MEDITATION: REVITALIZING BODY, MIND AND SPIRIT

Ours is a world of dramatic change, the breeding ground for uncertainty, vulnerability and anxiety. Stress and fatigue are our modern afflictions. Meditation is the royal remedy, an ancient art and science that has a deeply relaxing and calming effect on the nervous system, harmonizing physical energies while assisting its ability to heal itself. Whether we’re seeking inner peace, our quest for truth, or struggling to cope and deal with the challenges of life, meditation is the perennial and most effective way to explore and understand the mystery and the beauty of our spirit and discover the purpose of our life.

Actually, everyone has meditated one way or another during their lifetime, often without identifying what they were doing as “meditating.” Meditation happens as naturally as breathing: simply and effortlessly. Have you ever gazed at the inconceivable vastness of the night sky and felt utter wonder and awe? Has music ever transported you into profound feelings, disappearing in the ocean of sound and tranquility, free to float in the deep waters of your being? Or when falling asleep at night, has your mind casually wandered, without conscious thought, cruising effortlessly from one ancient memory to another, flowing and dissolving into others seemingly lost for years? There are literally thousands of ways of tapping into the meditative state. Basically, meditation is a naturally occurring state of rest and relaxation; resting in yourself while remaining awake and alert, promoting a heightened awareness of the details of everyday life. Even a few minutes a day of practice will help you move through the world with more relaxation and mental clarity.

Derived from the Latin mederi, meaning to heal, meditation’s role in medicine has grown in the past several decades in leaps and bounds. Major universities all over the world have conducted medical and scientific research to measure the significant physical and psychological values of meditation. Here are just some of the fantastic benefits that are well documented and widely recognized to renew and enhance your life – inside and out. Stronger and healthier heart, slimmer and better-looking body, reversed biological aging, reduced stress and anxiety, stronger immune system, decreased muscle tension, better sleep patterns, reduced tension headaches and migraines, laser-like focus, improved learning ability and memory, improved creativity, enhanced emotional resilience, greater happiness and peace of mind, and clear life purpose.

If you have never meditated, those are some very convincing reasons why you might want to reconsider and give it a try.

For decades meditation practice was viewed with suspicion, yet meditation is a simple, gentle practice that anyone can safely adopt without joining a different religion or changing one’s lifestyle. Contrary to some misconceptions, meditation is not a religion or anything occult; it doesn’t require that you find a guru or leave the world behind and retreat in solitude. It is an important stepping stone to restoring inner stillness and clarity of awareness that can enhance all dimensions of your life.

The world’s great sacred literature explores the deeper functions of the body-mind-meditation connection; it’s no wonder that it lies at the heart of all the great spiritual traditions and paths of wisdom. Just as we need physical food several times each day, so do we need to nourish ourselves spiritually.

This has never been truer than today as a new wave of understanding and exploration is rising and beginning to crest. As this wave lifts, a new perspective is responding to the deepest evolutionary impulse that we have ever known. Meditation is key not only in aligning ourselves with the great and mysterious energy and powerful intelligence that is driving the entire evolutionary process forward, but helps facilitate the experience of our relationship with the Divine.