The Art of Meditation by Daniel Goleman
The most prominent
positive psychologists: Sonja
Lyubomirsky, Tal Ben-Shahar, Martin Seligman, Daniel Goleman and others
recommend Meditation as a way to improve
your well being.
From the
book The Art of Meditation by Daniel
Goleman, who has collaborated on various psychology projects with the leaders
of the Buddhist religion, and the Dalai Lama himself
The Art of Meditation is one of the most ancient methods
for
Quieting the mind and calming the
body
Meditation
is in essence the systematic retraining
of attention
It
cultivates a sharpened focus and enriches your perception
The
uses and benefits of meditation are
varied:
o
It
gives your body a deep rest while keeping your mind alert
o
This
lowers your blood pressure and slows your heart rate
o
Giving
your body a chance to recuperate from
stress
Medicall,y
meditation is used for a part of
treatment for various conditions:
Hypertension,
headaches and backaches, anxiety and to control or reduce chronic pain
The
deep rest of meditation offers another benefit :
It
strengthens the immune system – the line
of defense against bacteria, virus and cancer
Meditation allows you to find an Inner Serenity
A haven where you can escape the hectic doings of the
day
The
daily habit of meditation will help you unwind
from the day’s stresses and
Calm and energize you for the future challenges
There
are different kinds of meditation, but four will be explained…
You
can experiment for a few weeks and then choose one or a combination
Try
to practice daily for at least 15 minutes to obtain the most benefit
Doing
it once in a while is better than none at all
You
can use background music to help you relax
The First meditation – Breath Meditation
Breath
Meditation is a basic training that strengthens your concentration
As
you practice it you will notice that your mind wonders to other thoughts
It
is natural, it happens to everyone
The
first goal of meditation is to strengthen what we may call “the muscle of attention”
Each
time your mind wonders from your breath you bring it back, like a basic
Repetition
in building that muscle- the more you do it, the stronger the muscle gets
The
Breath Meditation is one of the simplest and most widespread methods
Found in almost every ancient
spiritual tradition,
in one form or another
The Buddha used it when he was
Enlighted, sitting under the bodhi tree
Zen
and other meditators use it today
