How to Meditate

Meditation Overview

Meditation seems to be everywhere these days; in schools, universities, hospitals, military, board rooms and government. For some it's a therapy, for others a technology and for some it's a religious choice. Tens of millions of people admit to practicing it in North America alone. But what exactly is it and what is it good for? Do I want to do it? Do I need to be a Buddhist to do it?

Did you know there are seven kinds of meditation techniques?

1) Calming - Focused Attention

2) Insight - Open Awareness

3) Mantra Chanting

4) Creative Visualization

5) Friendliness - Loving Kindness

6) Body Scan

7) Zen

Did you know you can meditate anywhere? Anytime? Even with your eyes open? There is no right or best way to meditate. Every world religion and wisdom tradition has a contemplative side (meditation). Yoga, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam.

Many styles and forms of meditation, Silent, Chanting, Guided, even things like hobbies, journaling, music, movement and art!

Meditation is simply “training our attention.” It is just an act of sustained concentration. Meditating is to your mind what going to the gym is to your body. Meditation builds four mental “muscles:”

Concentration

Clarity

Friendliness

Equanimity

Nichiren Shu Shodaigyo practice mixes several meditation techniques, think of it like HIIT “circuit training.”

Meditation isn’t some strange ritual performed in dark, smokey rooms wearing multi-colored robes. Nor is meditation some mental crutch only weak-minded people need. It is a simple, practical resource to manage our attention and awareness and excellent at reducing stress.

“Mindfulness is paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally.” – Jon Kabat Zinn 1994

William James, considered the “father of American Psychology,” wrote in 1890, “the faculty of bringing back a wandering attention over and over again is the very root of judgment, character and will.”

‘It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it’ - Aristotle

“If the heart wanders or is distracted, bring it back to the point quite gently… and even if you did nothing during the whole of your hour but bring your heart back… though it went away every time, your hour would be very well-employed.” Francis Xavier 1622

We are wired to flit. Saint John Cassian, a fifth-century monk, complained that the mind “seems driven by random incursions.”

This is not entirely bad. Without a jumpy mind, we'd be less creative and experience less joy, surprise, and spark, but this architecture also leaves us vulnerable to attack. Social-media companies, advertisers, opinion makers, and media companies have grown ever better at luring us in our distracted state.

We can take back control over our minds by training them just like we do with our bodies in the gym!

11 science-based benefits of meditation from a 2014 meta-analysis of 47 peer-reviewed studies on meditation by John’s Hopkins

•       Relieves effects of stress

•       Depression

•       Anxiety

•       Pain

•       Reduce PTSD symptoms

•       Lowers inflammation

•       Increases telomerase enzyme

•       Decrease blood pressure

•       Slows shrinkage of brain

•       Improves Attention Span

•       Improves Memory

 Neuroscientists and researchers have documented real physiological changes to our brains when we meditate.

•       Corpus Collosum grows larger. The Corpus Collosum interconnects the two hemispheres integrating motor, sensory, and cognitive performances between the cerebral cortex on one side of the brain to the same region on the other side 

•       Amygdala shrinks. The Amygdala is responsible for the perception of emotions such as anger, fear, and sadness, as well as the controlling of aggression.

•       Stimulates the Autonomous Nervous System’s Vagus Nerve, calming and soothing us, deactivating the limbic system, and lowering our perceived threat detection radar. 

•       Activates the thalamus, which is related to sensory perception, and the hippocampus, which is related to memory function, and synchronizes networks in the prefrontal cortex which improves cognitive performance.

Controlling feelings and emotions by reason and thinking alone is difficult, because the power of the Amygdala exceeds the power of the Prefrontal Cortex. There are more nerve fibers from the Amygdala that to the Prefrontal Cortex, than from the Prefrontal Cortex to the Amygdala. Meditation is a technique that directly affects these brain activity centers actually making us calmer and more focused, more able to control and manage strong emotions and live with equanimity.

The five main meditation techniques:

•       Focused-Attention meditation (Calming or Shamatha): focuses attention on a single object; i.e.: breath, sound, mantra, or sensation. It emphasizes concentration and calming. 

•       Open-Awareness meditation (Insight or Vipassana): awareness of all aspects of your environment, thoughts and sense of self, feelings by “observing” and noting in a non-judgmental way.

•       Loving Kindness meditation (Metta): expressing thoughts of friendliness, kindness and compassion for oneself and others. This especially effective as an anti-dote for anger and hate.

•       Visualization meditation: imagining an image and a feeling. Uses the power of creative visualization to invoke or evoke a feeling, intention or state.

•       Mantra Chanting Meditation: chanting a word or phrase typically using “primal source” vowels; such as "Ah, U, Eh, Oh. Mm” the vibration and resonance stimulates the Vagus Nerve System and promotes left brain/right brain coherence by balancing the two hemispheres.

All five can be combined in one meditation session.

Since meditating is for your mind what going to the gym is for your body remember to start slowly and build up. Unless you’re an experienced meditator, keep each session 3 – 5 minutes at the start and do it twice a day, in the morning and the evening. 

It’s important to be consistent and regular. Set a reasonable goal for duration, frequency and time of day, even if it’s only a couple of minutes twice a day at first until you get used to it and have started to establish a habit.

There are three phases of meditation; Entering – Abiding – Emerging. Ease into and out of meditating so it’s not jarring. Like driving keep things smooth and don’t stomp on the break or accelerator! 

“Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall health. If stress has you anxious, tense and worried, consider trying meditation. Spending even a few minutes in meditation can restore your calm and inner peace. Anyone can practice meditation. It's simple and inexpensive, and it doesn't require any special equipment.” – The Mayo Clinic

 The Alzheimer’s Prevention Foundation recommends mantra chanting.

We’ve learned about the health benefits of meditation, how it’s like going to the gym for your body, how it doesn’t have to be “religious,” and how easy it is to do anywhere, anytime.

So, what is stopping you from trying it? Try stopping for just a minute to think about your breath? 5 to 6 breaths is about a minute.

We offer a weekly community meditation group that is great for beginners and experienced meditators alike. We also teach a 25 session Introduction to Meditation.

Please feel free to sign up on our Come Try It Page. Happy Meditating!