The practice of meditation is not about clearing your mind, although this may be one of the important reasons for starting a practice. It is about becoming aware of your surroundings and surrounding. It is a practice of being in the present moment, looking at what is happening around you. You have to be in the present to be able to develop a relationship with your surroundings.
Meditation has two parts. The first is the technique, and the second is how to actually meditate. Practitioners of meditation can choose to concentrate on their breathing or their imagination. This depends on the level of their meditation experience.
It is easy to find a number of meditation techniques. Meditation can be undertaken alone, but you can also have one-on-one counseling with a therapist or have a mentor, or go through some of the books. The best method is to discover what works for you and then to integrate it into your lifestyle.
“Samadhi” literally means “spiritual awareness.” This is not a state where you become asleep or drowsy. It is a state where you become more present. When you are in samadhi, you can use your senses, but there is no objectivity. Your body is still, your mind is still, but your awareness of what is going on around you is heightened.
Most people meditate to gain a certain quality of consciousness. Some people think that meditation will give them an insight into the truth about life. Others think that meditation will help them to control their lives and relationships. And there are those who meditate to have “closure” on something. Meditation can help achieve all of these things.
There are also meditation techniques that bring health benefits. The Chinese were the first to use these meditation techniques to maintain their healthy lifestyles.
Meditation can work with the breath to increase energy and improve a person’s health. By learning to breathe properly, and by creating an appropriate “center,” you can free yourself from chronic pain. To gain a “tissue focus,” you can learn to feel your physical organs and energy systems more fully. You can learn to better sense what is going on in your body.
As you progress, you will come to know your heart awareness, which is the primary sense of knowing the heart. The next stage is known as the meditation of spirit. It is when you gain control over your “karmic nature.”
After you reach this point, you have spiritual consciousness. The meditation process becomes easier, but it is still the same. In this stage, you can clear your mind and leave behind the ego in order to achieve a state of higher consciousness.
This meditation can be practiced in any way that is convenient for you. Even if you are in a hurry to get to a meeting, you can practice. Some people even meditate while they are driving, on foot, or in a wheelchair.
Some people like to practice with the intention of achieving the full experience. While others just want to meditate for peace of mind.