Page 23 - Kallima spiritual Centre - Newsletter - September-October 2020

Mindfulness?
If meditation is the training ground where we familiarize ourselves with the here and now for a limited period of time, mindfulness is the quality of being present that we carry throughout the day, available to us - when we remember to be aware - as life unfolds, fully engaged with whatever we’re doing at the moment, free from distraction or judgment.
Mindfulness is not a contrived or temporary state of mind that has to be created or maintained; it is a way of living - a way of stepping back in the moment and resting the mind in its natural state, free from the surrounding chaos or whatever circumstances might be proving stressful, upsetting or overwhelming.
Try thinking of the difference between mindfulness and meditation this way: imagine you’re learning to drive a car. At first, you’d likely head out to a quiet country road rather than a busy motorway. Of course you can drive on either, but one is much easier than the other when you’re learning.
The same is true of mindfulness. You can use it in any situation and for any purpose, but the easiest place to learn the skill of mindfulness is during meditation.
Meditation
• What is meditation?
• Why learn how to meditate?
• What are the benefits?
• How do you learn to meditate?
• Is there a difference between meditation and mindfulness?
All are valid questions, and we’re here to help you with this article on meditation. We’ll explain the meditation basics and dig into the setup, the styles of practice, the science behind it and the discoveries that may happen over time.
Meditation is one of those practices and traditions that comes with a lot of misconceptions and stigmas attached, built on the back of certain stereotypes that have themselves been built on the back of rumour, myth and media portrayals. Many people think of meditation and readily associate labels and images
to the practice, from ‘New Age’ to ‘woo-woo’, from ‘granola’ to ‘tree huggers’. But there is not ‘a certain type of person’ who meditates; people of all ages and all walks of life - people who wish to better understand the mind - have been meditating for hundreds of years.
As meditation has been in the mainstream for several years now, it’s received a lot of attention, including attention from skeptics. While part of this is due to how meditation is sometimes marketed,this attention has produced many studies as a result of the claims made and skeptics. The scientific benefits of meditation are now beginning to be understood.
Research has confirmed the beneficial aspects of meditation. In addition to having better focus and control over their emotions, many people who meditate regularly have reduced levels of stress and bolstered immune systems. It has been shown that meditation directly affects the function and structure of the brain, changing it in ways that appear to increase attention span, sharpen focus and improve memory. One study found evidence that the regular practice of meditation enhances the parts of the brain’s cerebral cortex responsible for decision making, attention and memory. It may slow the natural thinning of that section of the cortex that occurs with age. People who consistently meditate have a singular ability to cultivate positive emotions, retain emotional stability and engage in mindful behaviour. The observed differences in brain anatomy might give us a clue why meditators have these exceptional abilities.
One myth is the idea that meditation takes itself too seriously, involving meditators who are sitting cross- legged, arms extended, repeatedly saying “ohhhmmm” out loud. The truth is that while some people choose to sit cross-legged - and maybe out in nature or by the beach - many meditators choose to meditate sitting in a chair with hands on their laps.
All you are doing is sitting with the mind, becoming aware of your emotions and feelings. Everyone has a mind, and from time to time, everyone struggles with that mind (or thoughts).
Professional sportsmen and women have increasingly turned to meditation as part of their mental training. They are getting their head in the ‘right place’, understanding that their mental healthisjustasimportantastheirphysicalhealth2.2