Meditation for Beginners
How Bryan Kest First Incorporated Mindfulness into His Everyday Life
Life is busy! Although technology has made some tasks easier it has allowed us to take on more! Our attention is being pulled in multiple directions, simultaneously creating much more stress than any other time in recorded history. Never before has meditation been so important to our health.
Meditation truly means quieting one’s mind. This is the prerequisite for relaxation. Relaxation is the opposite of stress. Stress is an underlying factor in almost all diseases. So the value of meditation towards one’s health is self-evident. Meditation also contributes to perspective and insight as it allows us to step away from the commotion. Meditation may be the absolute most important tool in maintaining our sanity through all the noise surrounding us.
Meditation is not an esoteric practice. It is very simple and approachable and anyone with a desire for health and peace can partake. Yes, meditation can be difficult just as any exercise can be difficult, yet it gets easier with practice and when we approach it with a light and positive attitude. Our brains have become so busy and so addicted to the type of thoughts we are constantly having. Breaking addictions is not easy. Understanding this, we have to be patient with ourselves as we attempt to sit quietly and focus our mind, noticing our mind’s desire to constantly be swept into all the drama playing out around us and gently steering our mind back to that quiet place.
Meditation occurs in two ways. The first is within meditation practice. There are many styles of meditation, which is a good thing, just as there are many types of physical exercise. This basically means there are many benevolent places you could be steering your mind toward. Some meditation practices may have you focus on an object and some may have you focus on a word or words. Some may have you observe something and some may have you try to notice something. Some may use visualization and some may use sound. Trying different meditations is like trying different exercises as you discover what suits you.
Yet, you can only sit in meditation for a certain period of time, and then you must get up and live your life. This is the other part of meditation: Bringing meditation or mindfulness into everyday life.
When you sit in meditation you are gently steering your attention toward a place of your choosing. Now you are no longer sitting in meditation. Now you are driving, walking, eating, or talking. Now you are up and about and living your life. Integrating meditation into daily life means noticing our thoughts. Are they positive or negative? Are they benevolent or malevolent? Are they constructive or destructive? Are they necessary or unnecessary? According to the answer to these questions, we steer our mind away from the harmful, unnecessary noise and bring our mind to a positive and nourishing place. This is the key to relaxation and contentment, and the goal of Power Yoga.
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