A wealth of medical research now exists that adequately demonstrates the benefits of meditation to relax and alleviate stress. If you’re like most people, maybe you have this image of meditation having to sit cross-legged with a straight back chanting the sound OM. Perhaps you’d be surprised to know that almost anything in your daily life can be used as a meditation, as long as you focus your mind to the action you’re currently doing. In this way, swimming, running, knitting, tai-chi, Yoga, walking in nature, gardening, washing the dishes, or even making love can be a meditation. What these activities all have in common is their ability to keep your thoughts focused on the present moment.
I regularly tell many of my private clients that meditation is simply about being present! I personally have discovered, from my nearly 20 years of meditation, that it enables me to be present in the “here and now” of my life. Dr. John Kabat-Zinn, the renowned professor of medicine and meditation teacher, says, "Meditation is simply about being yourself and knowing about who that is. It is about coming to realize that you are on a path whether you like it or not, namely the path that is your life." Therefore, I say that another word for meditation is MINDFULNESS. Meditation allows you to live more consciously and mindfully in every moment of your life.
However, there is one thing that prevents us to stay focused and mindful in the moment. That one thing in the eastern spiritual traditions is called the “monkey mind.” Like the proverbial monkey jumping from one branch to the other, our monkey-mind incessantly hops from one thought to the next without ever being still. Meditation, or mindfulness training, allows the incessant chatter of our monkey mind to become calm and quiet so we can finally reconnect to our true self, the ever-present nature of who we are that gets obscured and drowned out by the noise of our everyday thoughts.
Neuroscience now tells us that the mind is just another muscle that we can flex and strengthen. (Read more here.) Meditation is the mental exercise ideal to train the muscle of our mind. This is why even the “special ops” unit of the U.S military and professional sports teams incorporate meditation into their training for soldiers and athletes to be in peak performance. So how then can you begin buffing up your mind and flex those mental muscles?Let’s begin by having you take a long, slow, deep breath!Focusing on your breathing, specifically on the quality and state of your breath, is the key to meditation and to being present. Most of us do shallow breathing, i.e. not connecting our breath deep into the belly. Deep-belly breathing has now been shown in numerous studies to have a significant benefit on our neurophysiology, calming and soothing both the mind and body. (More will be discussed on the power of the breath next week).
To begin deep-belly breathing, you can start by sitting comfortably in a quiet place and close your eyes. Then, slowly and gradually begin to turn your thoughts and awareness to your breath. Observe how you’re breathing, and notice the sensations happening in your body. Gradually begin to slow and drop your breath into your lower belly, just below your navel. Continue to do this for the next 3-5 minutes. (Self-guided breathing and meditation video here)
As I’ve said many times, “How you choose to breath, determines how you choose to live, heal, and be. As you allow your breath to become grounded, flowing, abundant, effortless, connected, and rich, those very same properties begin to manifest in your life!”
Breathe, relax, and keep on Living Your Light®
Dr. Jay Kumar
www.drjaykumar.com
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