Do you meditate?

If so, what do you gain by it? Do you feel it’s time well spent?

More and more, Americans are learning what many around the world have known for 2500 years: one’s state of mind has influence over one’s physical well being. The National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine has a great overview of the benefits and effects of “Mind-Body” Medicine here.

I’m going to be conducting a workshop on meditation Thursday, July 17th from 7 to 9pm at my office in Silverton. When I started thinking about workshops, and what topics to present I came up with a number of ideas, including things like parents surviving their adolescents, being in healthy relationships, ending unhealthy relationships, moving on after a relationship ends, marriage workshop, and hypnosis to improve your concentration.

I decided to start with meditation. I know a lot of people are interested in meditation; I often hear that they aren’t sure how to get started or worry that they “aren’t doing it right”. I want to use my workshop to teach some techniques and assure my students that if it’s working for you, you are doing it right. Let me also get rid of those ideas that meditation is only for those seeking to answer the question, ‘what is the meaning of life’? I mean, you can use meditation for this reason, but that’s pretty limiting.

Studies over the last 20 years indicate that meditation helps to decrease blood pressure, reduce anxiety and muscle tension; it reduces stress by shutting off worries, doubts, and concerns while meditating; it improves clarity and focus; it helps your immune system; it increases serotonin levels in your body, improving your mood.

It’s important to understand that meditation is not a religion. It has its roots in Buddhism but it doesn’t have to be connected with God in any way. Still, many people use meditation to develop a closer relationship with God. Some believe meditation is a way to tap into a “Universal Knowledge”, an energy that connects all of us to everything else in the Universe. For others, it is a method of centering oneself, gaining clarity, reducing stress, and stretching one’s mind as one would stretch their muscles.

I enjoy meditating. It’s a good way to start my day and get focused. It quiets my mind, and I feel a sense of peacefulness when I finish. That‘s a good thing that nearly anyone can achieve.