Throughout 2020 I would like to share with you some of yoga practices, topics and some articles that you might be interested in.
January topic is general information about meditation.
What is meditation?
Meditation is both a skill and an experience — a formal exercise to cultivate awareness and compassion. By sitting with the mind, we’re training it to be more open and at ease, and we consequently discover greater calm, clarity, contentment, and compassion. In doing so, we increasingly learn to have a direct experience of the present moment.
Some of this may seem abstract; it can also be helpful to describe what meditation is not:
- Meditation is not about “emptying the mind, “clearing the mind,” or “stopping thoughts.” The mind’s nature is to think. We meditate to see those thoughts more clearly.
- Meditation is not about becoming a different person, a new person, or a better person.
- Meditation is not the same as concentration. It is not the active engagement of the mind on a specific topic.
- Meditation does not guarantee relaxation, serenity, or bliss. Relaxation can certainly be a side effect of it, but meditation involves a range of feelings, not simply the nicer ones.
- Meditation is not “checking out” or escaping our problems or duties.
- Meditation is not necessarily spiritual or religious. It shares a very long history with religion and offers an important spiritual component for many practitioners. But anyone can meditate, regardless of creed.
Next week will include a brief introduction to some of the most popular meditation practice that I include in most of my classes.
If you like this topic or you would like to see more of similar topics please get in touch I would love to hear your views.
