April 23, 2017

Smile, laughter and meditation are privileges of human life.”

– Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

The mind is a box full of many thoughts, ideas and fantasies. Often, we all feel our minds are overcrowded with too many thoughts at the same time, lost in the labyrinth of time. We cannot make quick decisions or think under pressure. This makes it difficult for us to focus on the good ideas and thoughts, in turn affecting our professional lives too. We want this confusion to end; we want the noise inside our heads to stop. But the more we try to suppress it, the louder it grows! At this point, it is important to ask yourself, why am I feeling so suffocated by my own thoughts? How do I look deeper inside myself and find inner peace? Well, the answer is quite simple – mindful meditation.

Why is meditation so popular? Meditation yields a surprising number of health benefits, including stress reduction, improved attention, better memory, and even increased creativity and feelings of compassion. But in order to actually change the way our brain functions, we have to indulge in ‘Mindful Meditation Therapies’. Now, you may want to ask why mindfulness is so important, and the answer is very simple – experts of mindful meditation therapy ask practitioners to concentrate on a single thought. An overarching goal is to be firmly affixed for the moment. It could mean the practitioner has to observe each inhalation and exhalation of breath, while focusing only on that one thought! During spiritual meditation workshops, trainings and seminars; therapists urge the practitioners to ignore every stray thought and stay extremely focused on the goal. This is how one begins to reconnect with the self and empowers the mind, body and spirit with positivity.

The Massachusetts General Hospital has made a stunning discovery. The team has proved that as little as eight weeks of meditation can produce changes in various areas of the brain associated, not simply with feeling calmer, but with an improved sense of self, empathy, and memory. Actually, even in the ’70s a change in brain waves, particularly alpha waves, was associated with the regular practice of meditation. Today, with far more sophisticated brain imaging, researchers can pinpoint where these changes are taking place with remarkable precision. Mindful meditation allows the mind to rise and soar to greater heights. It’s amazing how such simple techniques can have dramatic impacts on the mind.