Meditation doesn't necessarily mean sitting cross-legged with burning candles, incense and Oms, although that is very pleasant. Neither is it in any way complicated. Meditation is any time you quiet your mind, even if it is only for a minute. It is a form of mental exercise and like any exercise it take practice.
Everyone is very familiar with the constant chatter in your brain. Meditation tries to clear the chatter and gives the quiet, intuitive side of the brain a chance.
The brain is divided into two hemispheres, the left and the right. The left side of the brain is the logical side, the side which believes it is in charge and never stops chattering. The right brain is the intuitive side, the "Eureka" side if you like. It provides the answers although you may not be quite sure how you reached it. The right side of the brain cannot communicate in plain language. As in dreams it all comes in the form of symbols and images and you can have great fun interpreting them.
If you do find yourself receiving images, don't try to analyze them while you are meditating; write them down immediately after you finish and take your time reading the signs. As with anything involving symbolism, the interpretation is very individual; what it means to you personally is the important thing. Scientists reckon we use only 10 percent of our brain function, which gives us 90 percent of exciting possibilities about what else we can do.
Gaining access to the right side of your brain is what you are doing with meditation. Essentially, what we need to do is quiet the chatter of the left side of the brain and you do that by boring it into submission. For example, if you concentrate really hard on counting each breath, say to a count of 10 breaths, the left side of the brain will kick in with the latest shopping list or the conversation you had with someone last week. However, if you gently bring you mind back to counting each breath starting again at 1 the left brain will quiet. At first you may only succeed for a second or two but each time your mind wanders just gently begin your count again and eventually your clutter will clear for longer and longer periods.
Huh, I hear you say what is the sense of all that? I don't get images or flashes or anything. That's OK, there is nothing wrong, at this point you are just trying to condition your mind to a state of quiet and relaxation. Even with the simple exercise you are taking the first steps in self-care and while you do that you are also learning to relax. That slows your heart rate, brings down your blood pressure, allows hormone levels to settle and relax and release toxins from your muscles. In our present stressful society that is no mean thing. You will feel better.
The power of your mind is as big as the universe. Exploring it in different forms is fun, challenging and exciting. It opens whole new worlds of possibilities. This is just the start.
