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The
Essence of Meditation
by
Valerie Burke, RN, MSN
What Meditation Is
To many people, the word “meditation” conjures up the image
of a mature, white-bearded man sitting cross-legged under a banyan tree
on a Himalayan mountain top chanting Om’s. This stereotype
has unfortunately scared many Westerners away from a meditation practice
that could have offered great health benefits.
Meditation has been practiced for more than 5,000 years. The word “meditation” is
derived from two Latin words: meditari (to think, dwell upon, to exercise
the mind) and mederi (to heal). In Sanskrit “medha” means
wisdom. The origins of the word “meditation” can be
traced back to all three.
Meditating is actually much easier to learn than one might imagine.
Most people have even experienced a meditative state at one time or
another,
such as when trying to relax in preparation for a test, or when gazing
at a beautiful landscape. Put simply, it is merely a quieting of the
mind during which we become an observer of the self and fully present
in the Now.
Other forms of meditation might surprise you. There are a number
of “active” meditations
such as walking a labyrinth, listening to birds, creating a sculpture,
or composing a musical piece. Any time one becomes completely immersed
in the moment, he/she is in a meditative state. Meditation can be described
as the “I AM” in the “NOW”.
Anyone who has ever been passionately involved in something to the
point that they loose all sense of time and space should be able to
relate
to the meditative state. This is, in fact, the aim of yoga, a meditative
state in everyday life which has the effect of increasing performance
and happiness. Meditation is awareness, and anything done with awareness
is meditation.
Eckhart Tolle, author of The Power of Now and A New Earth, stated, “Even
one conscious breath can be a meditation.”
The use of meditation for healing is not new. Meditative techniques
are the products of diverse cultures and peoples around the world.
Meditation
is not linked to any particular religion, yet practically all religious
groups practice it in one form or another.
What Meditation Is Not
Meditation is not contemplation. Contemplation involves thinking
about a concept, which requires one to ponder a certain idea. By
contrast,
when one meditates, one doesn’t ask the mind to think but
to suspend thought.
Meditation is not hypnosis or autosuggestion. In hypnosis, a suggestion
is made to the mind in an attempt to direct or manipulate it. But in
meditation, the mind is simply observed while exploring and experiencing
the deeper levels of being.
Meditation is not turning off one’s thoughts or making the mind “blank”.
Inner quietness is experienced during meditation but not by willfully
turning off one’s thoughts. Inner peace results naturally with
regular, consistent practice. Benefits will increase as the meditator’s
skills improve.
Meditation is not the same thing as prayer. One can think of prayer
as the asking, and meditation as the listening.
 Valerie
Burke is a freelance writer and clay artist in Union, Washington.
She is an RN and has a Master’s Degree in Psychiatric / Mental
Health Nursing from the University of Alaska, Anchorage. After
twenty years of practice as a nurse, she decided to turn her life
in a different and more creative direction with sculpture and writing.
She lives in a house overlooking Hood Canal with her husband Jon
and 5 kitties. She has a health blog called Panther
Speak and is a Reiki Master.
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