Meditation - It's Not What You Think!

I've been practicing meditation for over 10 years now, the keyword there being practice. I'm certainly no Guru or Buddhist monk that has sat in quite contemplation for those 10 years. I'm just your average guy seeking some spiritual connection.

So, here's the short version of my experience in tapping into the Divine.

The first time I "attempted" to meditate was with a group of my peers and it was a 5 minute quiet meditation. I thought my head was going to catch on fire or maybe even explode! Five minutes might as well have been 5 hours. The "committee" inside my head would not shut up. My brain shouted "You will never be able to meditate!"

Thus began my quest for an easy way to quiet my mind and get into a meditative state.

I ran out and bought several books on meditation and some guided meditation CD's. My first great success was with one of these simple guided meditations. WOW! I actually "left my body" and connected to my higher power, it was so...well, POWERFUL.

I continued to experiment with various forms of meditation and sought out as many teachers as I could find. There were so many I can't cover them all here, but I'll tell you more in future articles. After some years I found several methods that worked well for me. Here are a few of them.

-Sound based meditation CD's
-Chanting
-Short (3 to 5 minute) meditations focused on feeling good.
Before I explain these techniques I use, I want you to understand what the benefits of meditation are and what you can expect when you practice regularly.

5 Physiological Benefits of Meditation

-A decreased metabolic rate and lower heart rate.
-Lowered levels of cortisol and lactate (stress related chemicals).
-Lowering of high blood pressure.
-Drop in cholesterol levels.
-Decreases the aging process.
5 Psychological Benefits of Meditation

-Decreased anxiety and depression.
-Decreased irritability and moodiness
-Improved learning ability and memory.
-Increased feelings of vitality and rejuvenation.
-Increased happiness and better outlook on life.
5 Spiritual Benefits of Meditation

-Experience an inner sense of knowing
-Ability to connect with Universal Love
-Ability to release negative feelings from the past
-Overall experience of well being and abundance
-Deeper understanding and fulfillment of purpose
Not bad, huh? So here is a little bit about my favorite forms of meditation. The sound based meditations work by inducing brainwaves that mimic the meditative state. It sounds kind of scary, but I promise you it doesn't hurt! I won't discuss the whole technology behind this, just know that it works. You can read more about this and listen to a sample of The Chi of Love Meditation CD at http://www.thechioflovecd.com

Wayne Dyer has a fantastic CD called "Meditations for Manifesting" that contains the OM and the AH meditation chants. I used to think chanting was sort of freaky and foreign until I tried it, it's actually awesome! My personal favorite is the AH meditation. Dr. Dyer explains that AH is the sound of God, and goes on the explain how to do this meditation and offers some affirmative statements to contemplate while chanting. After 20 minutes of chanting AHHHHHH, my whole body vibrates and I feel incredible. I can't tell you how amazing this is, I highly recommend it!

The short feeling meditations I do are based on the teachings of Abraham as channeled through Esther Hicks. I had some pre-conceived notions about this kind of far out spiritual stuff (channeling, non-physical entities, etc), but I found that prejudice and spirituality don't mix. Remember, your mind is like a parachute, it works best when open. So anyway, you simply sit and concentrate on how you would feel if you had certain things that you want such as more money, the perfect relationship or a great job. Quick, easy and effective.

Here are 5 keys to remember about meditation.

1. Anyone can meditate - If I can do it, you can do it.
2. There's really no wrong way - Whatever works for you is the right way.
3. It takes practice - Schedule some time everyday, just do it, but don't judge the quality of your experience. It really is "all good".
4. You don't have to sit for hours - 3 to 5 minutes can be enough to make huge changes in your life and health.
5. Meditation will make your life better - You can improve your physical, mental and spiritual well being with one simple activity.
So my friends, give meditation a whirl. Try some of the techniques I've mentioned above or try some of your own. I'll be offering up more methods and insights to this worthwhile activity in the near future. In the mean time, Namaste.

© Copyright 2007 - Steve O'Sullivan

Author, Speaker and Meditation Teacher Steve O'Sullivan has been studying and practicing meditation for over 10 years and is the creator of The Chi of Love Meditation CD. Listen to a fr-ee sample at http://www.TheChiofLoveCD.com