Meditation and Mental health

“Meditation means the recognition or the discovery of one’s own true self.”

- Sri Chinmoy

We are living in an era of mindfulness movement, as approximately 200-500 million people mediate worldwide.

Meditation is like planting a tree. You start by planting a seed of awareness, you water it daily by practising meditation and eventually it yields fruits of peace and tranquility. Stereotype has it that you read “meditation” and you hear “monk”. That is totally false. You don't have to be a monk to be capable of practising good meditation. Many Successful personalities living through chaotic schedules retreat and practise meditation.

For example- Jennifer Garner, Will Smith, Bill Gates, Milind Soman, Shilpa Shetty, Radhi Devlukia, Cindy Crawford, and the list is endless .

Even if you have toddlers, you can practise meditation!

We need to change the stigmas to bring a meditation revolution. One of the things to note is that meditation can be done even while standing, walking, working, running, when almost doing anything. Courses like Vipassana can be used to manifest these practises. You need not have a special room with Ayurvedic aroma, introspective lighting or a hill top to meditate.

Meditation takes many forms. For some it is an escape from daily chores, an oasis against the large desert of hard life, a process to know the self, a route to connect with the supreme, the manifestations go on endlessly.

Mental Health

Most people know this term from a couple of social media posts, maybe an influencer’s post on mental health . We have gyms for physical health but where do you go to cater your mental needs? No, Netflix is not the only way. Psychosomatic diseases are credited for a major number of deaths each year. Considered more inimical than physical injuries and cancer. With the world changing at a fast pace it is difficult for humans to cope. We are humans only after all!

Taking care of mental health doesn't mean making monthly visits to a psychologist. It simply means to be aware of your mood in the moment and after it. Aware of how certain activities make you feel and whether your mind is working positively or just pretending to work. Our minds can trick even us to believe that everything is okay , that is why we form defence mechanisms. We need to have workout sessions for our minds .

If you are a busy person with the busiest schedule you can still take care of your mental health. How?

One of the many ways is to be mindful before bed time and before you begin your day .

Before going to bed you may ask yourself simple questions like “ how was my day?” ,

“How do I feel right now?” , “ Do I feel satisfied?” , “ Could I have done something differently?” . This will enable your mind to process and evaluate the day.

Also before you start the day you can ask questions while doing basic chores like brushing , washing up , making your bed etc . You may ask “What will my day look like?” ,”How am I feeling this morning ?” , “What value do I want to bring to this day?” . These questions can give you a clear goal for the day and put you in a good mood . We are always at our best when we know what we are doing and why . Since the pandemic many of us were forced into merging our professional lives and household . While many people rolled with the change , many others were and are not able to do so and it's okay. One just needs to control the mind , discipline oneself and simply breathe.

Mediation and Mental Health

Here is a way to tame your mind through meditation .

There are different ways to meditate, some prefer chanting meditation, posture meditation, visual meditation, auditory meditation, sensory mediation and so on .

Breathing meditation is the best way to enhance mental health .

This is an exercise everyone can practise at times of stress, anxiety or just for the sake of it.

Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes and inhale for 4 seconds, hold the breath for 7 seconds and exhale for 8 seconds. This is called the 4-7-8 technique and is helpful to calm the brain, increase oxygen supply, tame the thoughts and benefit your mental health. You may practise it first thing in the morning or the last thing at the end of the day .

Simple Techniques like these can benefit you just like a good workout in the gym . You don't need a hilltop, an orange robe or Ayurvedic incense. All you need is an open mind, a ready body and will to practise meditation .

Hermann Hesse once said-

“Within you there is a stillness and sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself .”

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Written By-

Vrinda Sharma