Prescription: The a b c of meditation

Every fortnight Dr Sunita Agarwal highlights a common, but often ignored, medical problem


What is meditation?

The root of the word meditation is similar to the root word for medical or medicate. It implies a sense of attending to or paying attention to something. In meditation, you pay attention to dimensions of yourself that are seldom observed or known — that is, your own deepest, inner levels. Meditation involves an inner attention that is concentrated, quiet and relaxed. There is nothing strenuous or difficult about creating this inner attention. There are only two requirements: determination and sincerity.

Why should I meditate?

Meditation does something that nothing else can do. It introduces you to your "self". For if you don't know who you are, it is impossible to know anything else. Meditation is one of the most powerful techniques available to improve mental, emotional and physical well-being.

What happens in meditation?

In meditation you are fully alert, but the mind is not focussed on the external world or events. In the process of meditation, we ask the mind to let go of its tendencies to think, analyse, remember, solve problems, focus on events of the past or on the expectations of the future. Meditation helps the mind to slow down its rapid series of thoughts and feelings and to replace that mental activity with an inner awareness and attention.

Thus, meditation is not thinking about problems or analysing a situation. It is not fantasising or daydreaming or merely letting the mind wander aimlessly. Meditation is not having an internal conversation or argument with yourself or intensifying the thinking process. It is a quiet, effortless, one-pointed focus of attention and awareness.

In meditation, we try to let go of all the many mental distractions, preoccupations, and the fleeting thoughts and associations of our normal waking experience. We do this, not by trying to make the mind empty, which is impossible, but by allowing the mind to focus on one subtle element or object. By giving the mind one internal focus of attention, we help it to cease other stressful mental processes, such as worrying, planning, thinking and reasoning.

How do we benefit from meditation?

The skills we gain in meditation, to witness our thoughts and emotions, can then be employed in all our relationships. Instead of always reacting impulsively to our fears, anger and desires, meditation teaches us how to observe them and then to transform their energy into thoughts, words and deeds which raise us to a higher level of happiness and contentment.

Can meditation help post-surgical and emotional healing?

For individuals recuperating from any kind of surgical procedure or emotional trauma, meditation is therapeutic from the start. Meditation helps relax muscle tension and the autonomic nervous system, and it provides freedom from mental stress. Individuals who meditate attain a tranquil mind, and this helps the immune system by limiting its reaction to worry and anxiety.

Even after just a few days of sincere efforts, meditation will begin to establish new, healthy, habit patterns. These skills increase individual will-power and help a person to make positive choices in life. Sound decisions concerning a good diet, daily exercise, diaphragmatic breathing and lifestyle selection all become possible when the mind is not distracted by the call of the senses.

– Dr Sunita Agarwal can be contacted on dr_Agarwal@vsnl.com or visit website www.agarwalhospitals.com