Meditation is a term that’s used to describe a whole range of methods used to transform our everyday awareness. The goal is to help us learn more about our true nature and in the process we bring more stillness and harmony into our lives. When we feel this harmony, we’re less likely to suffer from pressure or panic. So meditation can help us deal with our stress and anxiety.
And while the tranquility meditation offers us is a powerful tool, it is also a tool that goes widely un-used. That’s because a lot of people are intimidated by meditation. They think it takes years of “monastery training.” Or they think you need to have a natural talent for it. But that’s not true of meditation at all.
Basically, meditation is extremely simple to begin. You don’t need a lot of time, and you don’t need much more than a quiet place to practice. Then, once you’ve gone through a short session or two, you’ll actually begin feeling the benefits. It’s actually pretty remarkable.
To start out, I think it’s best to try to find some competent instruction somewhere. Look for an organized class. It’s always better to have a teacher who’s “been there” to help you avoid the wrong turns. Local community organizations like community colleges, churches, or organizations like the YMCA are great, low cost places to find some beginning instruction.
If you’re the solitary type, you can try using a book on meditation. You’ll definitely find lots of them in your local library or bookstore. Books can give you a great overview and general understanding of meditation. Their one drawback though is that you don’t get much feedback from a book. But they can get you started very quickly.
DVDs and CDs can also get you started quickly. Most of them have guided sessions so they’re like attending an instructor-led class. This gives you a deeper experience and gives you more of a handle on how meditating “feels.” Also, each time you listen to a session, you tend to learn and experience something more.
When starting out with meditation, you typically learn one or more breathing meditations first. They’re relatively simple to do and they get you actually meditating fast. If you stick with it, you can move into more advanced meditations and you can stay in the meditative state for longer periods. How far you take it is really up to you. But you will feel the calming effects of meditation from your very first session.
The art of meditation is a deep and wide subject. Meditation has been around for a long time because it delivers real benefits to its practitioners. With a little bit of experimenting, you can find one or more meditations that work for you in your life. I can’t recommend it highly enough as a way to combat the effects of stress and anxiety.