Oct 22, 2018
The short answer is… no. Meditation is best seen as a process, not a cure. It is a process of taking time out from the day to direct your focused attention to your inner life (away from your outer life).
The inner life is private to all of us. Our outer life is what people see such as our appearance, our clothing, what job we hold, our family, our home, car and how we conduct ourselves socially. This can be radically different than what is going on within.
We know there can be a huge discrepancy when we focus on the lives of celebrities. They look glamorous and well adjusted socially however each month, the gossip mags provide feature stories of celebrities who are suffering from divorce, or excessive weight gain (generally a sign of emotional distress), threatening anger outbursts or depression.
Many of these emotional swings can be significantly controlled if a person were to practice meditation regularly.
What Does Meditation Really Do?
Frankly, it’s a bit mysterious. What we do know is that scientifically, people who meditate show better physical and mental health. What is hard to research is why exactly this is the case.
From experience, I can tell you that our inner world requires attention to avoid a build up of tension. When I speak of the inner world, I am speaking of our private thoughts and feelings. As well, we have hopes, desires, frustrations. We have a will power seeking to accomplish our goals. We have an imagination and an intuition. All of these are functions or parts of ourselves that require attention.
If they are not receiving attention, problems arise. Just like anything else in this world, neglect leads to breakdowns. A home that is not monitored will breakdown. Same is true of our mental and emotional faculties.
Meditation can be a time when we sit peacefully and allow the body to deeply relax. We focus on the mind and emotions and process difficulties in order to keep energy flowing. Troubling emotions such as anger and anxiety will block energy movement if not examined.
By spending 20 minutes in meditation regularly you will find internal pressure gradually reducing. This means you will tend to fall asleep easier at bedtime. In addition, you will have a greater threshold for emotional difficulty. You won’t be as reactive when facing challenges.
Learn to meditate and give yourself a process to handle life. We all face conflicts in our day to day lives. I don’t see anyway around them. But those who meditate are better able to move through life in a flexible disposition and upbeat mood.