Say the word ‘meditation’ and a myriad of emotions, feelings, thoughts, and perspectives jump to the surface. Depending on how you were brought up or what you have been told, meditation can feel like a burden or a breath of fresh air.
As a professional that has had the privilege of working in various positions across many disciplines, I can say that one of the most misunderstood concepts across the board is meditation.
Meditation, when understood is a valuable part of creating balance and sustaining positive energy in a person. Like any practice, it comes with both good and bad attachments. If you are lucky enough to be one of the few who see the constructive viewpoint of meditation this will be nothing new. However, if your exposure to this century old practice is off-putting, you are exactly where you need to be.
Misconceptions, Misses, And Molotov’s
One of the greatest obsessions we have collectively is ourselves. The self-help industry is booming with a myriad of DIY programs to “make you the best you possible.” While this concept is not wrong, it is not necessarily being shown in its truest light.
Meditation, done correctly (keep reading) results in peace. Unfortunately, there are those who refuse to even consider meditation and see it as harmful, off-putting, or as some negative ritual. This is both true and misleading. True that it is (or can be) very ritualistic in form and manner, misleading by seeing it as something that is or could be inherently bad or disastrous.
A huge tragedy around meditation is that more people don’t take the time to accurately assess what meditation can do, so they dismiss it away and attempt to burn down any talk of the magic of meditation like a hurled Molotov cocktail.
Meditation Magic – It’s Simple
Now, when taken time to peel the layers away, the magic of meditation becomes abundantly clear… and simple. The magic is found in the concept of focus. Meditation, when simplified is the practice of getting quiet, clearing the mind of the noise to think, feel, or see clearer.
Clarity produces focus
This is the value that mediation delivers to its user. To simplify, here are some valuable insights into meditation that many struggle to understand:
Mediation doesn’t have to be an hour… but it can be
Meditation doesn’t eradicate stress… but it has been known to
Meditation doesn’t eliminate all noise… but it often does
Meditation doesn’t disregard your spiritual beliefs… it enhances them
Mediation doesn’t require producing sounds to work… unless you find it helpful
Meditation doesn’t demand specific physical positions… you can meditate while taking a shower
What meditation does do is help center your body physically so that your mental energy can flow freely. Alongside of creating a physical pose (which is really a position of comfort and stillness) your body will indisputably position your mind into rest.
This is the beauty of meditation… Complete rest with full control. This is balance. This is value. Whenever the need or desire to focus or obtain clarity arises, meditation can become the conduit of that clarity. When practiced daily, it becomes an important and vital tool for one to gain control over thoughts, that lead to words and actions. Everyone benefits from maintaining control of our minds, our voices, and our pursuits.