The Scientific Power of Meditation

By Irene Conlan – Some years ago when I was attending a fundamentalist church, I was delighted to see that the Sunday sermon was going to be about meditation. It was. But what was taught was that if you quiet your mind, empty it of all thought, Satan and his demons would enter and, taking over, would never leave. I was appalled. And, even though I had attended that chuch for almost twenty years, I never went back. There were other problems for me but this was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. For almost anything to do with self improvement – stress relief, self esteem, self confidence, improving creativity – whatever it is, my first recommendation is always meditation. Why? Because you find the key to all self improvement by going within. Most of us relate meditating to those spiritual gurus, monks and nuns who are following a single path – a spiritual path. That is not true, especially in today’s world when information about and aides to meditation are soabundant. More and more people are realizing the importance of meditation and are incorporating it into their daily life. And, if they are faithful to it, are experiencing lovely changes in themselves and how they relate to the worl around them. Meditation is not a quick fix and we are, as pointed out over and over, a “fast food” society whether it’s physical or spiritaul food. And we tend to make meditation much too hard. Some have the idea that unless they have a profound spiritual experience during meditation they are doing something wrong. Not true. Meditation is simply a means of quieting your mind. It is with a quiet mind that you can hear that “still small voice” within that urges you so gently and quietly to go in a certain direction, accept a certain teaching, or initiate a specific change. And, generally, it is only after a long period of being faithful to meditating on a daily basis that we are able to notice that any change has taken place. In our contemporary society, thevolume is generally turned up high that we can’t hear the quit things and the  “still small voice” gets lost in the volume. Sometimes, often actually, it seems as if you have done nothing but sit still for a few minutes. If you’ve done that, it’s a good start. Most books on meditation tell you to count the breath or repeat a mantra. It took me a long time to realize that the purpose of this is to quiet the conscious mind and keep it focused so that other part of your mind can attend to the inner work. Sit comfortablyI, knowing that meditation is  more about “being” than “doing.”  I wanted to get “audible” direction – to hear a voice telling me what to do. I wanted a remarkable vision accompanied by beautiful music from a full orchestra. It didn’t happen. But I stayed with it even though there was nothing audible, and one day I realized that I wasn’t reacting to the stressors in the same way and I seemed more relaxed, laughed more, slept better. When did that happen? I don’t know. Ijust know that the only thing different in my daily life was a consistent period of meditation. It worked. You don’t need to sit in a lotus position, but it’s nice to do so. If I got in a lotus position I would be stuck there for eternity so I don’t do it. So I sit in a comfortable chair that allows me to keep my spine straight and my feet flat on the floor to allow for a good flow of energy. You don’t need music, but it helps. You don’t need any kind of props although there are some that make meditation easier. You just need you and a quiet space that will be free of interruptions.  Come with a positive attitude knowing that something very good will come of it if you persist.  This may become a habit you will never want to break.