A normal person uses only five per cent of his/her potential power, while some extraordinarily successful people use around 10 per cent of it. The rest of everyone’s potential goes waste.
The mind’s potential energy is often wasted in unnecessary thinking, worrying, doubting, anxiety, fear etc. Meditation helps in conserving this energy.

Thoughts have power if they are focused, without doubts and negativity. But unfocused thoughts dissipate energy and weaken thought-power, while meditation helps strengthen it. To take an example, mere steam produced from boiling water cannot move anything, but the same steam when channelled can run even a rail engine with its many bogies.

Meditation is a state wherein the mind is calm, pure, positive, caring, lo­v­ing, com­pas­sio­na­te and frie­ndly. Th­is state acts as a bri­dge between one’s in­ner self and the external world whi­ch is, in fact, a ref­lection of the in­ner self. The pu­rer the inner self is, the better the external world be­comes. Meditation purifies the inner self. Everyone must strive to achieve this state of me­di­ta­tion as early in life as possible.

The question is how to meditate: what is the best techni­que, time and place for medi­ta­ti­o­n?

Indian spiritual guru Ramana Maharshi said, “The best way to meditate is through meditation itself.” But along with regular meditation, one should have a positive approach to life, accept things as they are, avoid negative reactions and try to be happy and spread happiness around.

Any technique that suits one’s na­tu­re is fine for me­ditation. One can try to meditate in breath, by chanting a mantra, by focu­sing on an object, on any God, or even on an empty space. One can also meditate on one’s body, the five senses, on the lotus in the heart or on the shat (six) chakras as per kundalini yoga.

The best time to meditate is early morning (before sunrise) and late night (just before sl­eep). But one can also meditate at a time that suits you. Try to meditate for short spells (say for five or 10 minutes), at least two to three times a day. One can choose any place to meditate which is free of disturbance and where one feels comfortable because the ultimate goal of meditation is self-realisation and enlightenment.

By JEFF CANNON
JUNE 2, 2013 6:00 AM EDT

Meditation has always meandered the line between physical and spiritual. While detachment can be a nice idea, it usually only lasts until the rent is due. While enlightenment is a beautiful thought, it can get lost in the 24/7 shuffle that is modern life.

It’s a balancing act that puts you in an odd predicament. So what do you do?

As funny as it sounds, the first step is to realize that it has always been this way. There has always been a struggle between the need for food and housing, and the desire for spiritual enlightenment. In fact, 2,500 years ago, those seeking enlightenment still had to worry about food and water and a place to sleep—only then, the lack of food and clean water was a much more immediate concern than it is for most today.

The difference lies not in the approach, but in the world around us; a world that has changed drastically in the 2,500 years in which meditation has evolved. No longer are our concerns limited to the sight line of a village, but they’ve expanded to the global village we now live in.

It’s why meditation, like all things, has evolved to become modern.

Just as people are growing and evolving, so too is the science behind the magic. In fact, so too is the magic itself.

Today meditation has gained the respect of the scientific community that it has long deserved, and on a much different scale than ever before.

Today anybody of any persuasion can learn how to meditate. Anybody can reach out and adapt meditation to fit their needs. Even if they’re not doing it perfectly, they can gain from the practice.

That means that everyone can raise the greater human consciousness on a global scale. You can, too, if you’re just willing to do four simple things…

1. Take a breath.

Do not worry if you’re doing it right or not, just take a long, slow, deep breath. Allow yourself to feel the calm flowing into you, expanding you, surrounding you.

Your parasympathetic nervous system will take this as a sign to relax. Your mind will see it as an opportunity to quiet your brain. Simply allow yourself to slow down for five minutes and breathe. That is the start to any meditation practice.

2. Give yourself permission to stop.

That’s right, before you can stop you have to give yourself permission to stop. Simple, but not easy. Just keep at it, whenever a distraction comes up, acknowledge it and let it go. This way you can become aware of the world around you. Give thanks and appreciate what you hear, smell, taste and feel, before you continue on with your day.

3. Let it go.

I say this all the time and to everyone. Whatever you are loading onto your back, whatever you are dragging from room to room, whatever you are carrying with you, just set it down and let it go. Emotions, fears, comments others have said, LET IT GO. That is just your 40,000 year-old brain doing what it does. It’s time for you to take over and LET IT GO.

4. Fill it with love.

Whatever you let go, don’t leave the space that is left behind empty. Remember to fill it up with something or your brain will fill it up all on its own. Love is always a good place to start. It may sound pedantic, but every time you start to put someone down, every little comment you make to yourself, every spiteful thought that comes to mind is a seed you plant. Stop yourself from those thoughts and plant a little seed of love. They add up quickly and grow even quicker.

That’s it.

Four simple steps to creating your own path to your own enlightenment; one that will happen right here, right now. Not in the next lifetime. Not by shooting energy from the top of your head.

It will happen in a car, in a bus, at the beach, on the street. It will happen in your everyday life. I know. It has happened in mine; and that is Modern Meditation.

Mindfulness, or paying full attention to the present moment, can be very helpful in improving the cognitive symptoms of depression. These debilitating symptoms include distorted thinking, difficulty concentrating and forgetfulness. Cognitive symptoms can impair all areas of a person’s life. For instance, poor concentration can interfere with your job or schoolwork. Negative thoughts can lead to negative emotions, deepening depression.

Focusing on the here and now helps individuals become aware of their negative thoughts, acknowledge them without judgment and realize they’re not accurate reflections of reality, writes author William Marchand, M.D., in his comprehensive book Depression and Bipolar Disorder: Your Guide to Recovery. In it, Dr. Marchand recounts the benefits of mindfulness interventions and provides in-depth information about other psychotherapeutic and pharmacological treatments.

Through mindfulness, individuals start to see their thoughts as less powerful. These distorted thoughts – such as “I always make mistakes” or “I’m a horrible person” – start to hold less weight. In his book Marchand describes it as “watching ourselves think. We ‘experience’ thoughts and other sensations, but we aren’t carried away by them. We just watch them come and go.”

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a group therapy that combines mindfulness principles with cognitive therapy to help prevent relapse in depression. It’s based on mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), a program developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn. MBSR includes mindfulness tools, such as meditation, a body scan and hatha yoga, along with education about stress and assertiveness, according to Marchand. (Learn more here.)

MBCT teaches individuals to detach from distorted and negative thinking patterns, which can trigger the return of depression. (Learn more here.)

Studies have suggested that MBCT is a valuable intervention for depression. This recent meta-analysis found that MBCT was highly effective in reducing relapse for major depression. This study found that it was beneficial for individuals currently struggling with depression.

Getting professional treatment for depression is vital. But there are complementary mindfulness practices readers can try on their own. Marchand shared his suggestions below.

Mindfulness Meditation
“Mindfulness meditation is essentially training one’s attention to maintain focus and avoid mind wandering,” said Marchand, also a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy provider who practices meditation in the Soto Zen tradition. “Strengthening one’s ability to focus attention can help with concentration and memory.”

If you’re new to meditation, Marchand suggested carving out 10 to 15 minutes to meditate on most days. Specifically, “sit in a comfortable position and focus attention on the physical sensations of the breath.” Your mind will probably wander. That’s completely normal, he said. Simply refocus your attention back to your breath.

Psychotherapist and meditation teacher Tara Brach, Ph.D, has a number of guided meditations on her website.

Mindfulness in Daily Activities
Whether you’re eating, showering or getting dressed, you can practice mindfulness while doing any activity, according to Marchand, also a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Utah School of Medicine. The key is to focus on your physical sensations, such as “sight, taste, touch and smell.” Focus on the moment, instead of the past or future, he said.

Marchand suggested applying mindfulness to one activity every day. Again, you can be mindful with any task or action, such as brushing your teeth, having dessert or washing the dishes.

For instance, if you’re eating mindfully, minimize your distractions – such as watching TV or working on your computer – slow down your pace and pay attention to the taste, texture and aroma of your food.

Another option is to take a mindful walk, which also is helpful because it includes exercise, “an important component of healing.”

Mindfulness is a valuable practice for improving the cognitive symptoms of depression, such as distorted thinking and distractibility. It helps individuals recognize these more subtle symptoms, realize that thoughts are not facts and refocus their attention to the present.

Additional Resources
In his book, Marchand suggests additional self-help resources on mindfulness. These are:

Books by Jon Kabat-Zinn: Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress; Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves Through Mindfulness; and Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life.
The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness by Mark Williams, John Teasdale and Zindel Segal.

Meditation Techniques for Beginners Site Announced
Ancient meditation techniques have helped generations cope with day to day stress and anxiety, while at the same time helping us finding inner peace and stability, are now available to us all online.
Meditation Techniques For Beginners is a new site that provides guides on different types of meditation, breathing, posture, and everything else meditation related. Meditation enables us to combat the negative spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and physical affects our modern lives using natural, time tested, meditation techniques.
The brand new site makes learning meditation techniques easy, helping us center ourselves, thereby enabling us to whether periods of anxiety, stress, depression, and other negative factors.

Prescribed medicines are available to treat the symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation and so on. While meditation fortifies the body and mind, with new guides on bringing our physical, spiritual, and mental selves into alignment. Once we are centered, our minds clear, and we have achieved an overall tranquility, our bodies and minds are better able to protect us from ailments brought on by the negative aspects of living a fast paced, modern lifestyle.
Unlike prescribed medicines that pass through the body and must be taken repeatedly to be effective, meditation is accumulative, with successive periods of meditation strengthening the body, spirit and mind more. You owe it to yourself to learn meditation techniques and find out for yourself the state of wellness and well being that can be attained. To learn about meditation techniques for beginners, visit Meditation Techniques For Beginners.

Contact Information:
Luca Samson
luca.samson@yahoo.com.au

After suffering for nearly three decades from osteoarthritis pain, Maria Barnes has found solace in the ‘mindfulness’ approach.

Pain specialist Dr. Jackie Gardner-Nix switched from prescribing pills to teaching meditation as treatment for arthritis pain.
The classes, which typically run for nearly three hours, teach participants practical meditation skills.
“We learn to sit or lie in a comfortable position, as the space and furniture allow, and to adopt as natural an attitude as possible,” Gardner-Nix’s NeuroNova Centre website says.
Participant Maria Barnes has suffered from osteoarthritis for nearly three decades.
As is the case for many chronic pain sufferers, medications don’t work for her. Even large doses of pills don’t stop “an intense aching all over my body,” she says.
Now, she meditates daily.
“There’s a calmness that comes over me, enabling me to decrease the amount of medication that I’m taking,” she said.
The mindfulness treatment is so effective, the Ontario Health Plan pays for the training, creating long wait lists to get into the program.
Colleen McLachlan says just halfway through her 12-week program she’s feeling less discomfort. When she started, McLachlan was in so much pain she says she couldn’t even lift a cup of tea.
“I am becoming myself again and I have not been myself in the last two years,” she said.
Gardner-Nix says she’s seen some cases where the training has been life-altering.
“We’ve had some patients find that their pain dropped dramatically and they were able to return to more normal working lives,” she said.
With such positive results, doctors are holding classes via teleconference with other hospitals across Ontario, training others to teach the mind skills.
Sheri Van Dijk, a psychotherapist at South Lake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Ont., also works in mindfulness practice.
“I think it is a great way of getting the therapy out there to people who really need it, in the way that is more convenient and healthy for them.”
With a report from CTV’s medical specialist Avis Favaro and producer Elizabeth St. Philip

Physicians are increasingly referring their patients to mind-body therapies like yoga, tai chi and meditation according to a study published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

The benefits of yoga and tai chi are many, to name a few, increased strength, improved flexibility, improved range of motion, improved posture, improved breathing, improved cardio vascular efficiency and improved dexterity skills. There is a tendency for people with chronic pain stemming from issues like arthritis to become sedentary. Yoga and tai chi are an excellent form of exercise for those who suffer from arthritis because of the soft massage of the postures and the gentle stretching of stiff joints. An added benefit is feeling better physically and mentally. Remember we are never too old to improve.

Many people believe that meditation has the ability to energize the body, purify the mind and awaken the spirit.

Take a stress break, meditate. The benefits of meditation are, gaining a new perspective, developing skills to manage stress, increase self-awareness, focus on the present and decrease negative emotions. Research conducted by the Mayo Clinic suggests that meditation can help manage and even improve allergies, anxiety disorders, asthma, binge eating, cancer depression, fatigue, heart disease, high blood pressure, pain, sleep problems and substance abuse

Meditation is a mental discipline by which one attempts to get beyond the conditioned thinking mind into a deeper state of self-awareness. The purpose of meditation is to focus on quieting the mind-freeing awareness. There is enormous sense of freedom in cultivating awareness allowing our repetitive thought patterns to be replaced with a different state of consciousness. Meditation permits one to tap into the wisdom of the intuitive body and it’s dynamic healing system. Meditation permits one to restore balance and live agelessly and embrace health. We are so much more powerful than we could possibly begin to fathom.

Instructions can be found on line and/or books in the Library on how to meditate.

The following link is for Meditation Techniques for beginners: http://buddhist-meditation-techniques.com/get-started-buddhist-meditation-for-beginners/

One of the biggest challenges most of us face in striving to live a high-vibration life is quieting our minds. And, it’s no wonder, given how most meditation is portrayed! We are taught that we should be able to sit absolutely still in absolute mind-blankness for hours on end. Then, and only then, have we succeeded.

Nonsense!

First of all, there is no “succeeding” in meditation. If we are entering into meditation to “do it right,” we are already beginning on a false platform. And, if we are feeling unsuccessful at it, or like we’re not capable of meditating, then we’re hurting our own progress and, yes, lowering our vibration.

That is why it’s important to begin from a positive perspective.

Why do we want to quiet our minds?

With meditation, we do want to quiet the mind. We want to rid ourselves of what I call “mind clutter,” those thoughts that circle and circle our heads and reach every possible void of quietness we might seek. Any time we meditate and free ourselves from mind clutter for even just one second, we have gained from the experience.

Any decrease in mind clutter is an increase in our vibration.

On a practical, earthly level, we want to quiet our minds because it is those extra words spinning around that distract us, pull our energy down, allow us to worry and brood, encourage us to imagine potential negative situations and obsess over relationship details, and cause us to self-doubt … What if all that energy was put to a better use?

On a spiritual plane, we want to quiet our minds because it is in those moments of quiet when we are able to better receive guidance and answers to our questions and to feel supported and loved by God and the universe.

Worrying versus feeling loved and supported = lowering our vibration versus raising our vibration.

Handling the Voices

There are many techniques for training ourselves to minimize mind clutter. We are all different – try these, or create your own process until you find the right fit.

1. Acknowledge that mind clutter is part of the “ego,” and then put it aside. This can mean a.) putting it in a box and “depositing” it aside from your mind’s eye, b.) thanking it for its presence but also stating it is not needed at this time, or c.) intending to stay in your higher self and simply allowing the ego to fall away.

2. Create white light in your mind. Imagine it coming down from heaven and surrounding you. Continually picture it brighter and whiter. Feel it coursing through your body. Take time to savor the feelings and absorb it as real. Allow the lightness of this vibration to fill your being.

When you feel fully saturated with this white light, focus on projecting it outward from your heart. Allow yourself to share with the universe what is all of ours. This giving will continue to increase and increase your vibration.

I find this technique works particularly well for me because I am able to focus on something, rather than attempt to not focus. I also find that I am able to re-tap into the blissful feeling this brings easier and more quickly the more I practice it.

3. Thoughts as feathers. As you begin to quiet the thoughts in your mind, imagine that each thought is a feather. As it comes into your consciousness, picture it floating in and then gently blow it away. Each time a thought comes in, repeat the gentle action. Keep your actions and your thoughts soft, and allow rather than force.

To read more on your Kindle, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Android, Mac, or PC, visit Amazon, for Nook visit B&N.com, or, for a simple PDF format, visit Absolute Love Publishing, home of Spirited Press and the min-e-book™.

Caroline A. Shearer is a bestselling author, speaker, and the founder of Absolute Love Publishing. Known as a fresh, distinctive, spiritual voice, Caroline’s vision is to promote goodness and love in the world through the inspiration of others. Her popular books include Dead End Date, the first book in the Adventures of a Lightworker series; Love Like God: Embracing Unconditional Love; and Raise Your Vibration: Tips and Tools for a High-Frequency Life, a min-e-book™.

The point of meditation isn’t to ensure that your mind is as clear as a glass of water, while you sit in a yogic posture and chant a mantra.

Not only is such a state impossible to achieve, but the minute someone tells us to clear our minds, our minds like to rebel and bombard us with even more useless thoughts than usual.
I took a meditation class a few months ago and it quickly transpired that, luckily, you are not expected to completely clear your head. Instead, meditation teaches you ways in which to step back and quietly observe your thoughts and feelings instead of acting on them. Once I realised this, I started to enjoy meditating, and quickly noticed how much calmer I felt. The dreaded daily commute from Dubai to Abu Dhabi even became, dare I say it, bearable.
And I’m not alone in my newfound daily ritual: Clint Eastwood, Tina Turner, Orlando Bloom and Eva Mendes are among celebrities who are reported to enjoy the calming benefits of meditation. With estimates suggesting that more than 20 million people in the US alone are meditating their way through breakfast, it seems that the practice has gone mainstream.
A quick Google search of meditation classes in the UAE brings up numerous results, and according to local instructors, the practice is on the rise here, too. Dr Mahnaz Emami, the national director of Transcendental Meditation (TM) UAE, says that there has been a sharp increase in people learning the TM technique worldwide, which she attributes to celebrity endorsements by the likes of the film director David Lynch, the comedian Russell Brand (when they were married his ex-wife, the pop star Katy Perry, learned TM, too), Dr Mehmet Oz and Oprah Winfrey. (Winfrey and Oz both went on to pay for the course to be offered to their entire production teams.)
Dr Emami says that this trend is evident in the UAE as well, as more and more individuals are turning to TM to manage their general health or debilitating illnesses. She estimates that the number of enquiries the centre has received from people interested in TM has jumped by more than 400 per cent over the past year.
“The general trend is more towards simple, time-efficient self-management techniques, particularly ones that you can do in your own home without the inconvenience of club memberships,” explains Dr Emami. “TM delivers on all these levels and so is an attractive proposition for many busy people who appreciate efficiency and self-sufficiency.”
LifeWorks Counselling and Development in Dubai has increased the number of meditation classes on offer at the centre to meet the rise in demand. Its director Helen Williams explains that the centre runs a monthly four-week course for 15-25 people in each group, up from several years ago when the courses were offered every three months, sometimes for just six people.
“I believe the documented benefits of meditation are clearly encouraging others to make constant practice part of their lives,” says Williams.

The Research
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a technique developed by the internationally known meditation teacher Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn, can help treat and reduce a variety of emotional and physical problems, including cardiovascular disease – by lowering blood pressure, according to a study at the University of Kentucky – and depression.
Last year, David Lynch gave US$1 million (Dh3.67m) in grants to provide TM instruction to active-duty military personnel, veterans and their families who are suffering from post-traumatic stress.
Studies are increasingly showing that meditation can help cancer patients improve their outlook – and even their chances of remission and survival. It can also serve as an effective natural remedy for chronic pain, with one US study (Wake Forest University) finding that meditation can reduce pain by 40 per cent – morphine typically reduces pain by 25 per cent.
Certain meditation techniques can also promote creative thinking. In a study conducted by researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands, participants who took part in an open monitoring meditation session performed better in divergent thinking and generated more ideas than prior to meditating. A recent study from Harvard Medical School in the US found that meditation can help practitioners learn faster and improve their memory. Researchers using brain scans found that meditators were better able to regulate their alpha brainwaves, which help screen out distractions. One study found that meditation helps shift brain activity from the stress-prone right frontal cortex to the calmer left frontal cortex.
Meditation can benefit the elderly, too: a study conducted at UCLA found that individuals age 55-85 who were assigned to a mindfulness meditation group reported a reduced sense of loneliness. It is also increasingly being used in prisons. The 2008 documentary The Dhamma Brothers follows the positive impact on inmates as they undergo an intensive meditation programme at the Donaldson Correctional Facility in Alabama.

Case Study: Going It Alone
Bhavnaa Sawlani, a 26-year-old features writer and health psychologist living in Dubai, first started meditating when she was 16, after she came across a chapter on meditation in a book on spirituality.
“I prefer the self-learning approach and only take classes when I feel the absolute need,” she explains. “I used to meditate for almost 45 minutes at the beginning, which is a long time, but I started to get used to it and loved it.”
A decade later, Sawlani continues to practise at times when she feels stressed or when she returns home from a very crowded place.
“Without a doubt, meditation has helped me become more patient,” she says. “It has enabled me to reflect before reacting in general situations. On the other hand, it helps me negate and eliminate negative thoughts and day-to-day worries, stopping my mind from continuously thinking and rambling away.”
Sawlani warns those interested in learning how to meditate that results can take time.
“It’s important to understand that meditation is in fact the practice of non-doing,” she says. “If you want to learn meditation, it’s best you attend a class, or read some recommended books. Avoid getting information off the internet as it’s scattered and sometimes even wrong. Also, be patient and continue practising. With time, you will notice the difference.”

Stuck for time? Try the online option
Headspace (www.getsomeheadspace.com) was developed by a former Buddhist monk, Andy Puddicombe. Through the site, he teaches the basics and encourages people to practise for just 10 minutes a day.

Meditation and Islam
Reading the Quran is a way of meditating, writes Ayesha Al Khoori, helping people let go of their worries, anxiety and sadness to achieve inner peace, says Sheikh Mohammed Yaseen Al Rifai, a senior preacher at Abu Dhabi Police dispatch in Al Ain, who has a PhD in Sharia and law from Islamic Omdurman University in Sudan.
“By worshipping Allah, peace of mind and comfort is achieved,” he says.
He says meditation allows people to have a different view in life, but people must know how to meditate properly.
“We have so many blessings, and we must thank Allah from our hearts,” he says, “not repeat the words meaninglessly.”

Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/well-being/find-your-quiet-centre-with-meditation#ixzz2HXyRGtIf
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