Why I meditate

I'm 10,000 meters above the ground. In real life but also in my mind, behind me lies a week of meditation.

Just like every summer, I took part in an intensive meditation course this year. Seven days in which I didn't speak and tried to refrain from any communication with myself and the others, seven days with a group of 30 other meditators all with the desire to become a better version of themselves, seven days under the expert guidance of my meditation coach Prof. Milenko Vlajkov, or as he is called in the tradition of Individual Meditation - Jüen Xian.

I think it was my 16th or 17th time in 20 years that I've meditated for a week under the supervision of my master. Once again I was surprised by the determination, sensitivity and competence he gave to make the week's meditation as special and valuable as possible for every one of us.

I am always asked: Why do you meditate?

But before I go into that, I first want to describe a phenomenon that takes place in my mind. Perhaps you experience this too. There is a voice that I believe to be me, a voice that reacts to everything that my senses perceive and transforms these perceptions into words faster than either I, or any of us, can realize, that describes, evaluates and classifies every single feeling or emotion.

I experience it in such a way that this voice belongs to me, but it is not me. Rather, it has a life of its own and sometimes it's even faster than I am, so much so that this voice draws conclusions, recommends actions and sets things in motion even before I come to my senses. And then there is a second voice or a special version of the first voice. A commentator.

As in a television broadcast or in a newspaper commentary, this commentator makes comments about the statements that the other voice makes. This gives me the impression that there are two voices in my mind and that I am sometimes absent, too slow and frustrated when I trying to gain or retain control in this triad. And the question arises again and again of who am I?

In meditation, and especially in the strict discipline of a meditation week, I see the only way that I know of to dissolve this triad through my own efforts and I can actually silence the voice, the commentator and the self, and thus to create a state of great calm, peace and clarity. Even if this state is not permanent and requires great commitment, it is like a gateway to another world in which reality is perceived impartially, suddenly and somehow impetuously. This perception gives rise to a feeling of inner freedom.

So what is meditation?

It seems difficult to grasp. Meditation is becoming fashionable; mindfulness meditation is on everyone's lips. There are more and more offers, teachers and even apps that can teach you to meditate now. Often meditation is also superimposed or mixed with religion, as in Hinduism or Buddhism.

I think most people in Europe understand meditation as a way to relax and others as a way to self-dissolution. But my master and my experience teach me something else. The meditation or better the meditation techniques, tasks and different systems are, most of the time, handed down through centuries of experimentation and as such are refined ways to train the mind and the brain.

Certainly some exercises can also be used for relaxation, but for me, the true motivation behind meditation is personal development. It is comparable to what endurance, strength, mobility and speed training is for the body, only for the mind and the brain.

My meditation coach defines meditation as a small task for the mind and an attempt to perform this task flawlessly over a certain period of time. The task is chosen in such a way that the person practising it doesn't succeed straight away and is always on the border between failure and success.

In any case, however, meditation is an exercise that takes you out of your comfort zone. Recent studies seem to show that if the meditation is done regularly over a period of time, the structure of the brain and the larger areas of the brain used in the meditation actually change.

Just as in physical training it is not advisable for the body to train only one muscle permanently and there are different methods and exercises for different purposes. It also seems that no one meditation exercise, technique or task is enough, but that the type of meditation should be changed regularly and adapted to the person and development of the mind.

From my own experience I can say that a constant repetition of the same techniques can stifle your development, so it's important to keep mixing it up and push yourself.

In summary, meditation for me is an exercise that furthers personal development. The path to personal development certainly also leads through a phases of what can be described as overcoming the self or me.

What to do with it?

Now I am on my way back to everyday life and normal life. What can one take out of this experience into everyday life? What is the benefit? Does there have to be a benefit?

Over the years I have got the impression that meditation actually does something that you just don't get through other spiritual trainings or seminars. At the same time, you become more present, sharper, more direct and at the same time more relaxed, more gracious with yourself and others and somehow mentally healthier.

My impression is that one actually improves the basics of what makes us special as human beings - the ability to focus attention on something (concentration), the ability to keep several things in one's mind at the same time without giving one priority (fluid intelligence or sharpness of mind) and it enables you to live life with more tolerance and the ability to do the unpleasant or annoying things with a neutral attitude or even make it fun (mental power).

Concentration, sharpness of mind and mental power are like the salt in the soup of life for me and it is great fun for me to develop these abilities further and further. So I come back from this meditation week with a strength, balance and desire to encounter life and feel like I've grown.

But what this leads to in the end, whether there is a final goal or an overall benefit I can't yet say. When I find out, I'll be sure to let you know. I promise.

Do you meditate? What are your thoughts on it?

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