The Benefits of Meditation in Our Modern Society

The benefits of meditation are countless; physically, mentally and emotionally, including the regain of self-worth and self-esteem.

Meditation is the art of stillness, awareness and the knowledge of the self. If you are unfamiliar with the concept of meditation and imagine it being practiced only by monks at the top of the Himalayan mountains, think again.

There are no requirements for getting the benefits of meditation, apart from silence and dedication. In its simplest form, equally effective as any other, meditation is a precious tool, completely free and accessible to all who wish to learn more about it. There are so many meditation benefits that it is a shame that most people don't know anything about it and can't really imagine what a difference it could make in their lives.

Modern society pushes us to our limits. We are always busy, trying to meet our obligations and responsibilities, worrying about money and family, working so hard to achieve that promised place in the sun. We are literally being attacked on a daily basis with problems and complications and, at the end of the day, you have no time to relax at all. You sleep in a hurry so you can start all over again in the morning. You are not enjoying yourself and life is passing you by, not to mention the damage that is being done to your physical and mental integrity.

This is all noise inside your mind; highly prejudicial noise. It's no wonder, really, that this is the century of mental breakdowns and diseases like anxiety, depression, chronic stress, phobias, etc.

Stop and Breathe. This is how meditation starts. It is the ability to take a break to recover by clearing your mind of all thoughts.

All you need to do, to start improving your life with the benefits of meditation is, first of all, to dedicate a few minutes of your day to it (even 10 minutes will do) and find a quiet place to be. Dim the lights and sit down comfortably. If your mind is racing, don't worry, it will soon calm down. Focus on one of the most basic functions of your body: breathing.

Breathe deeply. Feel the air going in and out of your lungs. Picture it while you do it. 5 minutes later you'll probably feel your body finally starting to relax, even though your thoughts are still working against you. That's OK, just allow them to flow, but don't let them grab your attention. With some practice, you'll be able to relax completely and control what comes to mind, breaking the loop of negativity. Visualize each part of your body relaxing. Stay there, in silence. Enjoy.

Benefits of Meditation - What are they?

Physical relaxation and all around well-being - when in stress, your body is on survival mode, pumped up and ready to fight. When it finally relaxes, it resumes its normal functions and starts working towards an optimal state - your heart rate will slow down, your blood flow will increase, it will eliminate muscle tension and boost your immune system, among many others.
Increased energy and strength - now that you can recover from the hard times, you'll find you have much more drive and power to do what you need.
Emotional stability - Your nervous system and brain will recover as well and the serotonin levels will rise, which will prevent and help improve the healing process of mental disorders, aggressiveness and destructive behavior.
Breaks negativity and the loop of destructive thoughts - when you are able to control your mind and/or analyze your thoughts without holding on to them, you will be free from that dark vicious cycle.
Gives a new perspective - In a calm and confident state, you'll realize your life and everything else in a different way, understanding what really matters for you and figuring out how to deal with your issues, without giving into feelings of despair and hopelessness.
Knowledge of yourself - spending time directed into your inner being will help you accept yourself as you are. You'll learn to love and respect yourself again. You'll reconnect with your dreams and your real purpose in life.

As you can see, the benefits of meditation are invaluable, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Win back your peace of mind and rediscover your essence by meditating.

Guy Brugada, a lover of self-help, self-improvement and spiritual material is dedicated to "pass on" his experience and thoughts to help anyone improving self-worth, well-being and happiness.

Get more information on the benefits of meditation at http://www.my-selfesteem-my-life.com/meditation-benefits.html or start meditating easily, right now at http://www.my-selfesteem-my-life.com/easy-meditation-techniques.html.

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Loving-Kindness Meditation and the Gamma Wave - A Marriage of Ancient Tradition and Modern Science

Of all the brainwave frequencies displayed by the human brain, perhaps the most fascinating is the Gamma wave, around 40 Hertz. When in a Gamma state, the brain seems capable of remarkable synergy, exhibiting a high level of holistic functioning that unites multiple senses, perceptions, and memories. In short, we become almost super-human. Interestingly, this state is commonly observed in experienced Tibetan monks engaging in a "loving-kindness" meditation. As we shall see, Gamma waves are not the only benefit of this practice.

What Is Loving-Kindness Meditation?

Loving-kindness, or Metta Bhavana in Buddhist terms, is an ancient practice intended to teach us that happiness comes from loving others and empathizing with them. It is actually the foundational meditation in a four-part series, with the next steps being compassion (empathy for the suffering of others); empathetic joy (rejoicing in the well-being of others); and equanimity (acceptance of both joy and suffering, whether our own or of others). Loving-kindness creates harmony in our relationship with ourselves as well as with others, replacing anger, resentment, and hurt with patience, consideration, and forgiveness.

Since we are looking at the effects of loving-kindness from a more scientific viewpoint as well, it is worth noting that no less a scientist than Albert Einstein essentially prescribed the same practice:

A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

How to Practice Loving-Kindness Meditation

The cultivation of loving-kindness starts with what should be the easiest subject - yourself - and works up from there in the following progression:

YourselfA good friendA neutral person, like someone who serves you in a storeSomeone with whom you are having problemsAll sentient beings

Various techniques are employed to cultivate the feeling of loving-kindness. Visualize yourself or the other person being happy and smiling back at you. Reflect upon that person's positive qualities. Use your own affirmations to reinforce feelings of warmth towards yourself and others. And use mantras, repeating words or phrases like "loving-kindness," pausing between repetitions to observe the impact on your emotions. It is advised that you refrain from thinking about people to whom you are romantically attracted, since lust is not the emotion we are seeking to arouse!

The ultimate objective was expressed beautifully by one of the leading websites on Buddhism, wildmind.org: "Eventually we want to become like an emotional bonfire: a steady blaze of emotional warmth that will embrace any sentient being that we become aware of."

A New Twist

While several prominent guides to Buddhist meditation recommend guided meditation CDs, they do not seem to have grasped the potential of adding brainwave entrainment techniques to the audio soundtrack. This is almost certainly because they are approaching meditation from a traditional, Buddhist perspective, including the recitation of prayers written by the Buddha himself. But we should not necessarily allow respect for traditions that are over 2,500 years old to blind us to the teachings of modern science. If we can see from EEG scans of experienced meditators that loving-kindness gives rise to Gamma waves, would it not make sense to encourage their formation? Listening to brainwave audio designed to entrain Gamma waves need not distract in any way from the familiar processes of visualization and affirmation. In fact, I believe it enhances the process tremendously by both increasing focus and encouraging whole-brain thinking and feeling. And that has to be good news, for the world really doesn't need to wait one day longer for more love and compassion.

If you're interested in amplifying the power of your meditation sessions, you need to know more about brainwave entrainment. But you also need to be careful, because not all brainwave entrainment audio will deliver on its promises. To find out which producers know their stuff, visit Meditation Audio Reviews.

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