Meditation: Pathway to inner peace

Meditation can lower blood pressure, relieve anxiety and depression, aid restorative sleep and promote a general sense of well-being.

by Ada Porat — 

The practice of meditation offers clear physiological, mental and emotional benefits. It can lower blood pressure, relieve anxiety and depression, aid restorative sleep and promote a general sense of well-being. Meditation assists with integrating the inner world of peace and joy with the outer world of action and achievement. This integration produces balance in body, mind and spirit.

The purpose of meditation is to heal and transform, to look deeply within, to listen for messages and guidance and to realize and accept your wholeness. In India, it is known as “tethering the drunken monkey,” quelling the babble of thoughts to focus on the profound essence within. It can slow down mental chatter, bringing us back to the present moment — and from there, we can access inner guidance and serenity.

The process helps us reclaim inner freedom by releasing, rather than trying to control, our thoughts. Practiced regularly, meditation clarifies the inner voice of truth. It can help us untangle the knots of everyday life and bring about desired results with more ease. When coupled with guided imagery, meditation also is used to reprogram thoughts, to provide the body with imagery for healing and to create a new reality.

Meditation empowers. With regular practice, our relationship with ourselves and others can become transformed, easier and more joyful. The hopes, desires and manifestations of life all originate from within, shining outward from there. Our hearts show us the truth about ourselves and our potential whenever we take the time to stop and listen. As we align with this truth, we discover the guidance, contentment and answers that await within.

Life is the constant unfolding of the choices we make. With regular meditation, we become more attuned to our inner guidance, empowering us to make optimal choices for our highest good. This can open doors for wonderful things to unfold in our lives.

There are many forms of meditation and it may take awhile to find the format that feels most comfortable for you.

Five basic principles common to all forms of meditation are:

1. Get grounded — To begin meditation, you must feel that you are wholly in your body. Adopt any comfortable sitting position, preferably with your spine straight. Sit solid as a rock, with your center of gravity low.
2. Use the breath — Focus on your breathing and become aware of it, allowing your mind and body to settle as you sit quietly. Don’t consciously make yourself breathe; rather, become conscious of your natural breathing.
3. Become watchful — While in a state of complete relaxation, it is important to be aware of your thoughts without becoming absorbed by them. Imagine your thoughts like clouds drifting by; watch them and realize that you are not your thoughts. Become the observer of all.
4. Allow thoughts — As random thoughts emerge, do not resist them; resistance feeds opposition. Instead, simply acknowledge their presence and allow the thoughts to float across the screen of your mind. This process can be likened to focusing on the window of a moving car while the scenery passes by.
5. Continue your practice — While it is better to meditate for 60 seconds than not at all, the ideal minimum is 20 minutes. Getting started is easy; the main reason to continue is that meditation allows you to feel wonderful.

Ada Porat is a certified vibrational healing instructor and a personal development coach with extensive international teaching and clinical experience. She uses body/mind/spirit healing techniques and transformational life coaching to facilitate balance for clients. 602-283-4628 or www.adaporat.com.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 24, Number 5, October/November 2005