This following scene was observed in a certain household.
Angry father: What don’t you go out and find a job?
Lazy Son: Dad, please do not disturb me I’m working hard.
Father: You are just sitting around doing nothing.
Son: Dad, I’m meditating!
This could have happened in any household because to most people meditation is mystical and confusing. Most of us harbor misconceptions about it. Before we delve deeper into the benefits of meditation or techniques of meditation, let us explore the definition of meditation and what it truly means.
What is meditation?
Let us begin with what mediation is not.
- Mediation is not religious or affiliated to a particular religion.
- It is It can be practiced by anyone whether they believe in God or not and regardless of their own personal beliefs.
- Meditation is not an eastern philosophy, neither is it western. It is completely universal in approach and application.
- Mediation is not a single technique or discipline. There are a plethora of paths to reach the same end. You are free to choose yours.
Definition of meditation can be derived from the etymology of the word. Meditation is derived from two Latin words:
- Meditari meaning to think or dwell.
- Medari meaning to heal.
The best way to understand the core benefit and hence the corresponding linked benefits of meditation are with an analogy.Let’s take a look.
Analogy of ‘the red ball and the green ball:
You are standing in the middle of a lush green park. The sun kisses your skin softly and the lilting songs of the birds fill your heart with joy. To make this day even more joyous, you companion teaches you a simple game. She hands you two baskets, a red one and a green one. The object of the game is simple: your companion will throw a ball at you, either a red one or a green one. You, my friend, have to receive the ball and put it in the basket of the same color. Simple? Let’s play!
As you play, you find it fairly simple and are having fun. You catch each ball and place it in its basket. The red ball goes into the red basket and the green ball into the green basket. Now you companion raises the bar and starts throwing the balls faster. You now are finding it difficult to keep up. You start missing some balls. Before you can comprehend the color of the ball, the next one is on its way. As a result, some balls end up in the wrong basket. Unfazed, your companion keeps increasing her speed and eventually you find yourself at the losing end of the battle.
Life is quite the same way. In the analogy, you represent the Intellect. The balls are like thoughts that are flung at your intellect daily. The red balls are negative thoughts and the green balls are positive thoughts. The baskets are decisions your Intellect makes, it disregards the red balls by putting them in the red basket and preserves the green ones by putting them in the green one.
However there is one major problem. According to a recent study by UCLA, we have 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts per day. Imagine 50,000 people talking to you every day! There will be pandemonium and utter chaos. Yet, that is exactly what out Intellect experiences every day. Imagine fielding 50 to 70 thousand balls every day! Do you think you will drop some balls? Do you think some balls will end up in the wrong basket? Do you think you will get exhausted? Sure!
Now that we understand the nature of the problem, what is the solution? How do we play the ball game better? The answer is simple but not easy. The answer is:
- Slow down the balls as much as you possible so you can dwell on each one separately.
- Improve your decision-making to quickly decide which basket the ball goes into.
- Improve your alertness and awareness when you are playing
- Increase your strength and stamina of the player so you are ready for the deluge of balls every day.
Meditation does exactly these four things for our Intellect. [If you don’t know what intellect is click here to understand the mind body spirit model used at Live To The Fullest. ]
1. It slows down our thoughts and internal chatter so we can dwell on each thought separately. This also leads to relaxation and acts as one of the best stress management techniques.
2. It strengthens our decision-making ability. This helps in avoiding bad decisions and even addictions. Healing from addiction is brought about by making the right decisions ‘one day at a time’. In addition to 12 steps or any other rational recovery methods, meditation can be a powerful weapon to fight an addiction [drugs, alcohol abuse, sex, love addiction etc.] through self healing. [Click here for more details]
3. It improves awareness and alertness by helping us get in touch with the ‘master within, our wisest inner-self. Again, it acts as one of the most effective stress management techniques.
4. It increases our intellectual strength and stamina, helping us to unwaveringly make accurate decisions without exhaustion.
This is exactly why we need to meditate.
Namaste!
“Be your Best Live to the Fullest !”
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