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| <back | home Meditation Relaxes Body / Mind by Ligia Dantes "Time is money." The American motto has been influencing our way of living ever since the invention of the production line and piece work. The faster we go, the higher the profits. We have evolved into a civilization of speed and hectic living: working to produce more quickly, eating on the run, driving fast to keep up with traffic, instant satellite communications and extraordinarily fast computers. Even the movies and cartoons depict our conditioned, hectic paradigm of thinking. People want fast action or they are bored. We have been forced to learn to cope with this hectic modern way of living by the use of drugs, television, entertainment, psychology, religious beliefs, etc. Recently, meditation has been used and recommended by physicians and psychologists as a way to relax and regain our energies. While meditation is an ancient spiritual practice, it is one of the more powerful forms of relaxation we have today. It also provides an opportunity for awareness, direct self-knowledge and peace of mind. We may come to experience directly our own true nature, our spirituality, if you will, with or without religious beliefs. Even our relationships are greatly improved as we begin to be aware of the way our minds work and how we create unnecessary stress. It is recommended that we sit in meditation twice a day, beginning with 10 minutes at each sitting and working up to 40 or 45 minutes. Perhaps you may be thinking, "Oh, but that takes too much time!" True, it takes time, but everything we do is within the confinements of time. Of course, the easy way out is to take a drug. There are enormous drug industries supporting our hectic way of living. These, in turn, must produce fast and sell fast to maintain the profits. It is a merry-go-round. Meditation does not have to be just another way to cope. It can be used to learn how to relax our body and mind, as well as to gain insights. This is accomplished by simply sitting straight in a chair, or on a pillow on the floor, allowing muscles to relax, letting all thoughts go by (as on a TV ticker tape); Being aware of the stories the mind weaves and the preoccupation it holds; then letting go of all of them. Some people use a technique of following their breath, counting from one to 10 over and over again. Meditation can be helpful for Spiritual unfolding, health, and daily living experiences. You can practice relaxation also when you are driving by noticing: a) if you are very tense and b) if you are thinking about something that is upsetting to you or distracting you away from the driving. If you have been practicing meditation as suggested above, you can bring your total attention to the driving (just as you bring your attention to your breath). You will discover things all around you that you were not cognizant of before. Your driving will be safer, more relaxed, your mind happier, and you will be less stressed. Silent retreats are another form of relaxation. These may consist of periods of relaxation. (I always tell participants to sleep all they need), contemplation in nature (take time to smell the flowers), and cooperative work in silence. There is a concealed power within silence, and silent activities that awaken and rejuvenate. People who give themselves the time to retreat several times a year and/or practice the ancient way of meditation daily begin to experience a healthier way of living, where the hectic pace no longer predominates. Please take time "to smell the flowers," your health and well-being depend on it! Ms. Dantes is the author of The Unmanifest Self: Transcending the Limits of Ordinary Consciousness (Aslan Publishing, 1990), which has been translated into Japanese and published by Voice, Inc., Tokyo, 1993; and Your Fantasies May Be Hazardous to Your Health, (Vega, 2002) which has also been published in Russia. [See her ad in the print issue.] <back | top^ |