Meditation: What’s The Big Deal?

The former President of Mozambique, Joaquim Alberto Chissano discovered meditation in 1992 shortly before the end of the Mozambique’s 16 year civil war. This I believe was no coincidence. Reflecting on his early days of meditation, Mr Chissano is on record stating:

The practice of meditation has been around for centuries. Meditation has been slower to catch on, and is less popular in the African community, possibly due to the belief of meditation being a “religious” or Buddhist “thing”. Although meditation is a part of some religions, meditation is not a religious practice.  It’s more of a spiritual practice and a mental discipline. Just as not everyone who prays is a Christian, everyone that meditates is not a Buddhist or Hindu.

For those of you concerned that meditation might conflict or contradict your religious, the Holy Bible and the Holy Qu’ran do encourage it. You can read Biblical verses that encourage meditation here and Qu’ranic verses here.

Practising meditation is not as easy as it seems, but it is very simple. You sit. You breathe. You relax. You are aware. Its numerous positive effects will become apparent to you over time.

So whats the big deal with meditation?

1. Physical Benefits of Meditation

• Deep rest, as measured by decreased metabolic rate, lower heart rate, and reduced work load of the heart.
• Lowered levels of cortisol and lactate-two chemicals associated with stress.
• Decreased high blood pressure.
• Reduction of free radicals- unstable oxygen molecules that can cause tissue damage. They are now thought to be a major factor in aging and in many diseases.
• Improved flow of air to the lungs resulting in easier breathing. Very helpful to asthma patients.
• Along with diet, helps drop bad cholesterol levels. High cholesterol is associated with cardiovascular diseases.
• Meditation relaxes the body, mind and rejuvenates the flow of energy in order to more effectively face the responsibilities of the demanding and active life.
• Meditation helps to develop a more relaxed and positive view towards life.
• It develops a peaceful and more clearly functioning mind.
• It enables to tune into a creative inspirations for artistic expression.
• It enables one to get rid of addictions such as cigarettes, alcohol, narcotics and tranquilizers.
• A scientific study showed that meditation induces greater communication and interaction between the two hemispheres of the brain.
• Meditation is also extremely restful and rejuvenating for the heart.
• Another indication of the deep rest is that the number of breaths needed to be taken each minute during meditation drops significantly. Another indication of the deep rest produced by meditation is the significant drop in the blood lactate level. The lower the lactate level the more rested and rejuvenated is the muscle tissue.
• Deep physiological rest is shown by a distinct drop in the metabolism rate, as measured by the oxygen consumption by an individual in meditation, waking activity, sleep and hypnosis.
• Brain wave measurements during meditation show a higher incidence of alpha waves indicating a restful alertness. There is a sense of peace and yet a wakeful awareness in one`s environment.
• In the long run both the heart rate and breathing rate develop a slower pace as the body experiences less mental-emotional stress and learns to waste less energy. The body becomes more relaxed and more efficient.
• Persons who meditate experience much more stable health. They have fewer illnesses in general in their lives.
• Meditation reduces blood pressure in those with high blood pressure.
• Meditation can significantly reduce the dependency on tranquilizers, alcohol or drugs.
• Meditation can reduce sleeping disorders.

2. Psychological Benefits of Meditation

• Increased brain wave coherence. Harmony of brain wave activity in different parts of the brain is associated with greater creativity and improved moral reasoning.
• Decreased anxiety.
• Decreased depression.
• Decreased irritability and moodiness.
• Meditation can help build and improve character.
• Improved learning ability and memory.
• Increased self-actualization.
• Increased feelings of vitality and rejuvenation.
• Increased happiness.
• Increased emotional stability.
• Meditation helps to develop will power.
• Studies have also shown that those who meditate regularly react more quickly and more effectively to a stressful event.
• Memory recall is also enhanced by meditation.
• Studies on high school students showed that those who meditated had a higher intelligence growth rate than those who did not.
• Meditators showed greatly increased ability to recover from psychosomatic illnesses.

Think now, what would happen if you meditated daily?

Want try?

RBG FIT CLUB Basic 10 min meditation

1. Find your meditation spot.

This should be a private spot free from external disturbances. You should feel safe, at peace and comfortable in it. If you have a bedroom to yourself, it is probably the most appropriate inside your bedroom. After you pick the spot, clean the space around it. Remove any pieces of clutter lying around.

2. Sit in a comfortable position on the floor, chair or cushion.

You don’t have to specifically sit in a special way to meditate. Just sit up straight and maintain good posture to facilitate the flow of energy

3. Clear your mind.

Clear your mind. Loosen yourself up. Take a few deep, slow breaths. Set your phone alarm for ten minutes. Press start.

4. Simply sit and observe

Then, just sit back and observe the inner dialogue playing in your mind. Let the thoughts float by. What are you thinking? What are you feeling? Just observe; don’t engage.

Many people probably think that in meditation, they have to force themselves not to think and block out all their mental thoughts. It is really quite the opposite. You let your mind continue to think, but you don’t engage. You take the role of a passive observer and watch them from the back of your head.

Say for example, if you have a sudden thought that says ‘I need to buy groceries tomorrow’, observing it means knowing that particular thought is there. If you proceed to react from the thought, such as feeling annoyed that you have to buy groceries, or thinking about what groceries you have to buy or what time to buy them, you are engaging with the thought. Don’t do that. Your desired state in meditation is to observe these thoughts, not engage with them.

One way of detecting when your focus breaks is to count slowly from 1, 2, all the way to 10. Repeat when you reach 10. Each time your focus is deviated, take note of the last number you were reading – this is an indicator of how long you held you focus. Try again, restarting from 1, and try to go beyond the last number this time.

The presence of these thoughts during meditation means they are being cleared. These thoughts have always been present in your mind; you are just not aware since there are so many thoughts screaming for attention inside your head! And now through meditation, they are clearing out, one by one. After repeated meditations, you will gradually reach a new level of stillness. If you think your mind seems quiet now, try meditating a few days in a row – you’ll notice a new found mental peace.

Liberty from the mental clutter lets us focus even more than before thereby fully focusing and living in the present moment.

5. Ending Your Meditation

When your alarm sounds, you are done with your meditation. Start off by being present of the physical reality around you. Next, be aware of your physical body. This can take 15~30 seconds, or however long you need to do this step. Then, very slowly, open your eyes. Get attuned to your surroundings.

Instead of resuming your physical activities immediately, you might want to continue sitting in the meditative spot and reflect upon some of the thoughts, feelings or imagery that arose during your meditation. You may also want to just spend a few minutes expressing gratitude towards the things you enjoy in your life.

Let us know how it works for you.

Tagged Health and Fitness, Meditation, Mozambique, Religion and Spirituality