The Hidden Power of Your Inner Realm
Are you familiar with the principles of meditation? Is it something you’ve tried and enjoyed? Perhaps it’s a practice that you’ve already adopted and learned to appreciate as part of your daily routine. It’s certainly a fascinating subject and there’s an enormous amount of information on the Internet that offers insights into an extraordinarily wide range of meditation techniques and traditions.
Yet, despite its ancient and deeply-respected heritage, it seems that meditation is often the subject of fashion.
Frequently forgotten as a very effective method for calming the thoughts and balancing the emotions, meditation occasionally experiences a sudden surge in popularity, usually because a celebrity announces their devotion to the practice and the world briefly turns its attention to the method. There are definitely times when meditation enjoys greater popularity but its real benefits can only be appreciated when people set aside time every day to explore the deeper potential of entering the world of inner peace and stillness.
Quiet the mind and the soul will speak.
-??????Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati
If you’re not familiar with all the different styles of meditation, it might be convenient to divide the modern approach into two convenient and distinct forms. They can be described as either passive or active. Let’s take a closer look at how these approaches work.
The passive approach is probably the most popular and accessible form of meditation that’s widely used today. Some traditionalists refer to this method as Meditation Light but it’s a great way to experience the benefits of a calming and relaxing interlude of peaceful retreat from the pressures of the world.?Many people use this kind of meditation to help them get a better night’s sleep and it seems to be an effective way to turn down the stresses and anxieties that lead to a comfortable night’s repose.
It’s also referred to as Guided Meditation because the experience is directed by a recording of someone else’s voice and you simply lie down, relax and follow the instructions. Although this method is widely recognised for its therapeutic benefits, it isn’t intended to deliver the kind of experiences that are associated with the more active forms of meditation.
Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom.
-??????James Allen
The active approach is much more complex because it reflects a much older series of traditions and each style inevitably contains elements and influences from the cultures in which the techniques were formulated. Yet, there are commonalities that bind the techniques into a mere handful of major styles - which certainly simplifies the process of choosing a method or tradition for yourself.?
It’s obviously much easier to select a recorded meditation to follow, download the material and experience whatever the script is intended to deliver. One of the great benefits of this approach is that it can produce results almost immediately. Active meditation is very different. It involves directing the process yourself and this requires more time, more practice, more patience and more challenges! It would be an error to suggest that this kind of meditation is easy. For most of us – it simply isn’t. But it’s fair to say that nothing worthwhile in life is ever achieved without effort.?
When meditation is mastered, the mind is unwavering
like the flame of a candle in a windless place.
-??????Bhagavad Gita
The main advantage of active meditation is the way that the techniques encourage you to train your mind and gain greater control over your thoughts and feelings. This does not involve some titanic struggle to overwhelm your uncooperative mental faculties. It’s more a question of developing greater awareness and releasing your attachment to whatever appears in the great rushing stream of your consciousness. Gradually, this detachment weakens the impact of whatever arises in your mind - until you experience a truly remarkable state of calm and inner peace. This is not the final destination but it’s an access point to further experiences that reveal the richness of our inner world.
Life is so busy and so persistently distracting that it’s almost impossible to experience any kind of meaningful connection with the vast domain of our inner consciousness. It might seem strange but we can live our entire lives without the slightest awareness that it even exists. So, first we need to still the roaring noise and bubbling confusion that overwhelm our senses and regain a stable foothold in the realm of our own minds.
The starting point is to relax the body and breathe more slowly and a little more deeply. There are many physical techniques that are associated with effective meditation but most agree that an upright position is important in order to bring the body into a more natural state of alignment. It’s also very helpful to be comfortable, especially during the early days of practice.
Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul.
-??????Marcus Aurelius
Many traditions encourage a simple focus on breathing, developing a deeper awareness of how the breath is drawn into body and how it is exhaled. This simple exercise in controlled focus directs the attention away from the random stream of thoughts that are clamouring for your attention. Gradually, the thoughts fade into the background and you enter a natural state of calm. By directing the process with your own focus and will, you develop the ability to engage this experience whenever you wish. You’re free to adjust and fine tune the experience according to your personal needs and circumstances. This obviously offers considerable advantages over the more passive approach.
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The inner world is a fabulous realm to explore and a fascinating way to access your latent powers of insight and creativity. The inner realm is a place that is free from the illusions of fear and anxiety. It’s a domain of profound peace, energy and calm. It’s a world of extraordinary insights yet one that seems to exist beyond the limitations of time and space. For many, it represents an oasis of perfect peace that restores the heart and mind and heals the wounds and abrasions of daily life.
When you realise there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.
-??????Lao Tzu
Whether you decide to download a guided meditation to follow or whether you make today the day when you set aside a little time to enter the domain of your inner world, make a declaration right now to engage the benefits of meditation and notice the amazing changes that flow from this simple yet incredibly profound exercise in personal exploration. Let the great adventure begin!
Meditation is not evasion; it is a serene encounter with reality.
-??????Thich Nhat Hanh
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Greg Parry created The Wellness Foundation and the Cognitive Empowerment Programs specifically to help people master their stress, overcome their limitations and explore the power of their true potential.
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