The Definition of Meditation - Assignment Example

?Meditation Definition of Meditation McNeely defines meditation as “sustained concentration that focuses attention and heightens awareness” (20). TheMedical Dictionary provides a more comprehensive definition of the term as “a practice of concentrated focus upon a sound, object, visualization, the breath, movement, or attention itself in order to increase awareness of the present moment, reduce stress, promote relaxation, and enhance personal and spiritual growth” (par. 1). Both definitions regard the elements of concentration and focus aimed at improving one’s awareness for purposes that range from relieving anxiety and stress, to relax, and to find inner strength through both personal and spiritual development. According to Bourne (2006), meditation is simply “a spiritual practice, its purpose being to explore the very nature of what we are” (par. 1). Meditation has been studied by various practitioners and has been determined to contribute to the well-being of an individual and in the relief of medical illness or stress. As Baime averred, “meditation cultivates an emotional stability that allows the meditator to experience intense emotions fully while simultaneously maintaining perspective on them" (Medical Dictionary, par. 2). Further, there have been specific illnesses and disorders that were validated to be cured, relieved or prevented by regular meditation, to wit: “meditation is considered to be one of the better therapies for panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, substance dependence and abuse, ulcers, colitis, chronic pain, psoriasis, and dysthymic disorder. It is considered to be a valuable adjunctive therapy for moderate hypertension (high blood pressure), prevention of cardiac arrest (heart attack), prevention of atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries), arthritis (including fibromyalgia), cancer, insomnia, migraine, and prevention of stroke. Meditation may also be a valuable complementary therapy for allergies and asthma because of the role stress plays in these conditions. Meditative practices have been reported to improve function or reduce symptoms in patients with some neurological disorders as well. These include people with Parkinson's disease, people who experience fatigue with multiple sclerosis, and people with epilepsy who are resistant to standard treatment” (Medical Dictionary, par. 2). Categories of Meditation According to Scott (2009), the two categories of meditation are concentrative and non-concentrative. For the concentrative category, the meditator focuses on an object outside the body, such as a flickering flame of the candle or a musical background. On the other hand, the non-concentrative category was indicated to have a wider or broader focus from the individual’s external environment (sounds), or one’s own breathing and inner state of the physical body (Scott, par. 6). McNeely, presented two meditation techniques in the form of concentration techniques and opening-up techniques. The definition for the concentration techniques are basically the same as above mentioned; while the opening-up techniques were identified to “control attention by focusing on the here and now” (21). Effects of Meditation The Medical Dictionary has revealed diverse positive effects of meditation, such as according physiological and benefits, for the treatment of chemical dependency (including smoking, drug and alcohol abuse) and in relieving anxiety and stress (pars. 17 – 21). Aside from the medical disorders and illnesses mentioned above, meditation has been reported to have positive improvements for the treatment and prevention of breast and prostate cancer, chronic pain, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, skin condition, and fibromyalgia, among others (ibid.) Techniques of Meditation From a diversity of meditation techniques, one that initially and immediately appealed to me is the basic meditation technique. As a beginner, with no prior meditation experience, the basic meditation technique promised to be relatively easy and promising. The idea is to put oneself in a comfortable position and to devoid the clutter of ideas and thoughts into practically nothing. Another meditation technique that focuses on something – instead of nothing – is the focused meditation technique where, according to Scott (2009), when compared to the basic meditation technique, this focused approach centers on “staying in the present moment and circumventing the constant stream of commentary from your conscious mind, and allowing yourself to slip into an altered state of consciousness” (par. 9). One could initially focus on an object, or one’s regular breathing, or even a sound or music. When one is encouraged to delve into a regular activity, a pattern, the meditation technique is known as activity-oriented meditation technique. Yoga, artwork, gardening and other leisurely skills that one is genuinely interested in can fall under this category. The focus is to be determined and committed to the regular activity that will be used as a relaxing experience where one frees the mind of other thoughts except the activity being indulged in. Finally, a spiritual meditation technique is seen as a technique focusing on the power of prayer. A divine power is believed to send messages through the experience. As Scott (2009) averred, “many people experience ‘guidance’ or inner wisdom once the mind is quiet, and meditate for this purpose” (par. 12). The serenity and peace felt through this technique enables the meditator to clear one’s mind and accept daily challenges as part of spiritual cleansing. Personal Experience on Meditation As initially indicated, one’s preference in meditation technique is the simplest and easiest: the basic meditation where one is encouraged to sit still and free the mind from all thoughts – to think of nothing. I tried it initially for 5 minutes on the first time and increased it to 10 minutes for the second meditation session. Before meditating, I am feeling so tired and just utterly exhausted from all the previous days’ activities. As if the energy that needs to comply with all the requirements is about to be depleted and I was almost on the verge of bursting. My mind is filled with plans of activities that still need to be accomplished in the next few days. I was always trying to fit in more activities to pre-scheduled ones and trying to negotiate, in my mind, how I can delay others to make room for new ones. I even tried to fit this five minute meditation to a very busy schedule. I was so glad I did. After the first 5 minutes meditation, I was actually just relieved that it was finished. The experience was relatively easy for me as I slumped on our sofa, closed my eyes and tried to think of practically nothing. There were split instances when activities just prop in my faculties and as soon as they emerge, I try to get back to the blank perspective. I set the alarm clock to 5 minutes to I would be advised that my meditation time is over. It was indeed a relief just to put my mind in ‘nothing mode’ for five minutes and enjoy the feeling of doing nothing. The meditation procedure was repeated by increasing the time for meditation by another 5 minutes after every session; so that on the second day, I was meditating for 15 minutes and 20 minutes. On the third day, I meditated for 25 minutes and 30 minutes. When I breached the 15 minutes time to meditate, I began to feel uneasy and thoughts began to prop more frequently. I was earnestly waiting for the alarm clock to ring. I suddenly realized, it was difficult after all to try to think of nothing for a long time (more than 15 minutes was a long time for me) – when I knew that I have so many other things to attend do. Then again, there is this certain feeling of renewal, a relaxing feeling. I started to anticipate for the next scheduled meditation period so that I can turn into my ‘nothing mode’ and forget whatever other things I need to tackle in the next few hours. As I have never meditated before, the experience was both intimidating at first since I thought it would be a relatively easy experience – but as I increased the meditation time, I began to feel uneasy and thoughts kept propping in my mind. I realized that any marked changes would be realized if I would continue with this meditation technique or even try other techniques to determine which one would appeal to me. I am anxious to determine the positive benefits learned from meditation and I wanted to experience these benefits for myself. Whatever apprehensions or doubts at the back of my mind could only be addressed when I would experience positive transformations through inner strength and peace promised by meditation. Works Cited Baime, Michael J. "Meditation and Mindfulness" in Essentials of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, edited Wayne B. Jonas and Jeffrey S. Levin. New York: Lippencott, Williams and Wilkins, 1999. Print. Bourne, C. What is the Purpose of Meditation? 2006. Web. 22 June 2011. McNeely, A. Consciousness and Variations. N.d. Web. 22 June 2011. Medical Dictionary. Meditation. 2011. Web. 22 June 2011. Scott, Elizabeth. Benefits and Different Types of Meditation Techniques. 2009. Web. 22 June 2011. < http://stress.about.com/od/lowstresslifestyle/a/meditation.htm> Read More