Why Meditate?
Before we get into the how of meditating, let us take a look at the benefits of meditation as a daily practice.
As stated in the introduction, meditation is not a new age idea or something only Eastern Religions practice. Over the last century more awareness has been placed on the connection between our emotional and physical health. It is now acknowledged by the medical profession that those who took time to pray or meditate, regardless of their belief system, benefited from it physically and emotionally. Think about it. When you are ill for a long time, your mood is easily shifted to be negative. The same works when you are thinking negatively or going through an emotionally troubling time. You begin to have dis-ease of the body. Many illness can be traced back to our emotional state.
In today’s world of fast and ready everything, meditation is one place where you must learn to slow down the pace and let it take its course. Meditation is not a ready prepared fast food or one size fits all type of item. The key to success is to allow yourself to relax and let it happen. You will need to approach your meditation with clear intentions for the higher good and to make a commitment to practice. The best way to approach meditation is to realize there is no right or wrong thing to experience and to really go in with an open mind and heart so that you are not attempting to take control of the meditation.
Everyone is at a different spot along their pathway of life and age has little to do with it either. A younger person could be more spiritually advanced because of their open mind and willingness to learn as compared to someone who perhaps has become set in their way of thinking or not thinking over time. However, everyone holds the key to their own spirit and only they can open the door of their mind and soul to be free to experience and unite with the greater Spirit and consciousness and to heal both the emotional body and the physical body.
All people, whether we like to admit it or not, are ritualistic by design. Although it is not necessary to create a sacred space to meditate, you will find that it helps to form a trigger between your mind, body and spirit and if you wish the spirit world. You will begin to automatically relax as you begin to create your space perhaps doing such things as placing a shawl around your shoulders, lighting a candle, putting on soft music or whatever you choose to do. Your subconscious mind stores the association between what you are physically doing to how it makes your body feel and how you feel emotionally. After a while, you will notice you go deeper into meditation at a faster rate if you practice not only the meditation but the ritual as well. Remember, not all of these may “fit” with you at this moment in time and that is okay. You can be assured there will be something that will resonate with you as you continue your meditation journey.