Meditation and Mindfulness

Updated on September 25th, 2022

I have been hearing about Meditation since my College days. The only thing that I knew about it at that time was that one has to sit in silence and focus on something. But I had no idea as to what it actually meant. Over   period of time,  the hype about meditation increased. A number of web sites came up, giving methods and techniques of meditation. Some even introduced free lessons including guided meditation sessions. 

When I was in my thirties, I decided to go deeper to understand what meditation was all about

What is Meditation

Meditation is the practice of tocusing one’s mind tfor a period of time.  In meditation, we train our mind to focus in spite of distracting thoughts.  As we do not attach any emotions or attention to these passing thoughts, our brain get relieved and we can use that same strength and energy in our daily life. The principle in meditation is that in this process, your body becomes still and and feels light. As a result you feel calm and your capacity to concentrate and do your work increases. You become more patient, focussed and   positive about yourself. 

Two Methods of Meditation

After going through the variety of methods and techniques advocated on net and in some books on meditation, I realised that broadly, there are two methods of meditation. 

Meditation in which you focus your attention on any internal or external object.

-This is known as concentration meditation. The object of focus may be the breath, a mantra, part of the body, candle flame or any other object. Some examples of this type of meditation are Loving Kindness Meditation, Chakra Meditation, Kundalini Meditation, Sound Meditation, Mantra Meditation,  Pranayama and some more. 

Meditation in which you do not focus your attention on anything.

– In this you keep our attention open and monitor all aspects of our experience in the present, without making any judgment or attachment. Examples are Mindfulness meditation and Vipassana. Vipassana, in fact, is a combination of both.

My Experience with Meditation

After carrying out a detailed theoretical study  on internet and by reading some books, I attempted doing meditation a number of times on my own, but was not able to concentrate. In fact mind became more active with stray thoughts when I sat in silence. I was   also confused as to which technique to use to get the best effect.

My experience with Short Meditation Sessions

Therefore, I decided to learn meditation under guidance. On the first available opportunity, I joined a Guided Meditation Program. Our guide made us sit in a comfortable position with our eyes closed and made us listen to a soothing commentary in a very slow voice. He guided us to focus on our breath first and then take our attention to different parts of the body from tow to head. After the ten minutes session I felt quite good and relaxed. 

But when it came to doing it alone without the guide, even on a recorded audio, the effect was not the same. I continued doing this  meditation once a day for few months. Thereafter, my interest in meditation faded and I became erratic in doing it.

The second time I tried Meditation seriously when I was in my forties. This time, I joined a week-long Yoga program, where meditation was a part of it along with other activities. Here, there was no requirement to focus on anything but just sit silent. The thoughts will come and go. You were not to stop them, but just be aware of them without making any judgement or getting engrossed in them. I continued with this meditation at least once a day for 10 to 15 minutes everyday. I used to feel relaxed and energised.

MY Experience with Vipassana Meditation

Next, in my early fifties,  I decided to take a full ten day Vipassana Meditation retreat at one of the centres in India. Here, you are to keep total silence for 10 days and live more or less like a monk during the entire stay. The daily routine included meditation for nearly 10 to 12 hours. This was a different and difficult experience compared to the previous ones.

The first two days were really difficult for me. “I can’t sit in cross-legged position for long, please allow me to sit with a support” I requested my Guru Guide. “You have to get used to sitting in this position. You have no choice.” replied my Guru. 

At the end of the course, I was not only able to sit still in one position, but was also able to focus my mind and feel sensations in every part of the body.

I realised, Meditation is all about keeping you body and mind still. Your mind always wanders either in the past or the future. The aim is to control and tame your mind to remain in the present be aware(mindful) of what is happening in the  present. 

Since then, I have been doing meditation for at least one hour everyday.

Difference between Meditation and Mindfulness

On the internet I found words Meditation and Mindfulness were being used interchangeably. Meditation in the west was considered more as an eastern practice patronised by sages and monks. When research proved its benefits and  some medical practitioners of the west tried to prescribe it as practice for health care, they were mocked.  To make it acceptable and popular to the general populace of the west, they termed it as mindfulness,  an exercise in awareness, which means the same thing as meditation.  There is practically no difference between the two. A Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR) developed in the late 1970s by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, made the word Mindfulness popular and replaced the word Meditation in the west.

Benefits of Meditation

With my 15 years of doing meditation, I have been personally benefitted a lot.

–I used to be very restless and short tempered. With the practice of meditation, I became calm and could exercise a good control over my anger. 

-Earlier, I had difficulty in sleeping. After regular practice of meditation, now I am able to sleep within 20 minutes of hitting the bed. 

–My blood pressure used to be on the higher side. It became normal and the readings became very close to ideal.

–I frequently used to feel stressed under pressure of work, but the practice of meditation helped me improve my focus and ability to work under stress.

 -I had difficulty in maintaining good inter-personal relationships with many. My inter-personal relationship improved with all.

–I have found an improvement in my mood, feeling of happiness and general well being.

–Meditation helps increase intuitive powers and helps increase creativity. It helps bring about true personal transformation.

 Apart from the benefits listed above which I personally experienced, there are a large number of benefits which have been listed in the net based on scientific research. There are a number of web sites listing them.

Useful Lessons and Tips for Beginners

In the beginning, one has a problem of concentrating which is a  common complaints by all beginners. So be patient and don’t get frustrated. With the passage of time, your concentration will improve. You will start liking it.

It is not difficult to meditate and achieve a state of tranquility with constant practice.

The method and technique of doing meditation is not very important so long as you are able to achieve a state of mindfulness. You can choose any technique or a combination suiting you. You can even experiment and make a variation, so long it helps you in achieving a state of  mindfulness.

Timings are not very sacrosanct for meditation, but early morning and late evening hours are considered to be the preferable times.

A duration of 5 to 10 minutes is adequate for meditation in the beginning, but gradually the time needs to go up till you reach 1 hr. For the people who are retired, this should not pose any problem. 

As you get used to it, you will start enjoying it and you will be able to achieve one hour quite comfortably. Even if you are not able to do it for this duration, due to constraints of time or any other reason, do it for as long as possible. The key is to do it regularly and preferably without any break. Regularity and continuity in Meditation is more important than the duration.

Doing meditation with your partner is very effective and increases the benefits. It also helps in improving understanding and bonding.

Although, the roots of the meditation may be in Buddhist teachings, there is no religion or faith attached to any form of  meditation. You need not be spiritual or religious minded to do meditation.

Over a period of time, meditation becomes a  part of your daily routine. I feel something missing if I do not do meditation on any single day.

You can even do meditation with the eyes open. Mindfulness  can be integrated into your daily life routine. You can do it at other times like walking, waiting for a bus or train, waiting in traffic or waiting to fall asleep etc.

Over a period of time, you can be in meditative state at all the times.

The ideal posture for meditation is sitting in cross legged position without any movement, but you can assume any comfortable position so long as  your back is upright. 

There is no age restriction for doing meditation. It is equally beneficial to elderly as well as youngsters.

As meditation does not require any special gear and you are required to meditate with your eyes closed, the place for meditation really does not matter. Only make sure that the place is clean, airy and is free of distractions.

 Doing meditation in lying down position in not recommended as a routine. However, you can do it as a variation once in a while. The drawback here is that you are most likely to fall asleep in the process.

You may experience different sensations during the meditation process. There may be a feeling of twitching, tickling,  shivering, sleepiness, feeling of  energy current passing through, seeing visual patterns etc. All these are normal.

No significant claims were made by the traditional spiritual Gurus on the impact of meditation on the physical healing and general health. Their emphasis was more on achieving peace of mind and higher spiritual growth. Health benefits were only considered as a byproduct. However, today, mindfulness is being advocated as a means for achieving better health and physical healing.  This is because the scientific research has proved beyond doubt that people who meditate have a better health and fewer physical problems. A healthy mind ensures a healthy body too.

Meditation is an exercise for  a healthy mind like  going to the gym and exercising is for our body.

The best thing about Meditation is that it does not cost anything and can be done anywhere at anytime.

The deep rest experienced in ten minutes of meditation is far more useful and beneficial than the extra thirty minutes of sleep.

 There are a large number of web pages on Meditation. Search the web for ‘Meditation for Beginners’ and you will come across some good sites.

So, don’t hesitate to try. You don’t lose anything. Consider the time spent on Meditation as an investment. You will reap the returns in the form of peace of mind, calmness and improved energy levels. You may start small with short sessions of 5 to 10 minutes each, once or twice a day. Try for at least one month in coninuation. Experience the difference and then take a call.