The Case for Meditation

by Vaughn Gray

Most people are a bit skeptical about meditation. It’s easy to understand why. America is historically a Christian nation. Through most of world history meditation has primarily been restricted to Buddhism, Hindu, and other eastern religions. Over the past few decades, meditation has become more and more popular in the west, but it is still generally associated with eastern practices like yoga and/or other non-Christian spiritual practices. In addition meditation is rooted in the belief that mind and body are intimately interconnected, meaning that the mind can powerfully influence the body and vice versa. To many scientifically minded persons this smacks of mysticism.

For these reasons and others many people are loath to try meditating. This is a real shame. At its core meditating boils down to taking some time to relax, clear your mind, breathe deeply, and really just exist in the present moment. Meditation doesn’t have to be associated with any particular belief system. Given the hyper-fast pace of life these days, the high levels of stress most of us deal with, and the constant over-stimulation that goes hand in hand with living in the age of mass media, finding some form of mental relaxation is a virtual necessity. Exercise can help provide this relaxation, as can walks amidst nature, listening to music, and a hundred other things. But none of these things have the same effects as meditation.

Numerous studies have established that mediation can powerfully reduce stress levels even to the point of substantially lowering blood pressure. Most people who start meditating regularly report improved mood and greater clarity of thinking, in addition to feeling less stressed, within a month. Many people find that they sleep more deeply at night and feel more alert and engaged during the day. All of these effects have been widely documented. There are numerous scientific articles on the benefits of meditation available on pubmed – the largest database of scientific articles in the world. Check this out yourself by going to http://www.pubmed.com/ and typing in “meditation and stress” or “meditation and blood pressure”. In the face of all of this evidence it’s time for meditation to break fully into the mainstream.

How to Start Meditating

Step One: Find the Right Environment

The first thing you need to do to start meditating is to find or create the right environment for meditation. Meditation requires concentration, so you want your environment to be free of distractions. Find somewhere quiet and comfortable where you are unlikely to be disturbed. Lower the lights or close any blinds and, if you are meditating at night, consider candles as an alternative to electric lights. Candle light is softer and less stimulating.

To further eliminate potential distractions, turn off your cell phone and the ringer on your house phone and be sure to wear comfortable cloths. Tell anyone you share your home with that you’ll be taking 20 or 30 minutes to meditate and to please not disturb you. Once you’ve eliminated potential distractions and created a comfortable environment you’re ready to begin.

Step Two: Getting in Position

Proper posture is important during meditation. First off, a lot of meditation is grounded in proper breathing (see our Breathing Tutorial for more on good breathing technique). It’s impossible to breathe properly without proper posture. Meditation can be done while seated or while lying down, but in either case the spine must be kept straight. The most common position for meditation is sitting cross legged with the back held erect. In this position the arms are generally placed on the legs with the palms held up and the pointer finger and thumb touching. This position is supposed to help with relaxation and focus.

Many people are more comfortable sitting in a chair. This is absolutely fine. The critical thing is that you meditate in a position that you can hold comfortably for 20 or 30 minutes. Some people find it easiest to meditate lying down. As long as you don’t simply fall asleep this is fine too.