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What Is Meditation ?

Meditation is a word which is understood and interpreted wrongly many a time. No one can do meditation; meditation is process which happens automatically without the effort of an individual.

No one can tell the exact time when the person slipped into sleep. One can go to bed and lie down on a bed. It doesn’t mean, he is in sleep he might be just closing his eyes, but his mind is still awake. Sleep is a process which happens without the knowledge of a person.

Similarly meditation is also an automatic process which happens without the knowledge of an individual. Many people misunderstand that concentration is meditation, it is wrong. Concentration is the path, a runway for the meditation to take off.

In Patanjali yoga sutras it is very clearly mentioned what is concentration and what is meditation

Dharana (Concentration)

Desha Bandha Chittasya Dharana

Which means holding or binding awareness on an single object. If I want to explain you with the example then it goes like this, concentration on Rose means your whole awareness has to be directed towards rose is called Dharana.

In Dharana there will be an effort to hold your awareness on a single object, that effort keeps you connected with the concentrating object. Sometimes if the effort is lost, there might be a chance of going away from object of concentration and another thought will come.

Dhyana (Meditation)

Tatraprati Ektanta Dhyanam

Which means continuous flow of awareness on a single object without any effort and without any distractions from other external thoughts is called meditation.

Meditation is a step next to Dharana, when an person concentrate on a single object slowly he start falling into meditation on the same object, only difference is there will be no effort from his side to keep the awareness on that object. His mind will be completely aware of only that object and all his senses is withdrawn from external world and his senses will be completely goes into sleep or it will be hibernated.

So effortlessly dwelling into a single object is called meditation. Sitting in a comfortable position one has to start concentrating on a single object or image. Slowly the same process of concentration will slip into a mode of meditation by removing the effort to be focused on that object. This happens only by constant systematic practice.

Scientific Benefits Of Meditation

Lot of scientific studies and researches are being carried out using various scientific gadgets and devices to understand the science of meditation.  Working of brain during meditation, responsive ability of the body, its internal functions, mental status, etc have been researched.  As the wise say, ‘science is the last step of spirituality’, not all can be recorded and proved. But by using various techniques of meditation, one can find benefits as given below.

  • Reduce metabolic syndrome
  • Extended longevity
  • Lower blood pressure in at-risk
  • Reduce atherosclerosis
  • Reduce thickening of Coronary Arteries
  • Reduce myocardial ischemia
  • Help manage and prevent anxiety
  • Helps manage cholesterol
  • Help treat epilepsy
  • Helps you stop smoking
  • Creates a state of deep rest in the body and mind
  • Increases skin resistance
  • Relieves bodily fatigue
  • Help in achieving peace of mind

Likewise there are so many benefits and each individual experiences the changes, when practiced for long time.

Whatever listed above and whatever listed in scientific journals are just superficial and gives only the side effects of the yoga.

Before leading you to the real benefits and the ultimate goal of meditation and yoga,  here are  some of the  basic stuffs, that one has to understand.

As Einstein says, everything in this universe is made up of energy, including us. To live and to be healthy we need energy.

The Universal Life Force, ‘Prana’ or Chi energy enters the body mainly through, food and water we consume. This ‘prana‘ is independent of breath. By breathing rhythmically, Paraná is received through Chakras and flows in the Nadis throughout our body. If you don’t take food for one or two days you can live, but if the flow of prana stops you can’t live for a single moment. The Chakra’s will receive this prana abundantly when we are in sleep and in meditative state.

The flow of prana in day-to-day life makes us to do all our activities. But the thought process requires more prana than the physical activity, that’s the reason, when we are awake, the amount of prana received will be spent more on the thought process. When we go into sleep, all the prana received will be stored and when we wake up in the morning, we will feel refreshed because there will be less physical activity and thought process when we are in deep sleep.

In meditative state, the flow of prana will be more as mind will be awake, but there will be only one thought, so, at this stage,  the storage of energy will be enhanced due to the awareness. This makes the meditator to feel refreshed and energised after coming out of meditative state.

The main purpose of yoga is the ‘self-realisation‘. All other things got by practice of yoga and meditation are the side effects which are mentioned above.

Now, here are some of the real benefits of meditation:

  • Meditation brings more prana into the system.
  • Meditation clears the blockage in Nadis.
  • It also clears the blockage is in Chakra.
  • 95% of diseases are psychosomatic, that is which originates from psyche (mind) and peculates into the body. During meditation, activity of mind is controlled and regulated, relieving from all the psychosomatic diseases.
  • When mind is still, the prana will be in equilibrium, prana moves equally in all Nadis. Any blockages will be cleared automatically.
  • If more prana moves equally in all Nadis there will be no diseases in the body.
  • Meditation prepares oneself owing to the next step of yoga which is ‘samadhi

I like this video “Spiritual reality”. I don’t know who has done it but I thank them for this wonderful video. Please watch it its very informative.

https://nesarayogatemple.com

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