Not only the monks or the devotees of Lord Shiva meditate. You don’t have to belong to a specific religion nor convert into an ascetic to meditate.
There are many definitions of meditation by distinct people, but I feel this is where we are wrong. We cannot define meditation because it’s a different experience for every individual. And so, we should not compare those experiences.
The general impression of meditation is attributed to early mornings, closed eyes, natural environment, cross folded legs, and focusing on one object or deep breaths.
Yes, most of us think that way and that interpretation is not totally wrong. However, those things are not entirely about meditation but mindfulness.
Now, if you ask me the best techniques to meditate, I’m sorry but I don’t have an answer to that. It is because you are asking the wrong person.
You know who the ideal individual is?
To your surprise, it is none other than you.
I know my way of meditation, the phenomenon which makes me blissful. You need to find your own course!
You need to attain that state and you have to find the best way to do that.
But why is meditation important?
We know that the necessities of living for a physical body are food, clothes, and shelter. Similarly, the basic necessity for the soul’s healthy existence is meditation. It is not a want but a need.
Let me present to you some good reasons why you need to meditate and what its benefits are:
To become your mind’s controller
Over-thinking has turned into one of the biggest reasons for a person’s downfall. Meditation makes you the controller of your mind. It enables you to get rid of the unwanted and negative thoughts.
To increase the feel-quotient
You can’t think of happiness; you can only feel it. Meditation enables you to feel more aware of the present which is the key to happiness.
To utilize your mental capabilities
When you meditate, you stay fresh and boosted. Your mind fatigues less, enabling you to extract its fullest potential.
To push the boundaries of your comfort zone
A meditated mind does not fear the new but welcomes the change. It keeps challenging the boundaries of your comfort zone, enhancing your personal and professional growth.
To create lifetime memories
Meditation helps you feel the awareness in the present moment. When your physical and your mental body are at the same place, you create a memory out of every moment.
To convert sympathy into compassion
Meditation enables you to act more so you convert your thoughts into action. Whenever you feel sympathetic towards a person, a meditated mind tries to convert that sympathy into compassion i.e. doing something for the same.
To become mindful of what you feed
The awareness of a meditated mind helps you observe what, when, and how much you eat. This way, you stay fit and healthy.
To feel blessed
Meditation teaches you the biggest lesson which is the ‘appreciation of the now’. There is no comparison and competition with others. You are content with who you are and what you have.
To stay away from intoxication
Meditation keeps you high on life by the buzz created by it. You don’t want to be high on alcohol or any other form of intoxication.
To get rid of suffering and sorrow
You love more and attach less via meditation. It enables you to see everything from a higher level. It reduces the let-go time in case of misery inflicted by loss and failures.
To maintain healthy personal relationships
When you meditate, there is a transparency between your physical and mental appearance. Not only are you true to yourself but also to others. Your friends may be fewer, but friendship lasts for a lifetime.
To stop judging others
Meditation enables you to love more and judge less. And when you don’t judge others, you break the illusion of getting judged by them.
To stay away from negativity
No wonder, the awareness in the present is a gateway to positivity. You stress less and you become less prone to negativity.
To express your feelings better
Meditation activates your conscious mind and awakens your righteous self. It enables you to convey your feelings better. Not only positivity is well-expressed but it also helps you to flush out the negativity via expressing.
To become self-aware
Meditation helps you to explore your inside world. It enhances your quality of living. You keep on improving as an individual. As a result, you ride high in your inner-self attributes.
To explore your passion
When you meditate, you explore your inner-self. You become self-aware. You discover your zeal, the thing which you love to do. Lucky are the ones who get to recognize their passion.
If you ask me in materialistic terms,
Why settle for a scooter when you have the means to buy yourself a Mercedes?
Why die like the majority when you belong to the few?
And why settle with extracting less when you can extract the full potential of the mind?
Let me tell you my way of meditating …
Everyone has their own way. My course of meditation is writing while yours might be different. It can be dancing, singing, praying, running, painting, reading or anything else. Whatever it is, it’s your very own way of enjoying solitude.
Let me just tell you, meditation is my mental body’s favorite meal! You can savor it, too.
But it is you who has to identify how to relish it.
You know why it is difficult to relish it?
We are living in a stressful environment where competition begins at home. Negativity surrounds us in the form of people and situations. The poor mind, always accompanied by thoughts, gets attracted to the outside negativity. Finally, a negative thought pops inside your mind, which lays the foundation to attract other negative energies.
But, always remember:
When positivity lives inside, we can cut the chord of the outside negativity. The tool used to cut that chord is nothing but meditation!!!
The Role of Meditation in Happiness
You don’t have to pass an entrance test to be happy. Blessed with the necessities of food, clothes, shelter, you become eligible for happiness.
I have seen people who were content working day-night for bread and butter.
I have met another set of people who are miles away from happiness sitting on a recliner by the beach-side.
The mind is the most powerful tool of a human being. It is full of thoughts and those thoughts take us to various places. We meet many characters and face various situations.
But the irony is that only our mental body is traveling while our physical body is right here. This imbalance is due to stress, negativity in our lives, and overthinking. So, let us meditate to slow down, restrict the flow of thoughts, savor the present, set up awareness, and activate the conscious mind to be happy.
Do you meditate?
If not, explore the experience. Good luck!