The term meditation became very popular in over the last decade. Many people are practicing it; others are trying to find out what it actually involves. Many of us are used to doing everything the “right way” which can stand very often in the way of success. So let’s have a look at what meditation is, how to practice it and how it can help us live a better life.

When I personally started to practice meditation I was part of Sahaja Yoga years back while at uni. I was looking to get more from life and I had a lot of unanswered questions. During this search I bumped into a poster inviting people to a small workshop so I decided to give it a go. Being part of that group for some time, I learned a lot and also realized it wasn’t for me. The experience was great until the point when I realized that I don’t want to be told what to do and how much to pay for it. Some see this group as a sect and I can understand why. I prefer freedom but it’s up to everyone to choose their life path. It was here where I learnt meditation techniques that were strictly guided and organised. Use of mantras, candles, burning incense, pictures and atmosphere seemed to be appropriate. I learnt a lot of useful things like quietening my mind, importance of nature and earth, energetic cleansing and some of it I still use today. The only difference is I let go of candles and incense. I used to think I need a special place to meditate, but now I don’t. Why this change?

Meditation is a sacred act. It is time you spend by yourself, working on yourself. It is a time where you let go of everything. A time when you return from where you came from. Some people prefer to create an atmosphere with candles and I have nothing against that. Flame can be highly cleansing and relaxing to look at, but it is not necessary to have a great meditation session. It’s all about personal choice. The only point I am trying to make is that THERE IS NO RIGHT WAY TO MEDITATE!  Whatever feels right you should do. If you feel like meditating in the morning at 5am and at night at 8pm please do so. If you feel like practicing meditation during your lunch break, that is fine too. Meditation is freedom and thoughtlessness. Total relaxation of your mind, emotions and body.

How long to meditate

Another thing is time. How long should we meditate? Again there is no right or wrong. My personal opinion is you should meditate as long as you can stay without thought. If your mind is too preoccupied by finishing a certain task maybe you should finish it first so you can relax or you should meditate only for 5 minutes or so to recharge your batteries so you can fully focus on the task at hand.

Meditation is total opposite of focus and we should spend most of the time of our live either in meditation or total focus. They are both expression of present moment. Meditation is now, relaxed and thoughtless. Focus is also fully present but our mind and body are fully alert and occupied with the task at hand. What is in between? Between is all the garbage that doesn’t serve us. Thoughts of future and past. Constant worry, sadness or anger caused by everything that’s not happening the way we wanted. More about that in Live in the Present article.

The more you practice this, the longer you will be able to fully meditate or be in total focus. You will become more alert and efficient. Fully present, living now instead of surviving, feeling low and energy depleted.

Meditation is return to the source. We go to the place we came from. Imagine being in your mothers womb. You were alive at that point, still part of your mother’s body. You were alive and in total connection with the source. That is where you are trying to go when you meditate. To that point, where nothing matters, you just live. That’s it.

If you have a problem with keeping your thoughts away, instead of pushing them back where they came from, just try to observe them from a distance, acknowledge their presence and let them float away, making your mind still again. Don’t try to force it.

Where to meditate

Some people believe there should be a sacred spot in your house where you meditate every single time. It might work for some people and if it does that’s great. For others it doesn’t have to matter where they are. They might be at work as mentioned earlier or outside in nature. The beach is a great place. Anywhere is fine. I prefer nature, sitting on the ground, because contact with Earth makes me more grounded and helps me slow down my mind. Find your own place to enjoy meditation or change them frequently if that is what works for you. Remember, there are no rules. 

There is really nothing more to it. Many people are trying to make it look complicated and offering relaxation music or other “ad ons” that might enhance your experience but also might not. Use what ever works for you and keep it simple, because meditation is the simplest thing to do. Only our mind makes it look so complicated because we are used to using it all the time it almost seems impossible to stop it from talking to us.

The only tools I am using at this moment are gemstones. Coming from Earth they can help you to be in touch with something that we lost long time ago. If you want to achieve higher consciousness through meditation or even sleep these tools can help you to get where you want to get much faster. Read about more about them in Power of Gemstones article (coming soon) or visit www.gemishpere.com to go straight to the source for more information.

There are so many books on meditation on the market so if you believe you need them try to look around and get the ones that seem right for you.

I can recommend one book: One Day My Soul Just Opened Up by Iyanla Vazant which has one small chapter on meditation and the rest is very interesting reading that might help you too. This book might open you eyes even more and train you to think outside the square too. 

Another book that does not teach you meditate but might open your eyes to see what is meditation all about is: Stillness Speaks by Eckhart Tolle - small book full of wisdom, you can open it anywhere you want, read just one or two paragraphs each day and quietly contemplate whatever it is that touched your heart.