Most people sleepwalk through their lives. They get up and go to work every day, raise their family, reminisce about the past and worry about the future. But through all that activity, they are never truly awake.
However, their life would be much different if they were aware of their oneness with the spiritual power that is constantly flowing into their mind. Then, instead of walking around in a state of unconsciousness, they would be able to create incredible mental power and focus.
The great thinkers share an ability to access this powerful mental state naturally. They can shut out all distractions and become totally connected with the inspiration and imagination that’s always inside them.
If you can’t easily shut out distractions so you can give your great ideas room to grow, one of the best ways to cultivate that ability—and to live a more awakened life—is through meditation.
Why Meditation?
Before we go further, let’s take a moment to talk about what meditation is because it means different things to different people.
For instance, some consider it a form of prayer. Others use the term to describe activities where they fall into a zone. They might say music is their meditation, or gardening or art. And, of course, for many meditation means sitting with eyes closed while emptying the mind to attain inner peace, relaxation or even an experience of God.
To me, meditation means awareness. Whenever you do something with awareness, it is meditation. Of course that very well may be sitting with your eyes closed while watching your breath (I’ll provide an example of how to do that in a minute).
However, it can also be listening to birds sing or a waterfall. As long as these activities are free from any other distraction, it is effective meditation.
When you think of it that way, meditation becomes less of a technique and more of a way of life. It leads us to a state of stillness or a state of consciousness when the mind is free of scattered thoughts.
When Albert Einstein developed the theory of relativity, he was operating from that still, focused state of consciousness. Thomas Edison was operating from that same state when he invented the lightbulb. When Steve Jobs came up with Apple’s sleek designs, he was operating from a state of stillness too.
Meditation allows us to experience that state more often. It clears out the clutter—so distractions don’t steal our attention away from the power that is always flowing to and through us.
It provides fertile soil in which we can use our higher faculties—the will, imagination, intuition, memory, perception and reason—to originate, nourish and grow big ideas.
Being in and operating from this state gives you access to the vast haven that provides every creative solution and every breakthrough idea that you need and desire.
A Doorway to Living a Happy, Healthy, Abundant Life
Listen, most people know meditation calms the mind, and reduces stress and anxiety. But there are a number of additional benefits that you might not be aware of.
Just take a look at the list below, and you’ll see that meditation is an incredibly powerful tool that can transform just about every area of your life:
| √ Increases mental focus and concentration | √ Slows the aging process |
| √ Lowers blood pressure | √ Restores/changes the brain, including growth in some areas |
| √ Enhances creativity and problem-solving ability | √ Enhances your sex life |
| √ Increases productivity | √ Reduces the need for drugs and pharmaceuticals |
| √ Produces a state of profound relaxation | √ Increases levels of happiness |
| √ Enhances the immune system | √ Accelerates healing after surgery |
I don’t know about you, but I find it exciting that we can experience all of these mental, physical and emotional benefits (and there are more) simply by sitting still for 20 minutes.
Of course, when most people sit down to meditate, their primary goal is to reach the point of thoughtlessness. Here are a few tips that will help you get “there” more often.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Sitting Meditation
1. Find a quiet, comfortable place where you can sit relatively undisturbed for at least 20 minutes.
2. Sit down and get comfortable. It helps to keep your back as straight as you can.
3. Close your eyes and simply become aware of your breath as it comes in and as it goes out. You can also focus on a sound or repeat a mantra.
4. Don’t try to empty your mind—that’s where many people go wrong. Don’t keep repeating, “I must stop thinking.” Instead, let your thoughts, feelings and whatever emotions you are feeling at the time flow. Don’t judge them; be at peace with them.
5. By the same token, if your mind goes to a sound in the environment, such as a person speaking in the other room or siren going by, don’t get frustrated. Just revert back to watching your breath as soon as you notice that your mind has wandered.
6. If a fly buzzes by your ear or lands on you, brush it away. Or if you have an itch, scratch it. If you don’t address things like that, the fly or the itch will prove to be so distracting you’ll never be able to enter a state of stillness. By addressing the issue, you’re eliminating the distraction and allowing yourself to move forward with your meditation.
As you continue to sit, your mind will go back and forth between your breath, your thoughts, a sensation in your body, and emotions. Each time you realize your mind is distracted, go back to watching your breath or repeating your mantra.
And then, by and by, once in a while, the sounds will disappear. The sensations will disappear. And the thoughts will disappear.
What’s left?
YOU. Pure spirit.
But you can’t try to get there. You’ve got to let it happen.
And if you do reach that state of tranquility, you’ll be so happy that you won’t care what’s going on around you. You’ll be so content in your meditation that you’ll have no interest in moving because the stillness feels so much sweeter.
However, if it doesn’t happen—if you don’t get “there,” it’s not a big deal because you’ll still come out of the session better than when you went in. You got to experience restful alertness and all the other benefits of meditation. Sitting quietly is NEVER a waste of time.
So don’t throw the baby out with the bath water just because your experience wasn’t what you had hoped for. Try it again and again. Be patient. The benefits will pay off in spades.
To your success,