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One of the purposes of yoga is to prepare one for meditation, by releasing any stress and tension held in the body and increasing the strength of the body for a long meditation sit. One can study yoga without practicing meditation, but eventually, the need for meditation emerges. Why Meditate? Some of the benefits of meditation are:
Knowing that these are but a few of the benefits of meditation practice, it is clear why many people practice meditation on a daily basis. Athletes (major sports teams - such as the Chicago Bulls), Celebrities (Madonna, Sting), top executives of major corporations all practice meditation to center themselves and increase mental clarity, focus, and concentration before they need to perform their tasks. Why don't more people meditate? There are some misconceptions about meditation. Because Meditation became more well-known in the USA during the 1960's. The mainstream culture was questioned, and some people found it did not fulfill their needs. These spiritual seekers tried many techniques to find happiness, contentment. As the counter-culture revolution grew - many people tried Eastern techniques to fulfill their spiritual needs. The traditionalists in society reacted to the questioning of the mainstream values by criticizing alternative value systems. Rather than looking for the benefits offered by other belief systems, these traditionalists focused on the external practices - particularly the more esoteric practices that would seem weird, bizarre, and ridiculous unless you were familiar with the practice. For example, in certain systems of meditation, on focuses on an object. Some people would focus on the naval (bellybutton). Some Eastern Belief systems focus on reaching Nirvana (a state of contentment, when it is realized that all living things are part of the same sea of energy). So the old comic strips used to show a Hippie sitting and contemplating his naval to reach Nirvana. Seemed pretty silly to mainstream society. Also, there were many jokes about the yogi or guru sitting on a mountain top. Naturally, the philosophy and belief system of understanding that each living thing is part of the whole became simplified to "make me one with everything." (the yogi said to the hot dog vendor "make me one with everything.") Lots of the jokes were funny - particularly to folks who have been raised with traditional Western Philosophy. However, as a result, Meditation and Yoga were relegated to the fringes, to be practiced by "weird, groovy people." Looking back at this from the 21st Century, it seems narrow-minded and ignorant to make fun of things that are different. However, this happens even today. These old stereo-types of meditation are still an obstacle - many people would try meditation if it were more mainstream. People are afraid to try something new - fears as varied as "I don't want to deal with my friends teasing me about this" to "it seems silly to just SIT there doing NOTHING - seems like there is no good reason to do this, and I won't even try unless I see some practical benefit." Well, now there have been MANY medical studies performed on the benefits of meditation. It has been demonstrated to reduce high blood pressure, depression, anxiety, benefit certain sleep disorders, balance the endocrine system, balance the two hemispheres of the brain (thought to increase creativity, and the ability to make rational connections between varied events), and to provide tremendous benefits to body, mind, and spirit.
What is happening during Meditation: Thoughts and emotions coming and going drain energy and create emotional disturbance. Bringing the attention to a single point of focus leads to intense concentration, which then flows into meditation. Withdrawing awareness from the senses and into this single point of clarity and concentration can be done in several ways (listed on the Techniques Page) PRECAUTIONS: Before one begins practicing meditation, the ego must be fully developed and stable. There is an old adage, "you must be someone before you become no one." If you experience the following conditions, you should not meditate at this time:
Questions, Comments, or Suggestions about our site? Please feel free to contact us! Contact Us: NOSPAMelena@focalpointyoga.com (remove the words NO SPAM from the email address please!)
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