DECANTATIONS

Q:What is meditation?
A:Meditation is a practice or an exercise, the purpose of which is to quiet the mind.

Q:Why meditate?
A:The most immediate effect of meditation is profound relaxation. Studies have also proven that the meditative practice brings brainwave patters into the alpha state which results to lower blood pressure as well as greatly relieves pain and stress.

However, the ultimate purpose of meditation is to make the mind peaceful, to free it from the daily inundations of negative thinking, worrying and other mental discomfort. Training the mind to meditate will relieve the great mental stresses we unconsciously burden our minds with and helps us to attain true peace and happiness.

Q:How do we meditate?
A:I will be discussing the simplest form of meditation which is breathing meditation. Before attempting meditation it will be useful to discuss preliminary matters such as when to meditate and how long to meditate, where to meditate and posture.

When and how long?
In order to fully enjoy the effects of meditation, time should be set aside each day for meditation. Some prefer to meditate in the early morning, right after waking, while others prefer to meditate before bedtime. Find a time that's comfortable for you. For a beginner, a meditative session of 15 to 20 minutes is recommended.

Where should we meditate?
Find a quiet corner in which to meditate. Somewhere far away from distractions.

What is the best posture for meditation?
For beginners, the burmese position is recommended as it is the easiest to master. Sit on the floor, here the legs are not crossed but instead are simply folded with one foot on top of the other. Make sure that your back is straight, but your shoulders relaxed.

Simple breathing meditation
The easiest method is counting breaths. Count from 1 to 10. Inhalation -- 1, exhalation 2, inhalation 3 and so on until you reach 10, after that begin with 1 again and continue the process. Or you can simply choose to count only the inhalation or exhalation.

Focus only on your breathing. Focus on the tip of your nose and feel the air rushing in and out with each breath. Focus also on that pause in between breaths.

Q:How do we deal with distractions during meditation?
A:Concentrating on just the breathing will be difficult at first. The mind often wanders and sometimes make you lose count. If this happens, just simply focus on your breathing again. Others find that reciting mantras like "OHM" helps them focus their thoughts. Do not forget that the purpose of meditation is to quiet the "monkey mind", and this will take time and effort to master.

In the next blog entry, I will be discussing the different thoughts, feelings and other distractions that might arise during meditation, and different ways to counter them.