Benefits of Meditation

[jameskinkade]

Just for definition before going into this, my form of meditation is simple: close eyes; remain in a straight posture; focus on breathing and gradually quieten all thoughts. I can do this for maybe ten minutes of good quality and then I come out of it. I also have a short MP3 that is meditation in twelve breathes and this works well also.

Moving forward into what this post is actually about; I've just finished a short meditation after what felt like my mind pulling me in a hundred different directions. I felt the need to do it tonight after realising that over the weekend I had lost sight of my main short term goal, and that I couldn't properly focus back on achieving it.

Having finished the short meditation, I felt back in control, and I was literally astounded by the amount of background mind noise I had going on prior to meditating; and I wanted to know if other people had similar experiences so I decided to ask on this forum.

Incidentally, a few days ago I was thinking about the concept of 'arbeit macht frei' and so I was pleasantly surprised to see Steve's article. He has a habit of doing that

So, really I am just genuinely interested in what benefits you personally receive from your meditation? Do you sometimes come out of a meditation feeling that you'd been out of 'control' for a while?

[Clint Cora]

I get the same benefits as you. I also feel more mentally refreshed and a renewed sense of body-mind connections.

[raykilleen]

Originally Posted by jameskinkade

Just for definition before going into this, my form of meditation is simple: close eyes; remain in a straight posture; focus on breathing and gradually quieten all thoughts. I can do this for maybe ten minutes of good quality and then I come out of it. I also have a short MP3 that is meditation in twelve breathes and this works well also.

What you seem to be describing is more of a relaxation technique not meditation.

[Philemon]

I've used meditation to achieve all kinds of things. With meditation, it's all about intention. If I intend to relax, I can relax. If I intend to energize, I can energize.

I can use meditation to learn how to lucid dream and astrally project. I can use meditation to find creative solutions to problems. I can use meditation to relieve stress and to find inner strength and peace. I can use meditation to shift and broaden my perception of an event(s). I can use meditation to write poetry, songs, stories, etc. I can use meditation to communicate telepathically with my friends.

There's more and more. Possibilities are endless.

[jameskinkade]

Originally Posted by raykilleen

What you seem to be describing is more of a relaxation technique not meditation.

Hi Raykilleen, could you be more specific please - I'm actually very open minded and interested in finding out whether what I am doing is actually a relaxation rather than meditation technique.

[raykilleen]

Originally Posted by jameskinkade

Hi Raykilleen, could you be more specific please - I'm actually very open minded and interested in finding out whether what I am doing is actually a relaxation rather than meditation technique.

Check my post on these threads:

Conciseness

Acceptable meditation positions?

[Derelle]

From meditations, I get a sense of being whole. I feel a total body calm that relaxes my mind and body. I find answers to my problems easier after meditating. It helps when going through a lot of stress and you feel like giving up. Visualization or trained focus on an issue, problem or solution while meditating, is very powerful as well. While most people try to let the thoughts go, meditate on something purposely and see how long you can maintain just that object. Prolong effects of daily practice, may astound you. Give it a try.

[Lena Carpenter]

I would definitely describe what you are doing as meditating. It is quieting your mind, plain and simple, whatever technique you use. For me, the greatest benefit of meditation is emotional balance. My moods tend to stay more level and when I do get as upset, I don't get all spun out of control. I bet meditation is a great therapy tool for all kinds of emotional troubles, including psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety and bipolar.

[raykilleen]

Meditation has all kinds of wonderful side effects, however the moment the mind becomes identified with them one loses all clarity of vision.

[Brutha]

What you seem to be describing is more of a relaxation technique not meditation.

There are different kinds of meditation.
Focusing on breathing is actually something that's pretty popular.