Usually people think of meditation as a worship or prayer, but true meditation covers a wide range of goals and focus. It attempts to get a person beyond the conscious state of the thinking mind into a deeper state of awareness creating greater focus, self awareness, or peace of mind. It is more accurate to think of meditatton as a way of life rather than a technique or method. According to the Wikinapee Online ENcylopedia "the word meditation comes from the Latin meditatio, which originally indicated every type of physical or intellectual exercise, then later evolved into the more specific meaning "contemplation." Eastern meditation techniques have been adapted and increasingly practiced in Western culture. Meditation has been defined as: "self regulation of attention, in the service of self-inquiry, in the here and now." It provides some real alternative health answers.
There are various types of meditation -"prayer is probably the best known, but there is also TM (Transcendental Meditation), mindfulness meditation, and from the Eastern tradition, Zen meditation, Buddhist meditation, and Taoist meditation. The meditation encompasses such diverse methods as: Formal sitting in which the body is held immobile and the attention controlled. e.g., Zazen, Vipassana Expressive practices , in which the body is let free and anything can happen. e.g., Siddha Yoga, the Latihan, the chaotic meditation of Rajneesh. The practice of going about one's daily round of activities mindfully. e.g., Mahamudra, Shikan Taza, Gurdjieff's "self-remembering". All these practices have one thing in common - they all focus on quietening the busy mind. The intention is not to remove stimulation but rather to direct your concentration to one healing element - one sound, one word, one image, or one's breath. When the mind is "filled" with the feeling of calm and peace, it cannot take off on its own and worry, stress out, or get depressed. According to Joan Borysenko, Ph.D., a pioneer in the field of mind/body medicine, meditation can be broadly defined as any activity that keeps the attention pleasantly anchored in the present moment. When the mind is calm and focused in the present, it is neither reacting to memories from the past nor being preoccupied with plans for the future, two major sources of chronic stress known to impact health. "Meditation," says Dr. Borysenko, "helps to keep us from identifying with the 'movies of the mind." Concentrative meditation focuses the attention on the breath, an image, or a sound (mantra), in order to still the mind and allow a greater awareness and clarity to emerge" (from the Wikenepa Online Enclyopedia).
History of Meditation
The beginnings of meditation remain clouded in mystery with very little information available. However, Researchers have uncovered ancient Indian scriptures called “tantras” mentioning meditation techniques dating back 5000 years. As meditation developed it evolved into a structured practice but early research suggests that primitive societies may have discovered altered states of consciousness while staring into the flames of their campfires. Around 500 B.C. Prince Siddhartha Guatama who became known as Buddha achieved enlightenment after his own experiments with meditation and his teachings spread across the Asian continent. As meditation became intergrated into these differnet cultures and religions they added their own unique systems of practicing meditation resulting in wide variations in styles and traditions.
Thousands of years after its inception meditation eventually reached the Western socities and gained popularity in the mid-20th century. Many researchers and professors in the 1960's and 1970s learned of the many benefits that meditation had to offer and began testing its effects. Meditation was eventually adopted into health care systems and is often prescribed as a healing technique for relaxing the body and calming the mind. Today a wide variety of meditative practices are popular world wide and appear in almost all of the world's religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Jainism and Islamic. However, Buddhist and Hindu based meditation practices remain the most popular.
How To Do Energy Healing- Meditation
There are a wide variety of types of meditation and styles available. If you are a beginner you may consider joinning a class, reading a book, purchasing a DVD, or viewing some of the videos on file. Definitely check the banner ad at the top of this page- this is the program that I personally use. The sounds produced through this cd automatically create brain waves that put you into a deep meditative state without even trying! It is a little pricy but well worth it, and I highly recommend it (for more information just click on the ad itself). However if you prefer to try this on your own here are some basic suggestions commonly found with the most popluar styles of meditation.
Getting Prepared
Find a quiet comfortable place and turn off any distractions (like your phone). Many people use music with their meditative time but this is not neccessary. Put on some loose comfortable clothing, have the room at a neutral tempeture (not too hot or cold). A nice fluffy pillow or cushion to sit is recommended. Late evenings work best for me, but most people seem to prefer the morning. Try to become habitual, as much as possible, in whatever program you develop for yourself.
Getting Started
Find a comfortable sitting position, be physically relaxed with your back straight but not rigid, keep your head slightly bent forward with your jaw relaxed. You can keep your eyes closed, or half opened whichever fits you best; shoulders relaxed and hands in one's lap. The legs can be in crossed position, called a lotus position (which many Westerners can not do), but also simply crossed works fine. In fact, other positions like sitting on one's knees or a chair, but don't rest your back against it. The last resort is lying down in bed, this is nice and comfortable but the tendency is to fall alseep! Keep our breathing slow and rythmic, from the lower belly and not the chest.
Let's Have Some Fun
The meditation session is to transform ourselves into the person we desire to become. Therefore getting a clear focus on our goal(s) will help keep us motivated in the proper direction. Start with the basics above focusing on our breathing and simply witnesses whatever goes through the mind without reacting or becoming involved with thoughts, memories, worries, or images. This will help you obtain a more calm, clear, and non-reactive state of mind. This enables us to see thoughts and emotions that arise for what they are and not as "belonging to me." This process allows us to establish choices; encouraging those thoughts and emotions that add value to our being and letting go those ones that are not benefical. This process of giving encouragement or energy to certain ones and letting go of certain ones begins to move us towards our goal. Try not to suppress thoughts and emotions but rahter recoginize and direct the sessions towards your desired outcome. Meditation can provide some great energy healing therapy.
Benefits Of Meditation
Though meditation is usually recognized as a largely spiritual practice, it also has many health benefits and provides essential energy healing. It can bring about a healthy state of relaxation by causing a overall reduction in multiple physiological and biochemical indicators. One may experience a decreased heart rate, decreased respiration rate, decreased plasma cortisol (a major stress hormone), decreased pulse rate, and increased EEG (electroencephalogram) alpha, a brain wave associated with relaxation. Besides these well known factors there are many more benefits such as:
Decreased anxiety
Decresed depression
Decreased in phobias
Decreased respiration rate
Decreased heart rate
Decreased irritability and moodiness
Decreases oxygen consumption
Decreases blood pressure
Decreases symptoms of chronic diseases like allergies , arthritis etc.
Decreases the need for sleep
Decreases muscle tension (any pain due to tension and headaches).
Decreases symptoms of Pre- menstrual Syndrome.
Decreases activity of viruses and emotional distress.
Increases creativity
Increases comprehnsion
Increases self-actualization
Increases learning ability and memory
Increases serotonin production which influences mood and behavior. Low levels of serotonin are connected with depression, obesity, insomnia and headaches.
Increases blood flow and slows the heart rate.
Increases vitality and energy
Increases post-operative healing.
Increases the ability of the immune system
Increased happiness.
Increased emotional stability.
Increased self-confidence.
*Nothing on this website is intended or implied as a medical diagnosis, treatment, or advice and should not substitute for professional medical care. Read full Disclaimer
There are a wide variety of types of meditation and styles available. If you are a beginner you may consider joinning a class, reading a 
