Meditation...

Some words on the art of meditation...

‘Meditation is the deliberate, conscious cultivation of attention and awareness, called mindfulness. Developing mindful awareness filters, illumines and frees the mind. It releases awareness from habitual conditioning, compulsion and attachment; clarifies, resolves and eases inner conflicts; and expands and lifts consciousness. Meditation "untangles what is tangled," as Buddha said. In simpler terms, Meditation is a tool that anyone can use to help them cope with their day to day lives, stress, and anxiety by way of thought, consideration, and reflection.’

Meditation is helpful because it can assist you to improve your psychological, emotional and physical health. It can also help you let go of old patterns of behaviour that may be producing problems in your life and effecting sickness. The harshness of daily life can take a toll on your emotions in spite of individual strengths and beliefs. It’s too often that you see someone lose their temper in a traffic jam or become infuriated at the behavior of their kids. When a person loses power over their emotional response mechanisms, the possibility for mental and physical damage to themselves or others increases vastly. Knowing how to and then actually putting into practice stress reduction techniques to decrease or even remove tension is essential to our existence. Meditation is an ancient way to still the mind, experience inner peace, and enhance awareness. It also develops better concentration, allowing deeper, more creative thinking and problem solving.

The art of meditation is the art of listening with your total being...

'When we distinguish our world fully through the mechanics of our senses during meditation or during waking life, our reality is as clear as our inner and outer senses are able to smell, hear, taste, see and feel it — and so we endeavor to do so fully. During meditation, growing our senses heightens our meditation and our profit from it. These senses that so many of us tend to neglect, are essential to our meditation experience. '

So let us take care of our senses.

Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, stop. Breathe deeply and close your eyes. When your eyes are closed, your senses of hearing, touch, smell and taste increase. Pay attention to your outer environment. Take a deep breath. Any scents in the air? Feel your hands. Are they smooth or rough? Do you taste something right now? Go inward and focus on your being.