What is Meditation?

What is Meditation?

Take a moment….think about sleep….what is sleep?  Try to describe what sleep is.  What is colour?  Meditation is in the same category because it is very difficult to describe.  We can say that IN meditation there is a constant awareness of the mind. Meditation is a technique used to gain some control over our thoughts, or more precisely to loosen the control our thoughts have over us.  In meditation we learn two very valuable tools that help us to gain control of the mind (the mind is that which thinks, remembers and plans):

Mindfulness – having control of the mind                

Awareness – knowing exactly what we are doing while we are doing it.

What are the benefits of meditation?

Here are just some of the reported benefits of meditation:

• Improved health
• Improved concentration
• Increased sense of well-being
• Greater empathy
• Enhance creativity
• A calmer and more positive disposition
• Increased focus and clarity
• Reduced blood pressure
• Increased quality of sleep
• Reduced feelings associated with stress, anxiety and depression

Meditation is a complimentary therapy. It should not be used as a replacement to your physician’s advice.

There are different forms of mediation and meditation practices.  Examples include, Transcendental Meditation, Zen Meditation, guided meditation, breath meditation, and mindfulness meditation. Click here to read an article from the Mayo Clinic further describing the various types of meditation, elements to meditation, meditation practices and additional physical and pyschological benefits of meditation.

At Meditation Village we teach and practice two types of meditation:

Calm Abiding (Shamatha) Meditation

Used in Steps 1 and Step 2, the purpose of this meditation practice is to create a calm, focused and present mind. The technique is to focus on a neutral object – the breath.  With practice, the technique teaches the practitioner to be unconcerned with the thoughts that rise – we see that thoughts are just thoughts, neither friend nor enemy.  We learn to experience what is happening NOW, without the endless commentary.

This technique is very simple – to breathe and watch the breath.

Insight (Vipassana) Meditation

The definition of insight is:  An understanding of the motivational forces behind one’s actions, thoughts, or behavior; self-knowledge.  In Vipassana meditation (Step 3) we will explore our own experiences, step by step, from gross to subtle. This process provides us with great insight regarding how we see the world and how we respond to the world.  Once we know, first hand, how our personal experiences are developed, we can decide whether or not we want to further cultivate them or give them up.