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Mindful Monday

Week One: Why Meditate?

By Hummingbird HubPublished 3 years ago 2 min read
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Mindful Monday

Week One: Why Meditate?

This is the first of five posts on Meditation and Mindfulness throughout the month of March. I have chosen this month as I will be participating in Tricycle Magazine’s ‘Month of Meditation’.

So what comes to mind when you think of meditation? Sleeping whilst sitting up? Chanting? Thinking positive thoughts? An escape from reality? Concentrating hard? Listening to chill out music? Sitting and doing nothing?

Meditation is a relaxing practice which helps you focus your mind and let go of stress. The Hindu guru, Nisargadatta Maharaj, when talking about meditation said:

‘You Begin by letting thoughts flow and watching them. The very observation slows down the mind til it stops altogether. Once the mind is quiet. Don’t get bored with peace, be in it, go deeper into it.’

Our minds can often generate anxious and stressful feelings due to our busy and over stimulated lives. The main goal of meditation is to quieten or still the mind.

Meditation can help to reduce some of the nervous energy which leads to anxiety and stress. It creates a sense of deep peace whilst the mind is quietened or focused on one simple thing and brings you into the present moment.

Those who practice meditation regularly learn to live their lives in the present moment. This is part of the philosophy of Buddhism and Mindfulness. This suggests that we pay attention to the here and now as much as possible. The art of meditation supports the practice of mindfulness perfectly, helping us to let go of thoughts and focus on the present moment.

Some people see meditation as a hard thing to master. Thinking that they are unable to ‘stop thinking’ or are unable to control their minds. Much of the time this is resistance to the fear of being out of control.

Fear that arises maybe that sitting and doing nothing could perhaps bring up feelings and emotions which are uncomfortable.

We are our own thoughts. Repeated thought patterns, even if negative, make us feel secure and comfortable. In our modern world we put in many distractions to take us away from our thoughts, our phones, social media, television, drugs, alcohol. Many of us make ourselves too busy to think. We create stress worrying about the past or the future when we could be enjoying the present moment.

By welcoming a daily meditation practice we realise that we are able to master our own minds and control our thoughts. Meditation is a valuable tool for mastering our own minds and making permanent changes in the way we think and react.

Next week I will be sharing with you what meditation means to me.

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Hummingbird Hub

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