Have you noticed in today's world how many distractions there are? From bill boards and television advertising, to shops playing loud music and restaurants with plasma televisions, it seems everything is geared for us not to stop and quietly contemplate our lives. The world around us seems to do everything it can to keep ourselves from ourselves.
Add to this the stresses of the postmodern era - the problems of violence, greed, economic depression, disease etc., all shown graphically through the media - the reality of losing one's job or the stress of wondering when your turn will come, and you have a recipe that take a huge emotional toll on our lives.
Loneliness, depression, addiction, stress and alienation can be just some of the consequences. So who, or what do you turn to?
It is a fact of life, that to achieve anything one has to take action. The bills have to be paid and the family fed. These are the external things.
However, you have to take care of the internal self as well. Call it your spirit, your soul, the essence of who you are, whatever; what you may wish to call it is up to you. The fact is there's a very effective antidote to the world's ills listed above, and it's meditation.
As we respond to the world around us, combined with what we were taught as children, we more and more seem to be programmed to expect stress, worry and sadness.
Meditation offers a way of reversing this into hope, peace and well being.
Simply set aside 10-15 minutes a day to meditate.
1. Sit with your back straight somewhere quiet where you will not be disturbed. It is important to be comfortable.
2. Relax your body as much as possible, close your eyes and breathe deeply for 7-10 breaths.
3. Take a word or phrase. It can be something spiritual, but this is not necessary. However, it should be something that has special meaning for you, "world peace" for example. If you cannot think of a word or phrase, no matter, simply concentrate on your breathing.
4. Breath only through the nose and repeat the phrase to yourself softly. Do not say it out loud. If you are using your breathing instead of a word or phrase, concentrate on that. If you find your mind wanders, simply refocus.
5. Do this for 5 minutes, (longer if you wish).
The most important thing about meditation is that you stick at it. It is not really something you can "dip" into from time to time. To really experience the benefits, try and make it routine.
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