By Gedalia Genin, PhD

Does meditation scare you? The thought of a “no thought” state may strike you as impossible. The idea of ridding yourself of the thicket of thoughts racing through your head may sound as onerous as weeding an overgrown garden! My clients lament, “My mind is always racing.” “I can’t turn off my thoughts.” “Endless to-do lists loop through my brain.”

In actuality, meditation doesn’t involve controlling or uprooting thoughts. Quite the contrary, it takes a gentler approach akin to wading in a pool of water or floating on a raft. The simple practice of sitting (lying down works too) in stillness and just “being” doesn’t have to involve effort. Sure, situations and scenarios may continue to play out in your mind as you sit and meditate. But one approach to meditation involves simply watching your thoughts rather than grabbing onto them. You simply witness them.

We all have thoughts, even longtime meditators. The issue isn’t whether you have thoughts when you meditate but your ability to witness in stillness and watch them as they rise and fall. There’s no need to indulge your mental activity. One of the benefits of meditation is you may no longer feel so intensely identified with the you that is thinking.

This is what’s known as witness consciousness. This practice provides benefits off your meditation cushion as well. When a challenge arises, you possess the strength to take it in without flying into high drama. You may need to act, but you can do so with calm, clarity, and ease. 

I always share with people, and urge my children, not to wait for a crisis to start meditating. I discovered the truth of this in my own life when my husband and I weathered some very real and frightening situations as a couple. Whether it has been a financial downturn or health situation we found meditation to be a tremendous balm. 

Thankfully, we weren’t trying to move into stillness for the first time at the height of those dramas. I found meditation, as well as practices like chanting, and my art, inoculated me from feeling choked or subsumed by our challenges. Indeed, with my mind at peace, and faith in my heart, I noticed miracles everywhere.

What we needed simply began to show up. We felt the generosity of our friends. Even strangers showed us a great deal of kindness. I wasn’t used to this—receiving a helping hand. I was accustomed to “living atop the hill” so to speak. I was always the giver. Now, I was the one receiving. 

If not for our years of meditation, I think we would have cracked—or at least not stayed together as a couple. While we relied on each other, we found that meditation helped us to find the inner strength to trust and perceive the divine protection that is always present. I began to see our situation as an opportunity to let go of fear.  It was as if I were being shown that something terrible could happen, and I’d still be fine. 

Our egos still wanted to blame. I know it was because of the spiritual practices we had built up for so long prior to these events that saved us. 

I created a sacred space in all the places we lived. Even with our more demanding work schedules, my husband and I found time to meditate and pray each day. The inner stillness we experienced began to feel like an enormous treasure. More than ever before, we found an attitude of gratitude began to permeate our consciousness.

Meditation & Surfing

Imagine a surfer riding a wave. Her challenge is to stay aloft as waves crash and churn beneath her and let them carry her to smooth water.

It’s an apt metaphor for meditation. Too many people quit before they are carried into the smooth waters of inner stillness. They notice their churning thoughts and hop off before finding balance and stillness. Just like a surfer, you need to ride through those first choppy waters—no matter if your mind races for the first ten minutes. Ride out those thoughts and you’ll find periods of deep calm and stillness. No need to judge the choppy parts. It’s all part of the journey to inner peace.

Do I need to change my religion to meditate?

Clients often ask, “Do I need to chant Om to meditate?” No, you don’t. You can believe in Jesus, Allah, Buddha, or some other deity and still meditate. Meditation isn’t a religion, it’s a state of consciousness. Clients often tell me when they garden, knit, or cook it feels as if they’re meditating. It is true that when one does anything with a one-pointed focus it feels like meditation. There are certainly benefits to playing tennis, the flute, cooking, or performing any activity with total focus, and there are still unique and powerful benefits to sitting to meditate.

Three Types of Meditation

1. Guided Meditation

This is a perfect place to begin. There are easily thousands of audio recordings, videos, even animations with music or verbal instructions to guide you into meditation.

It’s great to experiment and see what type of guided meditation suits you, and you may discover it varies by the day. One reason there are so many types of meditation is that there are so many disparate types of meditators. Some guided meditations may ask you to visualize a placid lake or a column of light.

2. Empty Bowl Meditation

This style of Ayurvedic meditation is one where you sit with your palms open, resting on your thighs, facing upwards. As you sit, focus on releasing negative thoughts and emotions while watching the “space” between the breath. You may wish to repeat a mantra, a sacred utterance in Sanskrit. One powerful mantra is Soham, which means, “I am That.” One chants this to shift one’s sense of self to identify with the universe or ultimate reality.

Experiment repeating Soham on the in breath and then the out breath. The open hands represent the “giving up” of negative thinking and opening to positive energy. Your hands or some other part of your body may feel tingly and that’s a good sign indicating subtle energy is awake and flowing.

3. Chakra Meditation

This is a great meditation for visual meditators. I recommend a CD called “Toning the Chakras” by Joy Gardner Gordon. I use this CD in my Holistic Approach to Grief and Loss class. Chakras are vibrational centers of energy in the subtle body. These seven centers, also known as “wheels of energy” or “wheels of light,” are located from the base of the spine to the crown of the head in the subtle body. They directly affect the state of our mental, physical, and spiritual health.

By clearing the chakras, one gains access to more energy, a feeling of lightness and overall improved health.

You may also take the help of sound for meditation. The tambura, a four-stringed lute, is an ancient droning instrument originating in India that has long been used for meditation and yoga to aid in quieting the mind. In the Keys to The Heart Meditation series, master tambura player Betty McKeon plays this beautiful instrument in seven key resonances referred to as base notes.

Is meditation a spiritual practice?

“Meditation is not religion, not spirituality—it’s a technology of upgrading the mind that can enrich one’s life, including one’s religious life,” writes Jay Michaelson, author of Evolving Dharma. We’re used to the idea of physical fitness. Time to get used to the idea of contemplative fitness, and practice at least as diligently.”

In Meditation as a Spiritual Practice, Genevieve Paulson writes: “Meditation has many purposes: healing, past life awareness, mental clarity, and relaxation. This practice can also enhance our spiritual lives by bringing about peak experiences or transcendental states. Meditation as a spiritual practice focuses on expanding consciousness and awareness.” The techniques in her book can also help develop clairvoyance, clairaudience, and other psychic abilities.

What are some of the proven benefits of meditation?

In her book, A Mind of Your Own, Kelly Brogan, MD, holistic psychiatrist, lists meditations many proven medical benefits. “Meditation is just as effective as antidepressant drugs in treating anxiety or depression, but without the side effects, according to a study conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins University that was published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.” Meditation calms the mind, relieves stress, and can enhance intuition and creativity.

How can I prepare for meditation?

Pranayama or breath work

The word “prana” means breath. However, according to the yogic texts, this refers to more than just oxygen. Prana is our life force. It is the vital force that bathes every cell in our being.

Yogis have long used different breathing techniques to heal the body and mind, and to prepare for meditation. Pranayama is a practice to help control the breath.

You can learn pranayama from a skilled yoga teacher or Ayurvedic practitioner. One great side effect is that it helps tone the belly!

Although yogic breathing can seem daunting at first, I recommend a simple breath practice to my clients— “deep belly breathing.”

Simply hold your hand on your belly while sitting up or lying down—as you inhale, fill the belly like you are filling a balloon. Push the stomach out on the inhale to the count of five. Then exhale to the count of five. The idea is to breathe more deeply from the bottom of the lungs, not only from the top of the chest. This is how babies breathe. This increase of oxygen in the body has many benefits. I like to call it vitamin “O” as it bathes the cells in vital energy. It’s the most renewable energy we have if we pay attention to it.

 There are various yogic breath techniques that you can learn on YouTube with Ayurvedic doctor Vasant Lad, MD, and other teachers. Simply search “pranayama.”

Sophie a 35-year-old nurse came to our integrative office because of panic attacks. After many years of anti-anxiety meds, she felt frustrated and anxious. Her breath was short and convulsive at times. Little by little her deep sense of fear began to dissipate after learning how to breathe.

Where is the best place to meditate?

This too is part of the discovery that awaits you as you embark on meditation. You need to find or create your own “best place” to meditate. Typically, this is a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed.

The place where you meditate will begin to hold the vibrations and positive energy you have cultivated there so that when you return to sit on your mat or chair you can glide more easily into a place of serenity.

I find it’s helpful to create a sacred space in your home or in a backyard studio. If you don’t have an extra room, then a closet or corner in your bedroom will suffice. The main thing is that it is your space—your personal sacred sanctuary.

Just like a gardener tills the soil to prepare for planting, in the same way, the regular practice of meditation in your own space fertilizes the ground underneath you so that when you sit you reap the energy you have accumulated there.

A few basic elements you’ll want are a chair or cushion, a candle, perhaps a crystal or an image of the Buddha, Christ, or the image of a spiritual teacher or master who inspires you. Indeed, you may wish to include a photo of yourself on your altar.

You can find colorful meditation cushions, gemstones, or essential oils online. I find the colored gemstones I’ve put in my meditation room heighten the vibratory energy of the space. I also like to dab on essential oils, such as sandalwood or lavender when I meditate. Some of my clients find they like using rose, geranium, patchouli, or sweet orange. Before I begin to meditate, I light an incense stick and candle which I wave before the images on my altar. This ritual, known as “puja” in Sanskrit, is a moment where I acknowledge the divine presence in my life. You may wish to set an intention for your meditation, recite a prayer, or offer your practice for the highest good.

There are several meditation apps available. “Insight Timer” is a free app and has many excellent meditations of all types ranging from five to 60 minutes.

Sylvia, a slender forty-one-year-old professional came to see one of the integrative doctors at Centre Spring and was recommended to me for Marma and Ayurveda. She had chronic candida (yeast) in her body that she had a hard time tackling. She had undergone various treatments, but they provided only temporary relief. Frustrated and anxious, she was ready for a new approach. She also faced a lot of stress in her relationship with her partner.

His drinking and lack of self-care rubbed off on her. She wanted to leave but could not find the courage or strength to do so. She also worked out of her house which made it that more difficult to make the break. In our initial visit, I recommended a daily meditation practice as well as a change in diet, and a few Ayurvedic herbs to address her candida. After a few energy healing sessions with me as well as following the herbal protocol and doctor’s recommendations she began a process of reconnecting with herself in a renewed way.

She began a twice-daily meditation practice. She not only began to heal her body, but she gave her mind and spirit the space it needed to free herself from a toxic relationship. She did move out, and she learned that her candida only flared when she was faced with stress. She now has the tools to return to balance when she gets off track.

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Well Being Journal adapted this passage from Enough Drugs! I Am a Woman and Can Heal Naturally: A Practical Guide to Feeling Your Best, copyright 2017 by Gedalia Healing Arts.  

For more than 15 years as a holistic practitioner, Gedalia has helped women uncover new pathways to health and vitality by drawing on a wealth of holistic gems: Ayurveda, Marma energy healing, aromatherapy, gemstones, nutrition, meditation, breath work, sound healing, naturopathy, creativity, sound healing, and her own healing gifts. Learn more at www.gedaliahealingarts.com.