Meditation: A Nap for the Mind

Your eyes are closed and your body is calm, but you are not asleep. You are wide awake and more aware than ever; you’ve acknowledged every part of your being. For this one moment in your day you have no obligations; you exist only in this moment. You might be standing with your knees slightly bent, tailbone tucked in, and your hands at you sides- Tai Chi style. Or maybe you’re sitting with your legs criss-crossed, or in an advanced yoga position like the Lotus pose. But more important than the posture is the breathing, the complete relaxation of the body, and the freeing of your mind.  This is meditation.

            What is this “freeing of your mind” that you always hear about? It’s complete control. It’s being able to take a break from thinking. Though this may sound like a simple thing- it’s not. Try sitting with your eyes closed and not thinking about anything; it’s very difficult. Even if you’re not purposely thinking about anything, you’ll find that your mind will wander all by itself- it doesn’t need you. You’ll also find that when you try to stop thinking, you end up thinking about not thinking, therefore defeating your purpose. It is virtually impossible to go for long without thinking about anything, but you can come to a point of complete quieting of the mind–and only then will you benefit tremendously from your meditation. Your mind controls your body, therefore having complete control of your mind gives you control over your entire person.

            Begin your meditation in a comfortable position. Slow down your breathing and close your eyes, or keep them relaxed and fixed on a certain point. Closed eyes aren’t necessary for meditation, but if you’re new at this, your eyesight can often act as a distraction. Breathe in deep through your nose and out slowly. Have your jaw slightly open with your tongue on the roof of your mouth. It’s natural for some air to come out through your mouth as you exhale, but most of it should pass through your nose. Relax, and when you feel your mind start to wander always return to the breath. In through your nose, breathing from deep down into the abdomen, and out slowly, pushing the air down and out through the legs; one. Breathe in slowly and out slowly; two. Breathe in slowly and out slowly; three. About fifty breaths is a good place to start, but if you’re comfortable with more it will only benefit you. Now open your eyes. What do you feel? Does your mind seem clear? And what about your thought process? Try reading a book and see how much your comprehension has improved. Why is this? It’s because your mind has been cleared of its crowded thought processes, leaving you in a state of improved focus.

            Meditation strengthens your mind and takes you to places you didn’t know existed. Many people have claimed that their overall performance was better after starting their day with meditation. Others have even claimed that they reached a state of “enlightenment” after practicing daily meditation for a long period of time. But how could something like meditation strengthen your mind? There’s a simple answer: because you’ve given it something it never gets- rest. You stress over work and deadlines you may have, school assignments, bills, health problems, marriage problems, and just the accumulation of issues that we call LIFE. Your mind NEVER gets to rest, but your body does. Your body gets to rest every night for at least five or six hours when you sleep. But your mind keeps going, and that’s why you have countless dreams every night, most of which you don’t even remember. Isn’t rest the way we replenish and strengthen our body? Why would it be any different for our mind? Considering all that the mind can do, imagine the heights we could reach spiritually, mentally, and even physically, if we just gave it a moment to rest.