Discover the power of meditation

I have practiced meditation for 25 years. Sometimes I can quiet my mind. Other times I am in the throes of life’s latest demands—and there is nothing quiet about that. The difference between being a beginner to practicing meditation and being a seasoned practitioner is the art of acceptance and understanding. With practice you will come to know you can make peace with what is happening inside or out.

Training yourself to be comfortable with whatever is happening during your meditation without attachment or aversion is a form of mastery.

You start by allowing your natural process to be more interesting and informative than anything outside of you. This ownership takes commitment, which is why mediation is called a “sitting practice.” Once you master this within yourself, you radiate it on the outside, and it makes a difference in the quality of your life.

Over time, practicing meditation reduces tension, improves brain function, sleep, and metabolism, reduces ageing, increases immunity and helps fight disease. Meditation also helps lower high blood pressure, reduces anxiety attacks, decreases tension headaches and other tension-related pain—such as muscle and joint problems—and insomnia, and it improves mood and behavior. It can also increase your overall appreciation for life.

As you begin practicing meditation, remember to focus on your breathing—this is a central aspect of meditation. It trains the mind to be calm and concentrated. Let go of “getting it right.”

When you begin your practice, set an intention to cultivate relaxation, develop awareness and feel openness. Then, ultimately, the real practice becomes how you live your life from moment to moment.

There are different types of meditation. The best kind for you is the one that meets where you are at this stage of your life. There are various techniques or tools and traditions of meditation. Look for a class, CD, book or online resources to help you determine what may work best for you.

• Concentration meditation. A concentrative style of meditation involves focusing on a single point. This could entail witnessing and feeling the breath, repeating a single word or mantra, or staring at a candle flame. If you have trouble with the concept of moving inward, this is a good place to begin because developing concentration and focus will prepare you for deepening the effects of your practice over time.
• Mindfulness meditation. This technique encourages the practitioner to observe wandering thoughts as they drift through the mind. You don’t get involved with the thoughts or judge them, but simply become aware of each mental note as it arises. This develops acceptance and non-attachment.
• Metta meditation. This is the cultivation of loving kindness, which opens the heart and sends intentions of well-being, happiness and peace to others and yourself.

Lori Brothers is a wellness consultant and educator who has been teaching healthy lifestyle concepts and yoga-based therapies for more than 20 years.