Basic Meditation - a Beginner's Guide Towards Enlightenment and Relaxation

When we hear the term meditation we tend to associate it mainly with monks, mystics or other spiritual paths. However, we need not be sagacious holy beings in order to enjoy the benefits of meditation. In fact, meditation needs no special place or situation to be practiced, allowing us to explore our deeper selves anywhere and at anytime. This provides us with the ultimate in self-improvement during any moment in our life. From sports, our workplace, all the way to our personal lives, we can achieve so many positives through meditation.

Through meditation we are able to consciously relax and focus our mind and body. As we develop our meditative skills we are able to increase our awareness, focus, concentration, as well as develop a more positive outlook towards our own life.

The fundamental principles to meditation remain the same today as they have centuries ago. By removing obstructive, negative, and wandering thoughts and fantasies, while calming our minds through a deep sense of focus we can prepare ourselves for a higher quality of activity devoid of the faults and pitfalls that come from the debris of "stinkin' thinkin'" or negative attitudes.

Pollution of the mind can be as seemingly trite as distaste for noisy neighbors, annoying office-mates, an untimely parking ticket, etc. By being self-aware enough to shut those negative moments out of your conscious mind will allow for a "cleansing" which enables us to focus on deeper, more meaningful thoughts and actions. We can essentially move on from the past and move towards our future.

Many well practiced at meditation can shut out all sensory input - leaving no sight, sound, or touch by detaching themselves from the world around them. Think of this as a sort of vacation from the world, but such that is healthy and forwarding instead of destructive as other forms of escapism like alcohol or substance abuse. They can then focus on far more profound thoughts while casting away thoughts that act as quicksand - trapping you from moving forward.

The silence accompanied with such deep focus and concentration can seem deafening at first. We are all so accustomed to picking up every sight, sound, taste, and touch of stimuli around us at all times. However, as you continue to exercise, you will find yourself becoming even more aware with all that is surrounding you despite actively attempting to block these out. This is termed "clarity" because you train yourself to dismiss the unimportant stimuli in order to concentrate on what is most important.

Some meditation practitioners assume physical positions in order to achieve their best clarity. Some of these positions can seem intimidating at first like a strangely arched back and painful-looking contortions associated with yoga or marital arts. You need not bend yourself into a pretzel in order to achieve a higher enlightenment. Instead, it is best to simply find a comfortable position in which you are able to concentrate inwards instead of on all that is around you. This can be by sitting cross-legged, standing comfortably, lying down, or even walking. Personally I have found that my mind becomes incredibly focused inwards while on a relaxing walk. As a writer, some of my best work has been constructed during such walks... the trick then is remembering them when I am able to put them to paper.

Some may claim that the place to perform your meditation should be within a soothing atmosphere. I partially agree with this. When practicing during a routine, it is certainly beneficial to meditate in a quiet room free from negative or distracting stimuli. However, to use the benefits of meditation to its true potential, one must learn to meditate during moments that are not so calm. Professional sports athletes routinely utilize the basics of meditation while in the midst of their most stressful situations in effort to calm themselves and focus so that they perform better than if they were unfocused and distraught. Meditation is completely inward and thus can be achieved anywhere at anytime so do not be afraid to use meditative techniques, such as deep breathing and focusing, even during your most stressful situations.

Helpful techniques besides deep breathing can include visualizing what you wish to be accomplishing. Focus on every detail but be sure not to imagine the negatives - visualize yourself doing it ideally and perfectly. This sets up a path in which you can work towards once your meditation is finished and you are able to attempt what you have imagined. Should you feel tense, stiff, or in pain, try to focus your thoughts on the body parts you are feeling uncomfortable with while mentally visualizing yourself successfully releasing this tension. You will be surprised at just how powerful your mind can be when it comes to control over your body.

Meditation is a simple and risk-free practice with infinite benefits well worth practicing routinely. It takes almost no effort at all and yet can reap tremendous physiological and psychological benefits to your body, mind, and well-being.