Meditation is essentially a very simple and intuitive process for everyone. Simply put, meditation is simply relaxation. However, there are too many complexities and theories surrounding this process.
Anyone who has never meditated in his life is already familiar with this state. When a person falls asleep, for a few minutes he is in something between sleep and wakefulness, when there are no thoughts, but sleep has not yet come. It is this state that various yogis and other esotericists are trying to achieve. However, this is not some kind of peak spirituality, but simply something that is available to everyone.
Why meditation?
Meditation is necessary in order to restore our psyche. What do we do when our body is tired? We try to sit down somewhere or lie down to catch our breath.
However, not only our body gets tired, but also our mind, which also needs rest.
Unfortunately, many of us simply do not know how to relax your mind and can not stop the endless stream of thoughts. Because of this, people are constantly in a state of psychological fatigue, which is why they can not solve a number of tasks, lose efficiency and feel unhappy.
Meditation is just relaxation. In order to meditate, it is not necessary to take some bizarre poses, possess special techniques and so on. Simply close your eyes and stop for a while to think about the problems that face us.
In General, it is not necessary to practice meditation, because there are far more beneficial to the body in a process called sleep. However, not in all situations where we need rest, we can sleep. This is why we need meditation, when we try not to think about anything for 20-30 minutes in order to restore our mental strength.
How to meditate?
It is a common cliche that for meditation it is necessary to take the Lotus position, fold your hands in a special way and so on. It is desirable that it was still at sunset and on top of the mountain. Generally, as on this the picture.
In fact, meditation requires about the same conditions as sleep. Need that the person was just comfortable and good, it did not detract. That's all. The Lotus position has become common because the fashion for meditation went in the 60s, when the mass of Western boys and girls went to India to “enlighten”, but in fact for light drugs.
There they saw a mass of Indians who were resting in this position. For the Hindu, the pose of the half-Lotus is quite familiar and comfortable(at least at the time). Accordingly, the Indians preferred to rest in it. These same boys and girls decided that it was all in the pose. From there and went on it fashions.
We are interested in the practical side of meditation, and not that it looked cool from the outside. Therefore, the most important condition is convenience. You can meditate lying down, lounging in a chair, but even standing, if it is convenient for you. After all, meditation is a rest for the mind, not for the body.
You just have to close your eyes and try to let go of your thoughts. You don't have to work too hard for that. Our task is simply to spend as little psychic energy as possible, so we should not struggle with ourselves. If thoughts come into your head, then do not drive them away, let them enter your mind, just do not pay much attention to them and then they will go away.
The most important secret of meditation is not to make any effort. To get into this state, try to imagine that you are very tired and you have half an hour to take a NAP. This is a great introduction to the desired state.
If you have a choice between sleep and meditation, don't hesitate to choose sleep. It restores our strength much better. Meditation is only a forced substitute for sleep. For this reason, it is very strange when people get up early in the morning to meditate. Better get some sleep.
If you can't stop thinking, don't worry about it. Think for yourself. The main thing-do not strain.
When should one meditate?
Imagine that you are annoyed by some complex mental work. What do people usually do in this case? They're trying to switch to something less energy-intensive. For example, they begin to watch movies and TV series, climb social networks and otherwise procrastinate. Many people start to run out to smoke.
In fact, such irritability indicates psychological fatigue. Straining the brain with less energy-consuming things, we still do not give it a full rest. The reserves of mental energy just to help make up for meditation.
Meditation technique
Techniques of meditation — this is the same nonsense as the techniques of sleep. We're all professionals at this. All a person needs is to stop loading the brain. Everyone feels what he needs for this. In my opinion, it is best to lie down or sit for 20-30 minutes with your eyes closed in a quiet place.
If this person is little, he probably needed the sleep. By the way, if a person gives himself a rest during the day(meditates), then he will sleep better.
You can think of your own way to enter the state of meditation. Just listen to yourself. Find conditions in which you fall asleep easily. And try to recreate these conditions as you meditate.
The best meditation is an afternoon NAP. It is to this state that all yogis aspire. This is Nirvana, when you do not want anything, there are no desires, but just want to lie and enjoy. Like not sleeping, but definitely not awake.
You don't have to sit in the Himalayas for ten years. It is available to everyone at any convenient time. If you want to feel enlightened, you have a great opportunity right now.
Error meditation
The main mistake of meditation is tension. When a person tries his best to get rid of thoughts, then these very thoughts come into his head. Why is this happening? It's physiology. When a person tries to fight with his thoughts, then activated areas of the brain, which should fight them. To do this, the brain receives more blood and nutrients, the brain receives additional nutrition and its other zones also begin to actively behave. The more you fight, the more thoughts you have to fight.
It's like a dream. The hardest time to fall asleep is when you have to sleep. Same exact mechanism. The person begins to worry that he is not sleeping and begins to make efforts to fall asleep. From this dream evaporates instantly.
Another mistake is the use of different meditation techniques. What kind of relaxation can we talk about when a person tries to follow instructions? Remember that meditation is relaxation.
What does meditation give?
Meditation gives us the opportunity to replenish the reserves of the psyche. This in turn allows us to solve our daily tasks more effectively, makes us less irritable, makes harmful habits unnecessary. Leaves laziness and apathy.
A person who is able to relax during the day, has more vitality, so more consciously lives.