Meditation

A method of quieting the mind, and opening the practitioner to better connect with divinity.

Historical Background

Meditation practices have been around for thousands of years across many cultures. Transcendental meditation, the form of meditation that uses a repeated mantra, gained a great deal of popularity in the 60's when the various members of the Beatles learned it, thus bringing immense publicity to meditation. One of the other reason's for the popularity of this form of meditation is due to the ease with which it may be learned and practiced. Many Buddhist traditions tend to focus on the breath as a way to meditate. In addition, there are practices such as Qigong, Tai Chi, and Yoga, which are considered moving meditations.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why would you use Meditation?

Meditation is used to help quiet, center, and ground our minds and ourselves.

2. What are the benefits of Meditation?

The benefit of meditation is that often our minds are running rampant on hundreds of small details. Meditation helps to quiet and focus the mind. In addition, there are measurable physical benefits such as lowered blood pressure, decreased risk of heart attack, less chance of depression, and greater feelings of satisfaction with life (Idiot's Guide, pg 113).

3. What should you consider regarding Meditation?

What should be considered is that there are a wide variety of ways to meditate, if one method does not work, the person should not give up on meditation, but rather look for other methods.

References

1. Robinson, Jonthan. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Awakening Your Spirituality. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2000.
2. Sharon, Janis. Spirituality for Dummies. New York: Hungry Minds, 2000.