The foundations of meditation

History of Meditation

Meditation has been practiced for over 5,000 years, with the earliest written records of meditation coming from Hindu traditions of Vedantism around 1,500 BC. The Vedas were a collection of spiritual literature that discussed the meditative traditions of ancient India. The existence of the meditation style known as “Tantra” has also been found in artifacts from this time period.

The Pali Canon, a Buddhist scripture, focuses on a four-fold formula of salvation that involves being saved through suffering and following the rules of morality, contemplative concentration, knowledge, and liberation. Contemplative concentration or meditation is a step along the path of enlightenment, and “enlightened wisdom” is referred to as “Zen”.

Herbert Benson, an American cardiologist, is credited with pioneering the research of meditation in the Western world. He founded the Mind/Body Medical Institute in Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Director Emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute.

Meditation is a practice that helps to achieve balance - mentally, emotionally, and physically. It can help to lower blood pressure by slowing down your breathing and relaxing your muscles. Meditation also helps to relieve muscle pain and improve the immune system by returning the body to its natural state.

Flight or flight response

When the body is under stress, the nervous system activates the “fight or flight” response. This response signals the adrenal glands to release hormones called adrenaline (epinephrine) and cortisol (endocrine system).

The sympathetic portion of the nervous system also increases, causing our hearts to beat faster, our respiratory rates to increase, blood pressure to elevate, and oxygen consumption to increase - all of which are important for survival.

The “fight or flight” mode helps us to escape an attack or to fight off danger at a greater speed and with more power than we would normally possess in our relaxed state.

However, if we are in “fight or flight” mode for too long or if it is activated repeatedly and for prolonged periods of time, the effects can be harmful and detrimental to our health.

Meditation activates our bodies’ “rest-and-digest” functions, which counteract our bodies’ “fight or flight” responses. In doing this, it changes our brain function and lowers our heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, oxygen consumption, adrenaline levels, and levels of cortisol. All of which may lower our risk of heart attack and other harmful illnesses.?

Brain waves in meditation

During meditation, gamma brain waves are greatly increased in the left prefrontal cortex of the brain. Gamma brain waves trigger our brain activity and are responsible for our cognitive functioning, learning, memory, and information processing.

When our body is functioning at an optimal level, gamma waves help with attention, focus, our senses (smell, sight, and hearing), consciousness, mental processing, and perception.

During different levels of meditation, our brain shifts through different stages, which are:

• Alpha Brain Waves – this is the most common of brain waves and in meditation causes calming changes in our automatic nervous system (which regulates the body’s unconscious actions such as breathing, blinking, and swallowing). The usually dominant, sympathetic nervous system takes a back seat, and the secondary, parasympathetic nervous system “kicks in”. Alpha Brain Waves occur during quiet, thoughtful times and indicate that our brain is in a resting state.
• Gamma Brain Waves – these increase during meditation and represent intense focus and are usually weak and transient during brain activity. During meditation, Gamma Brain Waves are unusually high in the left prefrontal cortex of the brain, and this is associated with decreased anxiety and fear with an increase in positive emotions and a decrease in depressive feelings and symptoms. Gamma Brain Waves are the fastest and are associated with higher levels of consciousness.
• Theta Brain Waves – help to open the “third eye”. The “third eye or etheric eye” is known as the channel through which the meditator gains enlightenment and wisdom through vibrations. This also equates to tuning into our higher self. Theta Brain Waves occur during sleep and relaxation and are indicative of an inner focus. Dreams and vivid imagery occur in this state. Theta Brain Waves encourage creativity and make problem-solving or memorising easier.Theta Brain Waves can also be known as “zoning out” or “highway hypnosis,” and many people experience this state when they do regular day-to-day tasks automatically or almost automatically. It could also be known as being in “auto-pilot mode”.

Full body relaxation

Regular practice of full-body relaxation exercises is important, as relaxation has great physical and psychological benefits. Relaxation reduces the symptoms of mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. It increases our mind and body wellness as it counteracts the effects of stress, which is triggered by our nervous system activating fight or flight responses. Relaxation helps to slow our heart rate, reduce our blood pressure and breathing, and relieve muscle tension and chronic pain in our bodies. As our body relaxes, the flow of blood increases, which gives us more energy. Relaxation also helps us to have a calmer and clearer mind and increases our positive thinking, concentration, memory, and decision-making. When our mind and body are relaxed and we are operating in a “normal state,” we are able to focus on the here and now, live in the present moment, and enjoy the beauty of this life that we have to live.

Meditation techniques and styles

Most people choose to meditate to bring peace and serenity into their lives and to improve their mental and physical health.

Progressive Relaxation (PR)

Progressive Relaxation (PR) is a deep muscle relaxation routine that trains the brain to adopt new habits where stress and the body’s capacity of holding onto stress are concerned. It helps to quiet and focus the mind, release tension from muscles, regulate breathing, release the body from stress effects (fight or flight), bring instant calm to the mind and body, and teach the brain to recognize and instantly address the symptoms of stress in the body.

Progressive Relaxation is crucial in reversing negative training that keeps the body in a state of muscle tension.

Mantra Meditation (MR)

Mantra Meditation (MR) is a technique that involves the conscious repetition of certain sounds or words that entertain the conscious or logical mind to achieve a meditative state. Mantra means “revealed sound” or a combination of sounds that develop spontaneously.

Meditation controls the mind to stop thinking of everything that is outside the present moment and to focus on the present moment, the here and now, leaving the mind in a natural state. Mantra meditation uses a personally chosen sound or word that brings the mind back to the present.

Zen Meditation (ZM)

Zen Meditation (ZM) focuses on regulating one’s attention through “thinking about not thinking.” It is about being present in the moment - right here, right now, which is our natural state, and allowing what is meant to be.

Zen Meditation brings us into the present, and we live in the moment. Through being in the moment, we are switched on and alert, and we feel awake and motivated. We have a greater sense of clarity and see things for what they are, rather than distorting them as what could be or what was. We become calmer and more at peace and in touch with our own truth.

Zen Meditation allows us to make better and wiser choices and decisions and causes us to act rather than react.

Zen meditation can be practiced in different ways, such as:

• Zen Shower – every time you take a shower is an excellent opportunity to practice Zen by listening to the sound of the water, smelling the fragrance of the soap, and feeling the warmth sensation of the water on your skin. It helps you to focus on the present moment.
• Zen Sound Meditation – focuses on sitting and listening to the sounds of the world around you. You observe the “noises” around you in your immediate vicinity and then stretch your hearing out to the sounds in the distance. This is an excellent way of remaining in the present as your mind is kept active searching for a sound and is less likely to wander.

Mindfulness v’s Zen

Mindfulness is about awareness and being very aware of feelings and in the present moment.? It’s an external experience.? Whilst Zen is observing and removing the internal awareness to external awareness of the moment.

Developing meditation routines

Developing a regular meditation routine can have life-changing benefits on many levels, such as:

• Reduction of the effects of stress in our lives
• Control of anxiety through a sense of calm and peacefulness
• Greater attention span
• Clarity of thought
• Increase in self-confidence and self-esteem
• Sense of physical, mental, and emotional well-being
• Improvement in sleep
• More physical energy
• Awareness of ourselves and others and an increase in kindness
• An increase in motivation
• Improvement in our general health
• Helps to reduce memory loss
• Less pain and tension in our bodies and muscles
• Decrease in blood pressure
• Assistance in the treatment of illness and disease
• New perspective on stressful situations and skills to manage stress
• Focus on the present
• Positivity and fewer negative emotions
• Increased imagination and creativity
• Increased patience and tolerance

It is important to choose a meditation style that is right for you.

Start by simply practicing meditation for 5 minutes a day at the same time of the day.

If you practice meditation in the morning, you will activate the beta and theta brain waves, while meditation at night activates the delta brain waves.