Why meditate?
Apparently, it’s not just good for your mental health, it’s good for your physical health, too.
Yoga and Ayurveda are two “sister philosophies” — they are historically and practically intertwined. The basis of yoga goes way beyond breathing and stretching. Its primary aim is to attain a state of perfect peace. In traditional scriptures defining yoga, such as the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, yoga is defined by the stopping of thought waves in the mind. Take the literal translation of “yoga”, which comes from the root “yog” meaning “yoke” or to tie two things together. Thus, yoga is often translated literally to mean union. This state of no thought establishes the unification of the self, lower case, ego with the Self, upper case, universal. This unified state signifies a state of peace and liberation from suffering. Ayurveda, or the science of life, aids in this realization, often referred to as moksha, with a system for maintaining a healthy body and mind ripe for liberation.
So what does meditation have to do with it?
Traditionally, there are three states which a yogi may reach as they aspire to their goal of liberation. They are dharana, or concentration, dhyana, or meditation, and samadhi, or super-consciousness.
First, concentration, or dharana is practiced. This is a common occurrence, and includes concentrating a single point of focus (for instance, the breath) with some interruptions (thoughts, what you’re going to make for dinner, judgements, memories, etc.) To practice this concentration for meditation, one might choose a particular point of focus that is not going to create more distractions, like a mantra Om or the moon, a dot on the wall, or a candle’s flame.
Then, as the practice of focus strengthens, concentration transforms into meditation, or dhyana. Dhyana is uninterrupted focus. Imagine watching the sun set on the horizon with a totally empty mind. This stage is rather difficult to achieve on command, and usually requires a lot of regular practice. Meditating for a short time every day eventually develops a high level of cognitive dexterity so that uninterrupted contemplation of an object is possible.
Finally, as this stage gets more intense, and the focus is even more strong, the meditative state becomes samadhi, or super-consciousness. In this state, the mind and the object of concentration are no longer separate. They become one.
These three stages are described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, a great source for learning more about yoga and meditation. We reccomend the commentary by Baba Hari Dass.
What about the benefits? The list goes on. Major publications of health news rave about the physiological and emotional benefits of meditation. Among them are Healthline, Harvard Health Publishing, Mayo Clinic, and PsychCentral. Here are some of the major benefits, sourced from clinical studies, that these articles explore:
- Enjoy happiness and equanimity 🙂
- Lower stress, incredible for managing anxiety
- Better mood, relieves depressive symptoms
- Supports emotional well-being and coping
- Experience improved cognition!
- Lengthen attention span
- Improve both working memory and recognition memory
- Increase ability to listen or read and retain information
- Be of good character, naturally
- Experience greater self-awareness;
- Allows one to act in alignment with values and intentions
- More kindness: provides spaciousness in awareness for others
- Live pain-free and reduce risk of disease
- Powerful tool for reducing pain (of all kinds, especially chronic pain)
- Reduces high-blood pressure
- Supports recovery and prevention of addictions
- Sleep restfully and through the night
- Sleep longer, rest more completely, and prevent insomnia
- Quiet the mind before bed
- Reduce restlessness and racing thoughts
This is just the beginning! Stay tuned for more on ways to meditate, Ayurveda’s connection to meditation and the goals of yoga, and newer clinical studies showing just how profound the effects can be with regular practice.
Wishing the best for you always,
Luisa at Santa Cruz Ayurveda
12/13/2024
