A meditation is a disciplined
focus which encourages the mind to travel a specific path of thought toward a
desired result. One may wish to meditate
upon the nature of the divine and one's own relationship to it or may wish to
merely create a state of total relaxation which would be conducive to some
desired physical or mental result.
Transcendental
Meditation, a discipline for heightened awareness, which originated more than
five thousand years ago with the ancient Vedas of India, has been practiced in
Western society since its introduction to the United States by Maharishi Mahesh
Yogi in 1959. TM® is widely
accepted by Western cultures today for its ability to reduce stress and promote
physical and mental health. The major objective
of TM is an intimate association with pure awareness, practiced with dedication on a daily
basis. During its heyday, many U.S. corporate
managers promoted the program among their executives as a means of reducing
stress and increasing productivity and creativity in the work place. A much less ritualized version of TM has been
practiced by many individuals of all walks of life. The mere concept of
meditation has found considerable favor as a result of the popularity of TM and
though the more stylized approach has been left behind by many, meditation has
found a place in the awareness of millions of Westerners who seek primarily to
have an occasional refresher from the stress of everyday life and some sense of
connection with the infinite.
As it
is most commonly practiced today, meditation is usually associated with the
processes of visualization and/or a tranquil dialogue with the body
wisdom. Rather than the chanting of
mantra's, one may prefer to visualize a tranquil setting and a journey to that
location while clearing the mind of random clutter and simply attempting to
focus on some desired goal or effect.
Many use the opportunity to contact their spiritual teachers or angels
for guidance. Some use this quiet time
for exploring their innermost thoughts and recording them in a diary or journal
while others focus on an expansion of their creativity.
In
the most sublime sense, this is a dialogue with the body/mind wisdom and
therein lies the most effective and most productive use of such time.
(Read
more in our book, Whispers From the Soul, the Divine Dance of Consciousness)
and
A new MRI Research Study at Harvard reveals that meditation and mindfulness rebuilds the Brain's Gray Matter in 8 Weeks. Read Here.
