Are you frustrated with reading that the answer to all your problems is to just 'go within' but the author doesn't tell you how to do it? Exactly what does it mean and how do you start? When you think you have it figured out and try to go within, does your mind race or do you just see black and feel nothing? You are definitely not alone. In fact, this is so common, that many people give up in frustration, believing that they are not making any progress toward achieving their desired state.
Let's assume that when the phrase 'go within' is used it means to meditate. Meditation is the art and practice where one attempts to reach a state of complete bodily relaxation, while putting aside the critical or analytical part of the mind or ego and attaining a heightened awareness and mental focus. The object of one's focus can be: contemplation of a single word, phrase, image, or a state of well-being; breath awareness; existing in the moment (or timelessness); nothingness; or union with a higher spiritual source.
The Ego Myth Before I explain the method, providing you with a brief explanation of the workings of the ego is important in order for you to understand the process you'll be undergoing. Impossible to live earthly life without it, the ego usually works very well to filter important information from your environment. It uses this information to help bring about probable life paths based on your beliefs and intentions, as well as protect you from perceived threats by producing certain bodily reactions. But due to our chosen cultural lifestyles, it currently exists in a constant state of panic and gets in the way when you find it necessary to pay attention to your inner reality.
The ego's natural state is to vigilantly tune in to your environment through all of your senses and feed this information back to your waking awareness, influencing your decisions, behavior, thoughts, and beliefs, so that you may ultimately live an authentic life that is simple and pleasurable. However, the ego has become a subject of derision, viewed as a hindrance to authentic living, for good reason. Because our generation has adopted a culture around separation from All That Is (the flowing matrix of consciousness and ever-present source of abundance that interconnects everything as one), we have produced an individualistic society, left feeling abandoned and made to survive in a dog-eat-dog reality where one is fearful of being without food and shelter. Feeling disconnected from the source, the ego cannot do its job very well and its focus is now strictly on survival. And in our Western society, survival is reliant upon the accumulation of money.
We can then begin to understand how our current state of being has become so fearful and focused on the accumulation of wealth at any cost. However, the more you follow a mindful meditative practice, the more in tune you can become with the divine flow and the closer your ego can return to its natural state of efficiently creating your reality. When you have reached this state then you are able to experience more peace, more abundance, and freedom from worry.
The Process Because your intent is important to achieving any kind of objective, the first step is to decide on your goal. Do you seek simply relaxation? Reduced stress? Enhanced mental focus? Improved physical well-being? Merging with a higher power? Whatever goal you ultimately seek--and this goal may change many times over the course of your practice--a common element among reaching all of these states is the conscious control of the mind's focus.
The next step is find a comfortable spot to rest in an upright position for awhile. Lying down is not recommended as for some people it may increase the chance you'll fall asleep, and your body is conditioned to do exactly that when it is relaxed in the supine position.
Close or lower your eyes and take a few slow, deep breaths to relax your body. Direct your attention to your feet then slowly move up to your head, scanning each general area of your body (e.g., legs, pelvis, torso, neck and head), feeling all of your muscles physically relaxing. Then once again scan your body to observe any remaining tension. With the breath directed to the tense area, see the tension break up and float away.
In the beginning you will likely have worries or stressful thoughts repeatedly pop up into your awareness. Focusing on a specific word or phrase, such as "calm," "peace," or another of your choosing, will help eventually alleviate mind chatter and improve sustained concentration. Specific divine sounds or words known as mantras are famously known for effecting concentration. If you believe imagery would work better, focus on a symbol, mandala, or mental image that promotes calm and stillness, such as a candle flame or the surface of a placid mountain lake.
Breath awareness is a very popular point of focus during meditation; without changing or forcing your breathing pattern, merely notice your body intaking air and then releasing it from your lungs. When you find your mind drifting to worries of the day, bring your awareness back to your point of focus. In the beginning, you may find yourself repeatedly shifting your awareness, but this will be necessary in retraining your mind. Your firm intent is the key to achieving successful control of your mental processes.
You may need to repeat the relaxation and worry-removal process until you become soft and completely relaxed. As you continue to perform this ritual over several days and weeks, you will find it easier to reach this soft, dreamy place for your mind and body.
Benefits of Continuous Practice As you increase your ability to focus during meditation, you'll find that during the rest of the day your mind remains alert and you are better able to concentrate for longer periods of time on the tasks at hand. In Buddhist terms, this constant state is referred to as mindfulness. This is our natural state of mind, and through the practice of meditation and increasing your ability to focus, you are strengthening and enhancing this state and producing profound holistic benefits.
You can also attain improved health, simply by relaxing and reducing stress and anxiety in your life. Cortisol, the hormone produced by the adrenal glands, helps regulate the body's reactions to perceived threatening situations. When continuously released in the body due to chronic worry and stress, it disrupts many essential bodily processes and increases risk for chronic diseases.
Here are some other interesting facts about stress, taken from Dr. Andrew Weil's website:
- Stress has been linked to all the leading causes of death, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, accidents and suicide.
- Almost 90 percent of all visits to primary health care providers are due to stress-related problems.
- Nearly one-half of all adults suffer adverse effects from stress.
- It is estimated that 1 million Americans miss work due to stress-related complaints.
- Workplace violence has been attributed to stress. Homicide is the second leading cause of fatal occupational injury.
Along with meditation and progressive relaxation, exercise and laughter have been proven to diminish the negative effects of high levels of cortisol and boost endorphins.
With increased relaxation and mindfulness practice, during your meditation session you may find yourself reaching a space of timelessness or nothingness. It is in this space of supreme tranquility you can set the intent to contemplate higher knowledge or receive insight from a higher mind source. When you return to normal waking consciousness, you might find it helpful to write down your insights or epiphanies in a journal.
How do you tell the difference between higher insight and mind chatter? When you reach a certain level of brainwave activity, you are unlikely to revert back to the anxiety-producing thought process. If you believe you may have returned to a more active level of brainwave activity closer to normal waking consciousness, notice how your body responds to the thoughts. If you find yourself tensing up, then continue to redirect your awareness to your point of focus until you return to a deeper level of relaxation.
Keeping on Track It's best to start out with shorter periods of meditation. Then as you become more efficient at concentrating on your point of focus you can build up to longer periods.
Performing your meditation practice in the morning gives you a good start to your day, and you won't feel rushed to fit it into your afternoon or evening schedule, when your schedule can easily fill up with other responsibilities.
Linda Sue Anderson, founder of Holistic Future, is a Certified Alchemical Hypnotherapist and has studied naturopathy, herbalism, and acupressure. She has a background in greenhouse management, growing medicinal herbs and other organic produce.
More articles can be found here: http://www.holisticfuture.com
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