Why Meditate?
Many of us have the feeling of something missing, the idea that there is something more to be had in life. We try to fill this “hole” with accomplishments, wealth, possessions, romance, or even with ideas about God or the universe, yet nothing really seems to work for more than a moment.
The reason for this is simply that we are looking without for something that only can be found within. There is a place within that is pure Being. This place is the source of happiness and fulfillment and we contact this place through meditation.
The Benefits of Meditation
On the most practical level, as we meditate we move toward the possibility of using 100% of our full potential. We find ourselves more and more engaged in spontaneous right action – knowing just what to do and when to do it. We find ourselves becoming more efficient, getting maximum results with a minimum of effort.
Meditation connects us to that place within that is the source of all creativity, all love, the source of life itself.
Meditation causes the body to rest at a level from two to five times more deeply than at any point during a night’s sleep. This deep and profound rest allows the body to release the stresses it has accumulated through the years, thereby freeing it to operate without tension or strain and with a sense of effortlessness and ease. There is no function of the body that is not improved by a lessening of stress.
Mentally we become more available to our life, to the moment. When we have found happiness within, we are left to be utterly present in the moment, whatever it may be. Being present becomes the norm, rather than the exception. The mind ceases its never-ending speculation–worrying about the future or cataloguing the past–freeing it for enjoyment and creativity. We are able to embrace our natural birthright: freedom from suffering.
As we continue to meditate, emotionally we find ourselves to be on much more of an even keel. We find ourselves responding to the world with more equanimity and grace. We are filling ourselves each day with adaptation energy that allows us to meet the ever-changing demands of nature without stress and without being triggered into the fight or flight responses that cause stress. The events of our lives cease being “good” or “bad.” Instead, we are able to see them simply as information.
The Practice
Vedic Meditation is absolutely simple and can be learned by anyone, regardless of beliefs or ideas to the contrary. It is a simple technique practiced for twenty minutes twice a day sitting comfortably in a chair with the eyes closed. Though Vedic Meditation originated in ancient India, it is culturally neutral. The practice of the technique requires no change in one’s beliefs, nor must anything be taken on faith. As one meditates, the mind settles down to a state of Restful Alertness where one has a direct experience of the level of Being, the level of Bliss, the place of fulfillment. Like a wave settles down on the ocean, one’s individual self stands aside to make way for the larger Self and one begins to experience life as a place of joy and possibility rather than as a place of suffering.
Anyone can learn. All can benefit. View full calendar.
