How To Meditate Without Even Trying

I remember when I started trying to meditate. I would sit down, close my eyes, and try to be really calm (my definition of meditation at the time). That was hard: my head would burst with ideas, thoughts, solutions, problems? I would become agitated, and stopped generally after ten long minutes, if not less. It's during my short "meditations" that I felt less? meditative.

I knew there was something for me to explore that was beyond the physical world. I knew I would unleash my potential, by "going within". And sitting meditation, as I knew it, was the #1 technique that would lead me there. Yet, I just couldn't do it? I was inadequate.

No, I wasn't - and neither are you, if you are experiencing a similar situation. It's your definition of meditation that may be inadequate.

The idea behind meditation is not to sit on a chair, and close our eyes. Or to sit in lotus, and watch the leaves change colors. You can do all this if you feel a call to do so, but whatever technique you choose is just as relevant as the type of fork you eat your meals with. Forks, meditations, cars, are just tools that help us accomplish a specific task?

Meditation, we could say, is an "altered state of consciousness". We do not see things as we normally do; we feel connected to something bigger than our everyday selves; we feel "wider" than usual. In a few words, we are so immersed in ourselves that we can transcend our own limitations. Now, the question is: what do you need to feel that way (if so you wish)? For some people, it's gardening; for others, it's laying down comfortably and listening to music (it doesn't even need to be New Age?). I personally know someone who meditates by playing card games on her computer. After a few minutes of calculating her moves and keeping score, she looses touch with the cards, and she "takes off".

Why don't we value such activities as much as those that involve candles, cushions, and incense? They may be simple, or silly, but their impact often is important, profound. Even more, they are easy and effortless. No need to be disciplined - we are naturally attracted to them.

In some ways, maybe that's why we don't always see their true magnitude. They are too accessible and natural. Mustn't we pay a high price or work hard to get anything of value? If it's easy, it's not worth much? or so we were told.

For some people, meditating the conventional way (sitting down and all) does not contribute to expanding their horizon. It may look like they are meditating when they are doing it, but in reality they are thinking about their problems, analyzing this and that?they are relaxing, yes, but meditating, no. They would probably have the deep experience they are looking for much more easily by being active, by doing things just like those mentioned before (repetitive tasks, especially, are very effective in that regard). Of course, before washing the dishes, or doing some gardening, we don't really think "I'm going to meditate". But when we become aware of the higher potential these activities hold for us, we can utilize them consciously with that clear intention in mind.

Still, the point of this article is that we do not even need a clear intention to meditate. In fact, when we want something too much, we often become our first obstacle in the process - especially when it comes to meditation. You cannot work hard to attain something that is all about lightness, openness, and receptivity. You cannot push yourself to open up. You can only create favorable circumstances - and those can be anything, as we have seen, since it is just a matter of which tool works best for you.

So if your mind is constantly active, or extremely creative, and your energy is so high you cannot sit down and close your eyes, do not categorize yourself as unspiritual or "unmeditative". You may not be able to sit for hours in uncomfortable positions like Tibetan monks do, but you too can accomplish things that they would not even dream of doing. Sure, you would benefit greatly from slowing down your thoughts and relaxing; but developing strategies that suit you as you are now would probably serve you even better. What could be the best way to meditate for you?



By Marie-Pier Charron

Understanding Meditation

It is impossible to overstate the importance of daily meditation. The benefits are enormous. They are: improved physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health; greater personal power, enhanced creativity, increased ability to enact ideals and an enhanced sense of purpose and well-being.

Meditation is the art of stilling the mind. Contemplation often gets confused with meditation; but contemplation is not meditation. Contemplation is focusing the mind, while meditation is stilling the mind.

The normal waking operation of the brain is in the Beta State, which limits learning ability and full brain function. In this normal waking Beta State, the brain wave frequency is between 15 and 75 cycles per second, averaging 25 cycles per second. The mind is busy with about 60,000 thoughts per day passing fleetingly through consciousness.

The first level of meditation is the Alpha State, which facilitates faster and more complete learning. In this meditative Alpha State, brain wave frequency is between 7 and 14 cycles per second. Your mind becomes stiller, calmer and less busy, less noisy so that your ability to learn new information is enhanced.

This Alpha State is often referred to as the Super Learning state by educators, or as The Zone by athletes, or The Groove by musicians and artists. Fewer thoughts occur but they are more focused and persistent.

Most people's experience with meditation is limited to this Alpha State; but there are two deeper states where the mind gets progressively stiller.

When deeper meditative states occur in the Theta State, brain wave frequency is between 4 to 6 cycles per second. You begin to achieve real stillness and silence, and joy is experienced as the mind achieves harmony with its source. The mind is considerably less busy in this Theta State with very few thoughts occurring; and those that do occur are laser focused, intentionally chosen and consciously recycled to create a recurring subconscious affirmation of maximum beingness.

Below Theta is the Delta State, in which brain wave frequency is below 4 cycles per second and can go as low as half a cycle per second. This is complete stillness and silence. It is in this state that a full transcendent consciousness or what some have called cosmic consciousness or divine consciousness is achieved. It is a state of bliss and power.

It often takes a lifetime of practice to attain this Delta State, but occasionally individuals are propelled into it 'by accident' and have inspirational, transcendent experiences that are almost impossible to describe. It is similar to a NDE or near death experience, which coincidently, is also characterized by no, or very little, brain wave activity.

Most people's minds operate like a hyper-kinetic, unruly, two-year-old child having practically no attention span and no apparent focus. Practicing meditation techniques will empower you to become more focused, more mentally powerful and more able to create a successful and happy life. Even if you only ever attain the Alpha State in your meditations, you will be healthier, happier, more purposeful and more capable of creating the life you desire to have for yourself.

Start today.

By Leslie Fieger.

The Benefits of Meditation: Tips and Techniques

Meditation is healthy, safe and affordable. In fact it's free. The only expense you'll have is a meditation mat, which isn't especially necessary-at least from my experience. Meditation has been around for 5,000 years, and was originally a spiritual component of yoga. Through the years non-yogis adopted it, intuitively sensing and connecting the practice with greater peace of mind. Personally, I can't say enough good things about meditation. Its use has rewarded me with less worry and much more energy. But I've never been one for anecdotal evidence. Let's get to the science?

Transcendental Meditation

Recently, there's an incredible amount of science tied into the benefits of meditation. The studies are endless and cover a variety of meditative practices. On Transcendental Meditation alone (mantra repetition) there are over 500 studies. Some are more noteworthy that others. A study in the Japanese Journal of Public Health found that through Transcendental Meditation, industrial workers sleep improved and their smoking decreased. Another study conducted at the MERU Research Institute, in Buckinghamshire, England found that the length of time practicing the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program correlated with younger biological age and younger functional age.

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation, which asks us to focus on our breath to facilitate awareness of the present moment, is another widely studied meditation technique. After studying the effects of 8-weeks of mindfulness meditation on participants, a 2003 report in the Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine concluded: "A short program in mindfulness meditation produces demonstrable effects on brain and immune function." Impressive, but fairly vague. To get a more committed response to the benefits of meditation we have to turn to Taiwan. In 2002 their journal Chang Gung Medicine reported that "training in MM may be a medically superior and cost-effective alternative to pain medication for the control of headaches with no underlying organic causes in highly motivated patients."

Stress Reduction and Meditation

What causes these positive physical changes? To answer this, other research has looked at the specifics of what happens in the body during meditation. . Researchers at the Maharishi School of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, found that meditation has an enormous impact on stress reduction. When they examined a group who had meditated for four months they saw that they produced less of the stress hormone cortisol. They were therefore better able to adapt to stress in their lives, no matter what their circumstances were.

Having balanced cortisol levels is essential to mental and emotional health. Notice I say balanced rather than none. We don't want to completely eliminate cortisol. If we did we'd be dead. Even low cortisol levels can be dangerous. Not enough cortisol is the identifying trait of Addison's disease. John F. Kennedy had this condition, which he denied passionately during his presidency. Yet during his term he regulated his levels through hydrocortisone (synthetic cortisol). The reverse of JFK's condition is called Cushings Syndrome.

The five most common and noticeable changes of this condition include; red face and puffy cheeks; excess fat surrounding the collar bones, muscle weakness, and hypertension. But we don't have to have Cushing's Syndrome to be damaged by extra cortisol. The changes we experience may be subtle variations of these. Plus, the changes caused by excess cortisol are age dependent. Young people may stop growing and teenagers can develop acne. The mature among us aren't safe either. Since excess cortisol damages bone-tissue those over age 60 may develop fractures related to osteoporosis. So it's evident that if we can regulate cortisol, especially through a natural process, we owe it to ourselves to try.

Other Benefits of Meditation

Regina Drueding, MD, is a meditation instructor at Life Circles in Utah, USA. She quotes the benefits of meditation as follows: "more energy, improved quality of sleep, decreased anxiety, lessened chronological aging, improved concentration, improved visual acuity, increased alertness and heightened immunity." She writes: "Besides the benefits mentioned earlier, meditation results in improvement of hypertension, sleep disorders, headaches, heartrhythm disturbances, chronic pain - pain due to cancer, infertility and irritable bowel syndrome. Following meditation, mental and physical refreshment result - and benefits are cumulative with regular practice."

How to Meditate

Meditation is both simple and complex. It's like defining the color orange: When you see it you know it. Similarly, the experience of meditation is best, well?experienced. In an article in New View magazine, Shippensburg University's Dr. C. George Boeree describes the basics of Buddhist meditation. In summary, the beginner's technique is as follows:

1. Sit or kneel comfortably.

2. The hands are loose and open with the palms up, one atop the other and thumbs lightly touching.

3. Head is upright. Eyes may be closed or open. If open they should focus on your hands or a spot nearby.

4. Beginning meditators should count upwards to ten on each exhale. Breathe in a relaxed and natural way. Then begin again at one and repeat. Continue to breathe naturally.

5. Continue for 15 minutes.

In my personal experience, I don't find that the specific length of time is as important as repetition and persistence. To paraphrase, 10 minutes daily beats 15 minutes once a week. This brings me to another point: We all have different personalities and as such, different meditation approaches suit some more than others. Thankfully there are many varieties of meditation. Some varieties have sub-varieties.

Mindfulness meditation is one of these versatile practices. Perhaps it's because its essence-awareness of the present moment-is so versatile. Mindfulness in our daily life can be practiced by slowing down and attending to our surroundings. What are our 5 senses telling us? We can use mindfulness in the middle of a hectic day, such as paying attention to our breathing when stopped at a traffic light. We can also use other everyday events as triggers for mindfulness. Buckling your seatbelt? Make this a reminder to return to the present. Really think about what you're doing and the details of the experience.

The more traditional may benefit from a more formal mindfulness practice. You may sit in the identical form as in traditional Buddhist meditation- on a chair or kneeling. However, you may also sit with your legs crossed. Your eyes are closed and your posture is both straight and relaxed while your head remains upright. Focus on your breath and allow mental chatter to float by without regard. Thoughts, emotions and sensations will come, but don't be influenced by them. Keep focused on your breath. If you are getting involved with your thoughts don't worry-your efforts aren't destroyed. The key thing is to bring your attention back to breathing and continue. This can go on for 5 minutes to 5 hours. It's up to you.

Transcendental Meditation is another popular form of meditation. Generally, this type is practiced twice daily for a period of 15-20 minutes. Again, this technique involves sitting comfortably. Yet in contrast to basic Buddhist the eyes stay closed. Each student is given a mantra and is instructed to induce relaxation through use of this mantra. Since many of either can't or won't go to a formal TM class, a no-fail mantra I recommend is the classic OM. In The Heart of Yoga, T.K.V Desikachar writes that repetition of "OM" enables us to maintain mental and emotional calmness, overcome obstacles and enable understanding. It is the shortest of the mantras, and is said to be suggestive of God. If you're uncomfortable with the religious aspects of OM I suggest a word that has positive meaning for you, such as love, calm or peace. Calm is an ideal substitute, since vocally it resembles OM.

Final Word

You may never, ever choose to meditate. Yet if this is your choice it may be valuable to question why. For a long time I was reluctant because of images of the dropout hippie 60's. Yet when I tried it the experience overcame my reservations. If you try it the same may happen to you. If it doesn't you haven't lost any money, and you've gained a new experience.

You Can Meditate Right Now

Why Should You Meditate?

What if you could close your eyes, then open them a few minutes later and be relaxed, alert, and able to think clearly? Meditation can do that for you, and it's easier than you might think.

Documented Benefits of Meditation

Less anxiety.
Decreased depression
Reduction in irritability and moodiness
Better learning ability and memory.
Greater creativity.
Slower aging (possibly due to higher DHEA levels).
Feelings of vitality and rejuvenation.
Less stress (actual lowering of cortisol and lactate levels).
Rest (lower metabolic and heart rate).
Lower blood pressure.
Lower cholesterol levels.
Higher blood oxygen levels.

A Simple Meditation To Use Now

Don't think meditation has to be difficult. Try this simple technique, and you'll see results in minutes. Get comfortable, close your eyes, and tense up your whole body. Then breath deeply through your nose as you release the tension from every muscle. Feel each part relaxing, watching for parts that may escape notice, like a tight jaw. If you still have tension somewhere, tense up that part again, then let it relax.

Let your breathing fall into a comfortable pattern, and pay attention to it. Be aware of your breath as it passes in and out of your nose. Though your mind will wander endlessly, all you have to do is continually bring attention back to your breath.

Is your mind is still too busy? Try naming the distractions as a way of setting them aside. Try, for example, saying in your mind, "itchy leg," "worried about work," or "anger," and then immediately return attention to your breathing.

Do this meditation for five or ten minutes, or for 100 breaths. When you open your eyes, you'll feel relaxed, and your mind will feel refreshed. You'll be better prepared for any mental challenges. Why not try it now?

By Steve Gillman

How You Can Unite Meditation, Divine Essence, And Personal Tenacity to Serve Your Highest Purpose

1. Meditation:

Meditation is a sacred practice. Shamans, gurus, priests, medicine men and other wise beings have practiced meditation for over 5000 years. In the 20th century, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi popularized one form of meditation he named Transcendental Meditation, (TM). This is a simple form of mantra meditation, easy to learn and to do.

We meditate by sitting quietly, eyes open, and concentrating on an image such as a mandala, or a candle, or sitting with closed eyes, and, in either case, repeating a mantra. A mantra is not a word. A mantra is a sound. Different sounds, repeated over and over and over again, affect energies within the body, each in its own way.

There are many ways to meditate. In most instances, you sit quietly. Teachers may recommend different postures. These include the lotus position in which the Buddha is often depicted. Diverse cultures recommend various deployments of the fingers. (one example: thumbs and forefingers lightly touching, palms up.)

When we meditate, we slow down our brain waves. We change them from the beta state, (22 cycles per second in normal waking consciousness) to the alpha state (11 cycles per second.)

This slower vibration opens up access to the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind, in turn, opens awareness of our otherwise inaccessible higher consciousness. To higher consciousness as well as to universal intelligence.

2. Divine Essence:

When a person's intentions are pure, they surrender selflessly to their higher purpose in life. They surrender themselves in the service of the creator of us all. Diverse cultures variously call the creator God, some Allah, some the Great Spirit, some Our Heavenly Father, some use various other names, all meaning the supreme intelligence, the creator of the universe, of all that is.

In this state of surrender, a person is in touch with their divine essence. Having pure intentions, they are harmless. They are interested only in higher service.

On the other hand, some people who develop access to their higher powers, use their higher powers for selfish, negative and harmful intentions. (Darth Vader types.)

Your intuition may be trusted to inform you, to warn you of people with negative and evil designs. These people are to be resolutely avoided.

3. Bulldog Tenacity:

When we unite the practice of meditation with surrender to our divine essence, we are likely to be empathetic, loving, and harmless.

And if we are to advance ourselves in the relative world, the temporal world, the ordinary world of people, places, and events, a third quality is required.

This quality is bulldog tenacity. Do you know the nature of a bulldog? A bulldog is tenacious in defending its master and the master's property. Their teeth lock onto the presumed invader. Their grip is an iron grip. That iron grip prevails even in death.

This means that when your intentions are noble and worthy, when the outcome of your intentions somehow contributes to making this a better world, you are to never, never, never give up.

You are to "pay any price, bear any burden" to bring your intentions into objective reality. This is the way to justify the space you take up and the resources you consume while you draw breath.

This is the way you make a positive difference in the lives you touch.

This is the way you make yourself a role model for others. And, most important of all, this is the way you leave a lasting legacy.


By Burt Dubin

Wireless Meditation: Top Five Tips For Wherever-Whenever Mindfulness

The problem with meditation is attachment.

We get in the habit of needing our altar, favorite cushion, incense, CD, certain time of day, necessary length of time, or particular style of sitting. If we can't do it the "right" way, we tend to skip it altogether. We get so attached to the trappings that we get a little testy if we don't have everything just so.

This is funny when you think about it. In Buddhism, the core belief is that life is full of suffering, and this suffering is due to attachment. Isn't it ironic that we become so attached to the idea of meditation? Isn't it a bit absurd to think of followers of particular styles of meditation as obsessive about their own approach?

I find it hilarious. I also find it destructive.

I'm all for whatever works. If committing to a ritual is right for you, by all means, light that candle. If you must do some yoga exercises prior to sitting, go for it. If you need to go for a run before chanting, be my guest.

However, if you find that your concept of what you need in order to meditate is hindering instead of liberating you, it's time to take a look at what I refer to as "wireless" meditation.

The beautiful thing about going wireless--whether it's with phones, computers, or your own quest for mindfulness--is that you suddenly become unencumbered by extraneous connections. You can continue with your day. You can go anywhere. You are free.

Just as a wireless phone allows you to think of your workplace in a whole new way, mindfulness practice gives you the opportunity to bring attention to whatever you're doing.

Your connection to your mind and your heart is hooked up while you're taking a shower, washing the dishes, walking the dog, or tending your garden. You no longer see mindfulness as something you can do only if you're sitting in your family room before the kids get up.

For those who've given up on meditation, consider the freedom of mindfulness practice.

Here are five questions to ask yourself in order to stay connected anywhere, anytime:

* "What can I notice this minute?" Look around. What do you see? What colors pop? What kind of light fills your space? What do you smell? What do you hear? How does your body feel right now?

* "Where can I focus my attention this minute?" Choose something within you--a physical sensation, a thought, an emotion. Or, go outside your skin and shine all of your attention upon something around you. Spend one minute in full discovery mode.

* "What can I do to connect with this person?" If you're a parent and you're feeling a little burned out by your child's demands, stop thinking about how to fulfill a request and focus on how to fulfill a need. Can you give loving attention without giving a thing? Can you focus your full attention on your partner in the way most likely to make them feel cherished?

* "How can I bring more mindfulness to this task?" Whether you're filing, copying documents, folding laundry, or scrubbing the bathtub, you can focus intently and intensely upon your particular task. Take note of the textures. Pay attention to edges, creases, folds, warmth, texture, and color. Focus on the muscles you're using in each step of the process. Feel the bending, flexing, and stretching your body must do to perform each movement.

* "How can I find more meaning in this moment?" In every moment, we have the opportunity to connect to what matters most. We can choose to find a reason to feel grateful, content, secure, uplifted, and cared for.

By paying attention, we can find value in the simplest tasks and the greatest challenges. Going wireless means you can choose to connect whenever you like. Find ways to tap into mindfulness without becoming attached to meditation.

Use your wherever-whenever minutes--and get more.

By Maya Talisman Frost

A Look at Meditation

I've counseled many people from every background and led workshops and lectures about self-empowering topics for about 25 years. Over that time, I saw a need. Everyone was searching. What they were looking for was unclear, many times. But the search was on. While I could meet many of their immediate needs, through counseling, they still needed a source, or connection with who they really were.

This was not a religious pursuit, per se, but a spiritual one. We all need to know our inner self. And the best way for us to get there is through meditation: a quiet time of some sort---contemplation. So out of that need, I saw an answer. Spreading information about basic meditation became my mission.

Almost all of the information I received about meditation over the years was through personal experience-trial and error. I did not read any books on the subject. They all seemed too deep and philosophical. And many times, the books included a whole cultural exploration. This is good for someone looking into historical information, or perhaps a religious belief. But just to know the basics of what meditation is and how to do it, there wasn't anything.

I've been able to connect very well with the groups I've spoken to because I've been in their shoes. I had first hand experience looking for my own inner self. And so, the column you see here will explore for you, the personal experiences of the proverbial searcher.

I had just graduated from high school, and was looking for some kind of personal project for the summer. Since I lived in a very small town, and it was in the 1960's, I was very surprised to find a yoga class being offered at the nearby middle school. I was always open for the new and different, and this fit the bill.

I joined the class as soon as I could and found myself in some very strange positions. But there was one position that I kept going back to. It was sitting cross-legged with my hands resting on my knees, palms up. It immediately made me sit straight, and my spine was relaxed.

While practicing this position at home, a strange thing happened. I began to feel unusual. There wasn't any way I could describe it. But it was a kind of light-headed feeling---almost like dropping off to sleep---but I was awake.

I asked the instructor about it on the very next session. She assured me it was fine. But I had my reservations. So I stopped. I didn't go back to the class. And I didn't continue with the yoga practice.

I found out much later that I was beginning meditation. The instructor must have been concerned about giving too much information about yoga philosophy and the spiritual traditions of Eastern India. Our community was extremely slow about accepting new ideas. She was probably reluctant to introduce something new that could cause problems. So the yoga positions were only taught as an exercise.

I imagine many new or different ideas were stifled in the beginning. Some hesitate to share information for fear of being rejected or ostracized. And some of us hesitate to look at new information because we're afraid of rocking the boat.

As you explore the concept of meditation, you will learn about the varied benefits that can be brought about by meditation, including health, emotional release, and self- empowerment. You will realize that meditation is about ease.

The Purpose of Meditation

Meditation is a way to connect with the inner self, or what some believe is the Divine Spark of God that we all are. It is to become quiet: to allow all outside disturbances to fade away, to be comfortable with the quiet. That quiet, or silence, which is allowed in, can calm the mind, restore the body, and define a spiritual path. Let's take this opportunity to try a sample meditation on for size. Remember that this is a sample. It gives us the chance to practice. And in practicing, we learn.

Bringing In A Quiet Moment

Take a moment out of your busy day. Go for a five-minute walk by yourself. Pay attention to the sound of your footsteps. Let it become even with your heartbeat. When this rhythm within you overrides the sounds of the day, take a deep cleansing breath. Look at the sky. Watch the clouds. Just enjoy the moment. This is the skill of meditation. It is nothing harder than that: just taking a moment, and relaxing into it. Allow your mind to relax into it.

This is just a very quick way for everyone to get some idea of what meditation is like. There are plenty of different types of meditations, as many as there are people. It requires a few undisturbed minutes, dedication and a desire. It will open up a whole new world for you. Just give it a try.


By Rev. Melissa Leath