Meditation can be looked at in many different ways. Meditation can be walking, laying down in a hot bathtub, cruising around, praying, watching nature, and the most thought of when you hear the word ‘meditation’, the eastern view of meditation common among Buddhism and Hinduism. Although meditation is a strong part of the Eastern religions, it is most definitely not limited to them. Meditation is spoken of in the Bible and is found among practically every religion, in some form. However, this article is going to be on the health and spiritual benefits of the meditation common to Buddhism.

In Tibetan Buddhism, although their are many forms of meditation for different purposes, meditation is commonly used to calm the mind, enhance concentration, chakra work, chanting mantras, bringing change to the body or spirit, healing, and observing thoughts, insight, and visualization. The mind controls the body and world around you, so through meditation, you can do anything.

Meditation is also scientifically proven to reduce stress and to create an overall healthier person. According to www.nhs.uk, a study was drawn on 80 undergraduate students from the Dalian University. “The experimental group underwent integrative body-mind training (IBMT) for 20 minutes a day for five days. IBMT, based on traditional Chinese medicine, is a style of meditation training that encourages ‘restful alertness and awareness of the body’. It uses external instructions delivered through a CD and a coach. The control group underwent group sessions of relaxation therapy for 20 minutes per day for five days.” After the research was done, the experimental group that had taken on the IBMT for 20 minute a day over a duration of five days had “led to greater improvement in scores assessing conflict resolution, anxiety, depression, anger, fatigue, and vigour. They also found that meditation practice reduced the amount of cortisol that was released in response to the stress test.”

Common Sitting Posture and Form:

• Sitting down, you can cross your legs normally, or half/full lotus. You may also choose you sit on a pillow. The best way for your back is to sit on the pillow, but have your legs crossed lying on the ground, in front of the pillow.
• Your back and head must be straight, to circulate oxygen to the brain. However, do not force your back straight to where it causes pain.
• Be comfortable!
• Your hands can lay in your lap, on your knees, or whatever is comfortable to you. A common position to hold your hands in your lap, palms facing up with one set of fingers over the other. Then you bend your hands up to connect the ends of your thumbs, to make a circle.
• Your eyes may be opened, half opened, or closed. Visualization or concentration meditation, however, may be easier with your eyes fully closed.

Types of Meditation:

• Insight Meditation: Observing your thoughts, but letting them come and go naturally. So you must not grab a thought or image and dwell on it, but observe the thoughts and images that come into your mind, listen to your subconscious and let your mind be still. If you do start to think about something hard, let go of it and return to merely observing your thoughts. This form of meditation can enhance concentration, create a more peaceful life as it reduces stress, bring insight, and overall create a healthier you!
• Concentration Meditation: In this form of meditation you set a specific goal or aspiration, and create that image in your minds eye. Sit and visualize that image, static or in motion, but keep your concentration on that specific image. Doing so will create the intention and with absolute belief will manifest it into your reality. This can be used for healing oneself or another, manifesting your reality, or to bring insight on a specific subject. The boundaries are devoid.
• Chanting Mantras: During meditation, some Buddhists chant mantras as prayers or to work on different chakras, as each has its own mantra. A common mantra is ‘om’  (AUM) which is the seed syllable for the third eye chakra, as well as many other meanings, one representing the world as a whole. Another popular mantra is ‘om mani padme hum’ (AUM-MAH-NE-PAD-MEH-HAUM) which has many meanings, but essential represents the entirety of the Dharma.
• Guided Meditation and Meditations Songs: There are many websites and CDs that you get that have guided meditations on them. These can include songs to help put your in the mindset, or with a specific meditation goal (such as chakra healing). Other CDs and websites offering songs that have a voice that will guide you through a specific meditation, helping you to visualize something specific.

These are some of the more popular forms of meditation. As I said above, there are definitely many different forms of meditation that achieve different goals, depending on what you are looking for. I hope this has helped you to understand further what meditation is and has inspired you to try this practice, as it has been done for thousands of years – for a good reason.

Sources and helpful links:

http://www.freemeditate.org/
http://www.radiosrichinmoy.org/
http://meditation.org.au/
Mindfulness in Plain English – by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

According to FOXNews.com,

“UC Santa Barbara’s Andrew Cleland cooled that paddle in a refrigerator, dimmed the lights and, under a special bell jar, sucked out all the air to eliminate vibrations. He then plucked it [the paddle] like a tuning fork and noted that it moved and stood still at the same time.”

The reason why this is possible, according to quantum theorists, is because there are an infinite amount of alternate realities. What they experienced when they vibrated the tuning fork was the paddle moving, but in an alternate reality the paddle stayed still. According to the article, “Electrons, which circle the nucleus of an atom, are swirling around in multiple states at the same time — they’re hard to pin down. It’s only when we measure the position of an electron that we force it to have a specific location. Cleland’s breakthrough lies in taking that hard-to-grasp yet true fact about the atomic particle and applying it to something visible with the naked eye.” In this experiment, they managed to view two realities at once! Crazy! So for example, I am currently typing this blog post out, yet in another reality I am deleting all that I have typed, and in another reality I am typing something completely different!

Even more powerfully, what quantum physics and the law of attraction teaches is that we have the power to choose our reality through thinking it into existence and knowing that that reality is the reality you are living. When we focus our consciousness on a specific outcome, a specific reality – knowing that there is a reality with every possible outcome – and know you are living your chosen reality, live the outcome of that reality, feel the feelings of that reality, and assume that reality is what you are living, you will in turn take your conscious point of view and awareness to that reality, making it the reality that you are living.

A true example of this is spoken of in The Divine Matrix by Gregg Braden. There is a woman with a tumor and is taken to a place to be treated with alternative methods. After specific practices are undertaken by the patient, such as a change in diet and a practice that helped to regulated chi flow throughout the body, she undertook her ‘operation’. The patient was lying on what appeared to be a hospital gurney, without any anesthetics or sedatives. The doctors then took into consideration the reality of the patient without the tumor. The doctors lived that reality, felt her healing, and knew it would come into place – focusing that intention and energy toward the patient. They then started to chant mantras meaning ‘already done, already done’ and as Gregg Braden said, “At first it seemed that nothing was happening. Suddenly, the tumor began to quiver in and out of view, as if it were teetering between realities… Within seconds, it faded and then completely vanished from the screen… it was gone.”

Today is the National Day of Prayer. I believe that today should be a day that regardless of our ethnicity, beliefs, and backgrounds we can all come together, take into account that we all have differences but at the same time we all want the same thing and we are all brothers and sisters. Regardless if you are Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Pagan, Hindu, or Catholic, we all share the same core in our practices and spiritual paths, and that is compassion and peace. Prayer doesn’t have to be to a god or deity, and in fact prayer in any form is equivalent to the other. Setting that intention, that thought, the faith and belief that something will happen in your life or the lives around you is prayer and can be done by anyone, under any belief.

A great example of the diversity in prayer are two things my friend Jeremy Gotwals share with me yesterday during a session of meditation that he has been holding lately. The first practice involves meditating on becoming the Buddha, but also imagining the people around you as Buddhas. The second was another visual meditation in which you imagine a ball of white light surrounding you, emanating from your core. After you have meditated on this image for awhile, you are too send out this positive energy into the universe. There are many types of visuals and prayers Buddhists have that aren’t to a god, but concentrate on meditating on images and sending out that energy of the world in peace and compassion. As I talked about in my post on the Law of Attraction, simply meditating on an image of something can manifest it into reality.

Some ways that you can pray:

• Meditate and visualize the world around you in peace, without diversity. Imagine compassion within everyone’s hearts. Visualize the worlds suffering ending.
• Look up prayers under any spiritual path and recite them aloud, or in your head, until you feel satisfied.
• In quite, with your eyes closed, visualize whatever it is that you want to happen within yourself or others. Health, happiness, a job, etc.
• Prayer to your god or deity.
• Chanting mantras.
• Simply repeating what you want, and believing it will happen.
• If you choose to visualize something. Visualize the the image of aftermath. Visualize not getting the new job, but visualize you in the car. Envelope yourself with the feelings you will have once you get the car. Visualize your yourself healthier. Visualize and feel yourself healthier. Visual the new you, as if it has already happened.

So today, and every day, remember that the form of prayer you partake in is  sacred to you. Its your form of communication with the universe. Whether its to a god or deity, meditation, a statement, visualization, a mantra, or a ritual. Whatever it is that you feel is prayer, take time and be apart of the unity and power of this day by joining in with your form of prayer. We are all brothers and sisters, and together we have the power to do anything.

"The Greatest prayer is patience"
- Gautama Siddhartha (the Buddha)

James Van Praagh is an incredible guy. Gifted with mediumship since he was a child, he has been helping people for years through his books, workshops, and readings. His book Ghosts Among Us has many stories of his interactions with spirits, how ghosts work and why they exist, as well as information on energy. I definitely suggest this read. Here below I want to share with you a great example of not only James Van Praagh, but of mediumship at its best. This video was from his old show Beyond, which no longer exists.

Be sure to to check out his website for his books, events, information on himself, and online courses. Enjoy!

You and I both are aware of the laws of science, in which govern peoples everyday lives. But one important law that most people aren’t aware of is the Law of Attraction. This powerful law abides to everyone, at all times, and because most people are unaware of it, people are also unaware of the power they have over their lives. What this law teaches is that the thoughts we think, the actions we take, and the energy we send out is what the universe gives us in return. For example, if someone were to consistently dread the bad grades they have, then that is what they are going to receive. On the other hand, if I know I am going to get a job this week, meditate on it, visualize it, live the feeling of having it, and absolutely know that this week I AM getting a job, I will receive that job. That is why it seems as though when one bad thing happens at the start of the day, the rest of the day is a tumbleweed of negativity, one bad thing after the other. You are sending out that energy and thought, and through the matrix that connects you and I and everything within the universe, you are attracting similar circumstances, people, and energy toward yourself.

A powerful way to practice this is to know that you have already received that new job. Visualize the perfect job you want, the smile on your face as your shake the hand of your new boss after he tells you that you are hired, the first paycheck being big and your jaw dropping when you first open it. Visualize how you are going to feel after you have received the job, since you WILL be receiving it.

How does it work? As Gregg Braden talks about in The Divine Matrix, Quantum physicists have conducted experiments that have proven that we are all connected through some sort of ‘ether’ or ‘web’. One of the prime experiments that assisted the belief of this matrix, is one in which had to do with DNA and emotion. Emotion has a direct affect on our DNA–depending on our mood and emotional state, our DNA changes its shape accordingly. What they did in this experiment is they removed a strand of human DNA and put it at different distances outside of the body, one in a separate room and the other a couple hundred miles away from the owner. Following that they showed the owner of the DNA a series of images (ie. happy, erotic, sad, etc.) that invoke certain emotions within the individual. At both distances, the DNA instantaneously responded and changed just as if it were still in the body, even at a distance of a couple hundred miles. This among many experiments has lead to the proof of this web that connects everything within the universe.  Thus the things that you do, can affect things within the web. When you think positive thoughts and send out that energy, that intention, you will attract like things threw this web. In the same note, everything is energy, including thought. If you pray for someone, you are sending out that positive thought threw the web, to that person. Same goes as if you are thinking of someone and all of a sudden they call you. Threw this web, we have the ability to create and bring anything into our lives, manifesting our every wish.

Keys to keep in mind:

• Visualize the new car, the feeling you will first sitting in it, driving it, filling it up, and it will manifest into reality.
• Know that it has happened already, envelope yourself with the feeling you will have, as though you already have it. Live your life as though you have already received it.
• Believe beyond a doubt. No negativity.
• Be thankful for everything in your life.
• Stay positive. Love yourself, and you will attract love in your life.
• We are all connected, to everything and everyone. Accepting this helps makes since of the law, as sending out that intention and energy will attract exactly that to you.

Sources and information on the Law of Attraction -

• The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham – by Esther and Jerry Hicks [Book]
• The Secret – by Rhonda Byrne [Book - Source]
• The Law of Attraction and Quantum Physics [Website - Article]
• The Divine matrix – by Gregg Braden [Book - Source]