I discovered meditation 30 years ago. Due to the many benefits I've gained and the research that has been done over the years I have practised ever since. Sometimes regularly, sometimes sporadically but always at times of stress.
When I started all those years ago, I was simply blown away by its power to enable me to connect with my inner unconscious world, healing all sorts of childhood issues. I was very surprised and amazed at the number of light-bulb enlightening moments that arose between meditations and realised very quickly that I was practising something very powerful. After all these years, I actually now take for granted my near-continual connection with my inner world and unconscious, the ease and efficiency I have gained in making effective decisions in the world and how magnificent meditation is at drastically reducing and removing all anxiety. However, I've noticed a strong tendency to 'forget' to meditate when things are either going very well (when I forget regular practise is essential) or if life is being rather uncomfortable (when I suspect I avoid meditation as it would mean confronting the very uncomfortable feelings). I'm very good at regular practise however when things are light to moderately anxiety-inducing! From the perspective of a psychologist, research finds that regular daily meditation for as little as a month, reduces the reactivity of the Amygdala by 1/3rd - WOW. The Amygdala is the part of the Limbic system, it deals with anxiety, threat, risk, fear and Adrenaline flooding to ensure we survive danger. However, following trauma, it becomes hyperactive and enlarged, and can 'short circuit into over-active mode resulting in Generalised Anxiety, Panic and Phobic responses. So you can see; literally THE best medicine for anxiety is a regular daily meditation practise and best of all it involves no chemicals or drugs to falsely manage our dopamine and serotonin. But how much meditation is best for us? There is no set answer. Different practice styled suggest different amounts. For example in Zen, there’s no such thing as too much meditation! Transcendental Meditation prescribes 15 mins morning and night initially and later an hour once used to the practise. I personally from experience agree. If you have never touched base with your inner self, start using shorter time scales initially, so as not to overwhelm yourself. After a time you can easily do longer and really experience the sheer and utter blissful peace of a silenced mind. After 30 years I suggest there are a few rules to consider for meditation to benefit your life and for your mental wellbeing. PRACTICE RULES Rule 1 Never go to sleep at night without having done at least 5 minutes meditation sometime during the day. Rule 2 Where possible, always sit in the same place, in the same posture every day. This builds a conditioned habitual connection between the location/posture and calm. Rule 3 Stick to the same meditation technique each time. This allows the mind to stop thinking and analysing and relax and slow down its desire for novelty and things. HOW TO MEDITATE FOR MENTAL CALM 1. Pick a quiet undisturbed place to sit. 2. Always sit (never lay down you'll nod off). Sit either on a solid chair with both feet flat on the floor and hands held gently together in your lap so that your shoulders are lowered and relaxed. Or sit on a meditation cushion with legs crossed and knees lower than hips. 3. The jury is out on whether to have eyes open or shut. I personally prefer eyes shut as I get dry eyes. If you keep your eyes open, focus on one spot only, to reduce sensory stimulation. Whatever you choose, stick to it every day. 4. The ultimate purpose of meditation is to concentrate on and fully attend to what is going on in the here and now, ie things both inside you, your thoughts, your posture and sounds outside. It is important to be a 'watcher' and allow things to arise and disappear without getting hooked into them. Thoughts or little pains may come and go, just watch them... don't go wandering off into the thought. Stay alert. And let the things pass as they always do. 5. Concentration and watching can be difficult in the early years. It is a common practise then to anchor your attention to something in the here and now. The best thing to attend to is therefore the breath. Your breath. Watch it. Don't force it or change it. And count every breath up to 10 breaths then start again. And that's it. It all sounds so simple! In practice it can be very subtle and tricky. Your naughty monkey mind, your ego, will in the early stages of practise, feel very seductive and sticky! It will hook you in and before you know it you can be off deep into a thought trail. Suddenly you'll realise you lost the breath, you lost the counting. Immediately 'drop' the thought like a piece of rotten old wood, and back to breath watching and counting. WHAT ARE THOUGHTS? If you watch your thoughts you'll notice they are either focussed on the past or the future and linked to feelings. As they never in the 'here and now', they are fundamentally not real and are fantasy. Soon after meditating a while we work out that these fantasies in our mind, because they are not located in the now, have a tendency to increase our anxiety. WHAT COMES FROM MEDITATION? I have found that regular meditation makes me feel so much happier, clearer, calmer and in control. The longer I meditate, the more this effect is enhanced. So, for me, 15 minutes is OK and takes the edge off. 30 minutes is better. An hour makes me 80% more peaceful and for longer that 15 minutes. I recommend very much, that you experiment, see what the results are for you and what works. Never leave a day without at least 5 minutes. Have if possible at least one longer session a week. And above all, never let the monkey mind kid you that it is not important. The ego is not a fan of being calmed or neglected. It will trick you into thinking you don't need to meditate. Trust me, you definitely do... it's enhancing effects on your mental health are astounding. A WORD OF CAUTION FOR CERTAIN PEOPLE For certain people who have had a lot of trauma or upset in the past and who have been maybe in the habit of avoiding or blocking the feelings out, meditation can initially feel like taking the lid off Pandora's Box. Trust me, I've been there in the early months. It can be very scary to start finding out the contents of your mind. But remember... it is just energy. Rather like damming a river up or putting the lid on a pressure cooker... when you release the flow it can initially feel quite forceful and out of control. If this is your experience I totally recommend taking care of yourself. Journaling and drawing your experience until you come to understand it and the flow eases to a normal flow. You may want to engage in therapy to support you at this stage ... a little like reaching out to hold someone's supportive hand. If the above is your experience there please know.... this initial stage does NOT last - it is just the release of emotions that you have unconsciously held back. It will calm down as more and more you get to know yourself. JOIN A MEDITATION CLASS I run a monthly meditation class, teaching meditation and keeping your practice on track and avoiding of common errors, to allow you to get the very best mental health benefits from your practice. For further details about upcoming course dates and booking, email me at infoheadhealth@gmail.com or use the form on the contact page of this site. RECOMMENDED BOOKS |
Carmen at HeadHealth
is a Counselling Psychologist, Clinical Hypnotherapist and NLP Coach offering ONLINE Therapy Sessions. ArchivesCategories |
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