Meditation and a quiet mind
Date Posted: Tuesday, May 29, 2007Author: Nastassja Johnston
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
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The bills need to be paid, the kids need to be fed, the dog is lost and the clean laundry has been dropped in the mud. OK, I know this sounds a bit dramatic but this is just an example of the stressful situations we can find ourselves in on a daily basis. Constant stress in our lives can result in poor health and aging, but fortunately there is a way to escape this stress – meditation.
Meditation is an ancient art form which quiets the mind. There are many forms of meditation as it has been incorporated into many different religious practices but just recently it was discovered to have medicinal use. In the early 1970s a scientific researcher Dr Herbert Benson studied meditation and its health benefits at Harvard and discovered that it can be an antidote to stress.
Many researchers now believe that the current epidemic of hypertension and heart disease in the Western world is a direct result of the relationship between stress and the constant activation of the fight-or-flight response. This response helps organisms to react quickly when in danger in order to escape an attack or to fight off an attacker. Unfortunately nowadays it often leads to increased chances of health failure. According to Dr Benson, it results in an increased heart beat, increased respiratory rate, elevation of blood pressure, and increase in oxygen consumption.
Transcendental Meditation (TM) was brought to the Western world in the mid-20th century by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, an Indian spiritual teacher. TM is a technique of meditation which involves the chanting of religious mantras in order to transcend to a quiet space in their mind. Following Dr. Benson’s discovery that meditation had health benefits he felt that it should be incorporated in to medical practices regardless of religious undertones. In order to separate religion from the practice Dr Benson created a non-religious version of the popular Transcendental Meditation technique with the sole goal of achieving the relaxation response that TM is known to trigger. This non-religious form of meditation is by no means a better or superior form of meditation as there are many meditation techniques which serve the same purpose quieting the mind.
I recently partook in two types of meditation - Rainbow Bridge meditation and the Sacredness of Breathing under the direction of Kelvin Richardson, a Seven Rays Meditation Reiki Master. The Rainbow Bridge meditation was truly relaxing. The first step I took in trying to reach my quiet place was to get comfortable I took off my shoes nestled into a comfortable chair and laid my hands on my lap. I was then instructed to feel the stress move from the crown of my head down my face and over my shoulders. My goal was to release the tension from my body through my extremities. I allowed the stress to leave my body through relaxation of the facial muscles and extremities while ensuring to breathe through my nose.
Next I was talked through the colour spectrum. Each colour of the rainbow was named and the reiki meditation master asked me to envision each colour as a breathed in and out. Mr Richardson explained that this technique was used to relax the body and allow for a merging between myself and the divinity within. The Rainbow Bridge meditation involved the envisioning of the colour Red, then Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet, Gold, Black and finally White. The most joyful colour for me was violet as I was able to envision a beautiful violet flower which caused me to feel quite joyful.
When I had reached the end of the spectrum, my body was completely relaxed and my finger tips were numb. I remained in this state for about 10 minutes and when I was finished Mr. Richardson told me to look at my self in the mirror to my surprise I had a slight glow to my face. This experience was very personal and special. In fact no matter how much you read about the practice you must experience it for yourself.
This method is good to use when you have someone to dictate the colours of the spectrum to you but when you are alone you can practice the Sacredness of Breathing techniques. The Sacredness of Breathing involves inhaling and exhaling in a rhythmic yet natural fashion quite like the movements of waves as they break on the shoreline. You can practice this technique in any quite relaxing place in order to quiet your mind and get in touch with your inner self.
Sheldon Jones an employee of Mr Richardson, practises a form of meditation similar to yogic breathing. He says: “Every individual will have their own experiences while meditating. It consists of watching your breathing and quieting your mind. There are many benefits. Primarily I find myself able to stay calm in stressful situations.”
Mr Richardson, who owns the Metaphysical Bookstore in Reid Street, has been meditating for 35 years.
He says: “Any person from any religion can partake in this practice. There are many different techniques. The basic one is the sacredness of the breath. People should not be afraid of meditation. As long as they feel and believe that God is their protector and provider and just ask to be protected there’s no harm. It is a natural thing that we do. Sometimes people are daydreaming and it is a form of meditation that they are getting themselves into.”
When meditating, people are reconnecting with the sacred part of themselves. Happiness is a natural and sensation felt during the process. Mr Richardson explains: “You are touching a part of your being - that soul level that deep essence of yourself and it is part of your subconscious. You’re getting in touch with a part of yourself that has a deeper meaning to you. You’re touching that sacred part of you - the god within or divinity. You are actually merging with that, allowing it to come out and express that part. People think different things but that’s how I see it.”
Anyone who wants to experience meditation or reiki should visit Mr. Richardson at the Metaphysical Bookstore on Reid Street.