Benefits Of Meditation

Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years, so there are countless variations and definitions of the practice. Most forms of meditation offer relaxation -- primarily through a quieting of the mind -- and create a "pause" from the rapid pace of our lives to let our mind and body "catch up," re-balance, and re-center.

Some styles of meditations rely on complete silence, some employ the repetition of specific words or "mantras," some offer guided imagery and/or affirmations, some focus on specific energy centers or "chakras," some utilize specific sounds and music, some have very ancient roots, rituals, and religious traditions. And there are many more varieties and combinations. Some meditations focus primarily on relaxation and the

Understand that release is not something we "do." Holding is something we do. Holding takes effort. Release happens naturally when we let go of our holding -- when we cease to effort. (In fact, one of the very powerful longer-term benefits of meditation is that we will integrate this art of "release" into our daily lives... so that we end up "accruing" less stress, less heaviness, less emotional tension, and less fear as we move through our days.)

And as a follow-up to the previous question, if doing your daily or weekly meditation begins to feel like an "obligation," you've likely let your meditation become "work." You've strayed into that "do it right" mode. Meditation should not be hard or heavy. And it's not something you need to worry about "perfecting." Meditation should be, first and foremost, your time for peace and lightness: a time in which you have permission to rest, and a space in which you feel safe to release and

our minds and our meditation should not be at odds. Meditation should support every faculty and strength within us. And our mind is a great strength. In relaxing our thoughts through meditation, we are not so much getting our mind "out of the way" as much as we are giving our mind its much needed time to rest and recover. Yes, releasing from our "mind chatter" certainly plays a key role in our meditation, as this "noise" can distract us from our deeper, more centered awareness. But doing so also gives the mind a chance to settle so that it can more fully integrate the information we have gathered -- and draw upon additional information that we may not "consciously" know we've