in your life, be thankful and grateful for who u are, read the law of attraction, gives awesome techniques for meditation, it really makes things happen in your life.

Answer 8

Every living creature is engaged in Meditation.
But the difference is they don`t know what they are doing.

The knowledge of self will teach us that
How we can witness our meditation

Answer 9

Depends on what kind you choose. There are many kinds, Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Muslim.... you name it there's a form of meditation, even Wiccans, Pagans and Shamans do some form if they choose to.

_()_

Answer 10

Here is the simple, yet potent, meditation technique that I use with some recommended resources as well. Specific posture does not matter. If you are uncomfortable sitting on the floor, you can sit on a chair with feet flat on the floor.

Since I have medical issues, I do a simple form of secular mindfulness meditation to relieve stress and anxiety. This helps to reduce high blood pressure and the frequency of headaches. It is a practice recommended by my primary licensed physician and is not encumbered by any superstitious nonsense.

I have actually studied a wide variety of religions and paths. Being more musically inclined, I was initially attracted to the practices of Jodo Shinshu (aka Shin Buddhism) and Nichiren Buddhism - with the combination of chanting a rhythmic phrase (Nembutsu or Odaimoku) and/or sutra recitation to a visual object (a scroll of Amida or a Gohonzon). This is a more active form of meditation as compared to the silent form (see below for that). So I decided to create a nonsectarian alternative in that vein. One practice that I find helpful in the vein of the Way of Oneness (the realization of interdependence) is to chant “Be One, Be Peace” in a position of gassho (palms together in front of chest with fingers pointing upward - a traditional gesture of respect) to an object such as a Dharma Wheel or a drawing of enso (a circle) as used in Zen. Five minutes of this every morning before work does wonders for my blood pressure and stress level.

You are more than welcome to use the chant if you think you may find it possibly useful.

I use two forms: “Be One. Be Peace.” for those who prefer a four syllable “mantra” like “Namandabu.” Or “Be One. Be Love. Be Peace.” for those who prefer the pace of a six syllable “mantra” like “Nam(u) Myo-ho Ren-Ge Kyo” or “Na-Mu A-Mi-da Butsu.” People who like (or are drawn) to chant are attracted to the rhythm.

For me, the purpose of any practice is to encourage self-reflection, internalizing this awareness , and wonder/gratitude/awareness of the interdependent forces of the Universe (Dharmakaya - in Shin this is symbolized as Amida Buddha which allows practitioners to perceive these forces as “compassionate” and “caring” thus allowing us to relate to them easier, or as the Gohonzon in Nichiren Buddhism which is a calligraphic representation of the “Ceremony in the Air” from the Lotus Sutra which is also a representation of the interdependent forces of the Universe).

There are a couple of simple techniques for silent meditation as well. You do not have to sit on the floor. You can sit with erect back on a chair. Many people say try for 15 minutes twice a day. I say start with a simpler goal - 5 minutes twice per day. The benefits include stress management and relaxation benefits which help the body, increased mindfulness and focus, and increased energy. The mindfulness can be a benefit to your spiritual life, but meditation also has "non-spiritual" benefits. Here are two easy techniques:

Breathing meditation - 1) Check posture. 2) Close your eyes and relax. 3) Focus on your breath entering and leaving your body. 4) Count breaths mentally one to four. Repeat. 5) Don't fight a wandering mind, but calmly direct it back to task. 6) Sit for a minute afterwards.

"Mantra" technique (choose a personal "calm" word or phrase that you will repeat in your meditation - it can be from your religion or something as simple as "one" or "calm" – I use the nonsectarian “Be One. Be Peace” or “Be One. Be Love. Be Peace.”) - 1) and 2) as above in the Breathing meditation. 3) Listen to your breathing and let it relax you with each breath. 4) Once you are relaxed, mentally "hear" your "calm" word or phrase in your mind. Let it repeat in your mind. 5) Don't fight a wandering mind, but calmly direct it back to task. 6) Sit for a minute afterwards.

That is all there is to these very simple but beneficial meditation techniques. Many people think that something "mystical" should happen during meditation. Most often "nothing" happens and "nothing" should be expected.

Oh yes, and it didn't cost me anything to learn nor were there any "initiations" involved.

Some good resources on "secular" meditation are "The Calm Technique" by Paul Wilson as well as "The Relaxation Response" by Herbert Benson. If you need more formal "assistance" or "training" then I would look into Natural Stress Relief which was founded by former Transcendental Meditation instructors upset at the rising cost and ongoing superstition associated with TM. They charge $47 for their training compared with the $2,500 that TM would charge you.

http://www.naturalstressreliefusa.org/

Meditation has physiological effects on the body such as helping to lower blood pressure, reduce stress and anxiety (which are associated with many health ailments). For more details I direct you to the resources above.