A Brief History of Transcendental Meditation August 21, 2009

Transcendental meditation is a relatively new form of meditating in comparison with Yoga and Buddhist meditation. It was developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1957 as a way of developing the mind so that a person can rise above, or “transcend”, beyond the noise and stress of daily life. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was a student of the famous Hindu Guru, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati. From 1958 onwards, he travelled the world teaching his spiritual regeneration and enlightenment.

Transcendental meditation had its beginnings in the Far East and then spread to the western world. After three years of travelling and teaching, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi realized that he needed to train his followers so that they could spread this form of meditation even further.

The first international training course was held in Rishikesh, India in 1961. As more and more people all over the world realized the benefits of this form of meditation, scientists began researching it and by 1970 the first scientific papers were published espousing the technique. Since then there have been hundreds of such documents published, all of which show that transcendental meditation:

• helps to reduce the stress levels in the body leading to overall good health
• helps to increase a person’s creativity
• helps to heighten the intelligence level of the meditator
• brings about self-realization
• could actually help you to live longer

Transcendental meditation does not have any religious affiliation, but it did have a political association in the Natural Law Party. This political party was formed in 1992 with the goal of using the principles of the meditation as a way of finding ways to solve the problems of society – crime, injustice, economics and environmental issues.

A basic transcendental meditation courses are generally expensive and in spite of the high cost, an estimated five million people all over the world have taken these courses. There are also advanced courses available for extra costs. This process of meditation is relatively easy to learn in the seven-step procedure used in the four days of the course. Each day begins with a two hour lecture and the instruction starts with a ceremony performed by the instructor after which the students learn the technique and start practicing.

The principle behind the technique of transcendental meditation is that the source of all thoughts is the deepest level of the subconscious and is far beyond what the normal senses can experience.  In this meditation, the practitioner takes one thought or sound and focuses on this so that it can be experienced in the deepest possible way.

The Maharishi compared it to a bubble of water that starts deep in the water and is only visible when it reaches the surface. He said that our thoughts are the same way – they start in the subconscious and rise to the conscious level of the mind.

In January, 2008, the Maharishi retired as the chairman of the transcendental meditation organization. He passed away the following month in Vlodrop, Netherlands, where he had lived for almost 20 years, coordinating his centers of teaching through an organization known as the Global Country of World Peace.

What are the Different Types of Meditation? August 20, 2009

While there are many different types of meditation, there are two general classifications: concentrative and mindfulness.  In concentrative meditation, you focus on clearing your mind to provide you with greater concentration, awareness and clarity. In mindfulness meditation, you open your mind to become more aware of the things around you, such as scents, sounds and thoughts.

The easiest way to engage in concentrative meditation is to sit quietly and focus on your breathing.  Relax and count your breaths as you breathe through your nose. Take deep breaths, hold them and let them out slowly. This helps you to get oxygen into the lowest portions of your lungs.

There are times when you mind may wander, but you refocus on your breathing to get rid of your thoughts. You can also focus on an object when meditating or you may want to repeat a phrase or a word. This is called mantra meditation in which you can choose to repeat the word or phrase aloud or silently in your head.
If you are agitated or worried about something, your breathing will be short and fast when you first start this type of meditation. As you start to relax, your breathing will slow down and become regulated.  As you focus on your breathing or on an object, your mind will become absorbed with the regulation of your breathing and all other thoughts will vanish from your mind.

Zen meditation is one type of concentrative meditation in which you concentrate on the functioning of the heart.  There are three main aims in this form:

to develop the power of concentration

to awaken your inner sense of wisdom

to recognize the action of the Supreme Being on your inner self

The idea is that once you are able to rid yourself of the thoughts of everyday life, you can reach that inner sense of peace that exists in everyone. It helps to calm the mind and body to give you insight into the nature of your existence. You must be patient and persistent in meditating in order for your mind to become clear.

Raja Yoga Meditation is another type of concentrative meditation.  This form of meditation helps you to gain control of your mind to enable to you to develop a sense of peace. The life force of your body moves through the spine so that awareness is able to move into the “Third Eye” which is a point between your eyebrows.

Your mind is not passive and there can be many thoughts racing through it. You try to free yourself of these mindless thoughts and focus on the real meaning of meditating to achieve a pleasant feeling throughout the body.

Mindfulness meditation involves a passing parade of thoughts, emotions and images through your mind. You sit in a meditating position and instead of trying to banish the thoughts from your mind, you allow them to enter. You do acknowledge that they are present but you don’t concentrate on them. This allows you to develop a calm approach to your problems so that you don’t react quickly.

Instead of focusing on one individual thought or scene, you allow each though to become part of the bigger picture. It trains your mind to meditate on things in your life over which you have no control so that you have a heightened sense of inner peace that will enable you to go on with your life in spite or extreme difficulties.

Challenges You May Face When You Meditate August 20, 2009

Being able to stay focused when you meditate is one of the main challenges that you face when you first engage in meditation.  In meditation, you focus on your breathing or an object and try to clear your mind. Thoughts will start to come to mind, which you should acknowledge and then let them pass on.

Sometimes, if you are feeling stressed about some situation, thoughts of this may overpower you and you feel as if you should dwell on these to try to find a solution. Forcing the issue is not the way of meditating and will keep you from the true purpose.

When you first start your meditating session, you need to have a place where you will be free from distractions. This includes noise and images. You can block out the images by closing your eyes, but the daily sounds are often more difficult to block out. This is why most people choose the early morning hours to practice spiritual meditation. The rest of the household is asleep so you have some time to yourself when you won’t be interrupted.

Learning the various positions and being able to hold them for a length of time is a challenge for beginners. While most people have the idea that you have to be in a sitting position to meditate, you can meditate when you are walking, lying down, kneeling or standing. The sitting positions are the hardest to master, even when you sit on a chair because it is hard to maintain the same position for up to 30 minutes at a time.

The half lotus position is the one most prefer to use when meditating in a sitting position. To do this, you sit cross legged with the foot of one leg resting on the thigh of the other leg. The other foot is resting on the floor under the opposite thigh. The most difficult sitting position is the full lotus in which you have both feet resting on the thighs of the opposite legs and your knees touching the floor.

When you start to meditate, you also have to give yourself a few minutes at the beginning for your mind and body to relax. It takes a few minutes for this to happen and for your breathing to become regular. You have to let the tenseness out of the muscles in your back and neck and learn to breathe deeply. This means breathing in through your nose so that you take in the maximum amount of oxygen which can then get to the deepest portions of your lungs. Hold the breath for a second and let it out slowly.

There are no rules for meditating. The main goal is for you to see results from the session – whether this is simply a way of relaxing, finding a solution to your problems or finding a way of reaching a state of inner peace and calm. During the session, you do not allow your thoughts to consume you and through this you can learn to see and understand them in a different way.

The object is to meditate so that you become more effective in the way you handle the stresses of life so that you don’t act impulsively and become angry over every little thing. Once you grasp this concept, you will be able to have a happier life.

Methods of Meditation August 20, 2009

Meditate on a lone cloud on a hill, floating effortlessly through space and time. Imagine you are that cloud and with every inhale and exhale, you are blowing yourself gracefully across the heavens, forgetting all sorrow, pain and worry of the hills below…

The art of meditation takes many forms and titles. Meditation has been practiced for over 5,000 years mainly in eastern religious traditions such as Buddhism and Hinduism. Other religions that have used forms of meditation include Janism, Sikhism, New Age, Taoism and Islam. Christianity and Judaism have forms of meditation as well that are very different from eastern religions but still create relaxation and peace in the body.

Techniques are used not only for spiritual purposes, but also health purposes such as yoga meditation and secular meditation which fight against anxiety, stress and chronic physical pain.

By clearing the mind, relaxing the muscles and focusing on deep breathing, circulation, posture and concentration are improved. Yoga is deeply tied to eastern religions and its goal is to improve health and well-being and reaching Moksha which is the release from the cycle of life, death and rebirth and all the suffering attached to it.

There are many different types of meditation techniques including: Mantra, Trakata, Chakra, Vispanna, Raj Yoga, Zazen, and Nada Yoga. All of them include focusing on breathing, entering into an alternate state of consciousness and focusing on a strong sense of self. Beyond being conscious of one’s breathing, there is a wide variety of techniques that help with reaching the developmental goal that the person is aiming for which include:

“Upward” which acts to reverse the pull of gravity on the consciousness by lifting the consciousness out of the body, “Mind-centered” in which the mind is a blank slate, “Monastic” which involves exploring death’s mystery, “Observer” where you watch your thoughts and emotions as they happen from an outside perspective, “Passive” where the mind makes no judgment similar to daydreaming or sleep, “Fantasy-based” where the person goes to an alternate place in his/her mind, “Trance” which included rhythmic chanting, “Denial” or “Dualistic” where divisions in the universe are realized and questioned, and “Religious” where one thinks about an inspiring religious leader.

Transcendental Meditation was introduced in 1957 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, disciple of the Indian spiritual leader, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati. Yogi developed programs and initiatives to promote transcendental meditation and spent time touring the world teaching what he had learned. The technique involves sitting with one’s eyes closed for twenty minutes, twice a day and not contemplating but setting up a framework for the mind to move inwardly instead of being flooded with different ideas and feelings.

Music is a tool that is not only used for entertainment but for healing as well. Certain tones and chords can stimulate brainwaves, produce deep relaxation, increase the ability to learn, relieve stress, and even heal the body as a result of listening and feeling the music. Almost everyone has experienced deep feelings from a song a favorite artist plays or an experience at a concert.

Music can increase self-growth and fulfillment in certain areas of one’s life. Meditation music is one of many forms of music that can accomplish this. It acts to correspond with meditation practices to promote self awareness and relaxation as well as deep connection. It is also used in spas during massages to help the patient relax fully.