Meditation is a relaxation process that is performed to have control over the mind.
The purpose is to discover your inner wholeness and experience eternal happiness through self-learning. Stress reduction, peace, and good health (physical and mental) are just some of the potential end products of performing meditation regularly.
Meditation has the power to make you live a life that can add meaning to your existence. Preparing you for both pleasant and unpleasant circumstances. It trains your mind with your own strength and helps you live your life optimistically. It is a balancing technique where the goal is to bring unison of body and soul. You develop the capability of emitting positive energy that is crucial to handle a variety of emotions. The best part is, it doesn't require any physical training and can be practiced at any time convenient to you.
The toughest part of meditation by far is the battle for control over your mind. In this battle, your thoughts, which originate directly from your ego currently have the upper hand. They're controlled your mind for years, maybe even your whole life, and you know what? They're not going to give up without a fight. That is why regular meditation is so important, one of most common questions we get asked is 'how often should I be doing yoga?' which although is important, the frequency with which you meditation is even more vital.
Firstly, are you meditating correctly?
One common problem you will encounter is to understand if your practice has you heading in the right spiritual direction. The results cannot be verified accurately, and they are unique to each one of us.
There is no point making comparisons either, the amount of time we spend is incomparable to the time spent by another practitioner who is performing for years for example. In Meditation, the mind plays a significant role, and depending on how effectively you gain control over it, the changes take place gradually. You need to be patient enough to experience them. It can take months or even years to see the signs of progress in meditation.
It is absolutely natural if you don't feel like meditating all the day.
Today you may have a blissful experience, but tomorrow your practice could turn turmoil. You could feel tired and restless during your session. The key here is to keep meditating without expecting quick gains. Be relaxed and remember that results of meditation are not as quick as the results of any other physical exercise, even yoga which has a number of similarities with sport.
For example, if you exercise to lose weight you can track your progress by observing your physical changes over. If you exercise to reduce any physical pain, these results can also be monitored.
When it comes to meditation, the expectation you set of reaching a particular level, of becoming 'enlighted' ultimately mean nothing. You progress by letting your thoughts pass through your mind without reacting to them. Do not utilize this time in finding the answers to your troublesome questions. You will eventually find ways of dealing with them. Meditation helps you achieve this gradually. Meditate with a belief, without worrying about the consequences.
The best possible method of measuring signs of progress is to compare yourself before and after your meditation practice.
You may feel calm during the practice, but how you feel later that day with an unfriednly customer may be the real sign of how your meditation is progressing. Observe your changes, evaluate your emotions daily and see how you are progressing.
Here are the changes you may notice after regularly practicing meditation.
Improved sleep pattern / Your sleep pattern improves and you no longer have to deal with Insomnia. It is stated that more than 30% of the world's population suffers from Insomnia. This really is a matter of concern, particularly as many common health problems arise because of lack of sound sleep. It is very important to have an adequate amount of good sleep where the mind is free from distractions and can settle quickly into quiet mode. Meditation is a natural therapy to solve sleep problems.
People notice a change in you / The easiest way to track your progress is to interact with the people who don't mind giving you genuine feedback. If those closest to you notice positive changes in you then, you are on the right path. When you hear them saying that you have become calm, jovial, decisive, confident, and less reactive, you are progressing.
More enthusiastic / You feel vibrant and encouraged throughout your day. Meditation makes you perform your activities with full enthusiasm. You are excited to take up new challenges to explore your strengths. When you lie on the bed at night, look back at your day and make sure that you sleep with contentment.
Approach your day with more positivity / Meditation teaches you to stay positive. It is very important to drive away negative thoughts as most of the problems occur because of your perplex mindset. For example, you may not be actually sick, but because you heard that the symptoms relate to a particular kind of sickness, you would start thinking about yourself as a victim of that sickness. In that case, you would fall mentally sick before you experience physical weakness. Why unnecessarily harm yourself in this way? Life is meant to be lived happily as the gift of life is precious, and all of us are fortunate enough to experience this gift. There is more to add to the topic of positivity. Everyone has their own set of positivities and negativities. Always see the good side of people and move ahead. Practicing meditation also benefits people with negative vibrations because it has the ability to spread positive vibes among them. People you come in to contact with you may start feeling positive by interacting with you. You are not only helping yourself but also making the lives of others happier.
Live with compassion / Meditation makes you understand the true meaning of richness. It is important to realize that money makes you rich technically, however, it is the nature of the person that determines the beauty of richness. To some, money may bring happiness, but it is momentary, fleeting. To experience everlasting happiness, you need to have peace of mind. Be good, do good. Meditation restricts you from becoming a person of cupidity and egotism. You remain down to earth with everyone.
Stress reduction / It is the human tendency to worry about the future and unnecessarily spend time in analyzing the situations that are beyond our control. Meditation brings peace. You are not stressed for the circumstances that rely on destiny. You believe in 'Trying Your Best and Leaving the Rest in the Hands of Destiny'. It is well known the extent to which stress can have negative impacts on both our mental and physical health. Fortunately, our mind has the power to heal as well as harm our body. Take advantage of this power to keep your mind and body healthy.
You look forward to meditating / Your body has a clock inside you that reminds you of your daily practice. Meditation comes in your priority list with regular practice and you experience uneasiness if you happen to miss a meditation session. This is a very good sign of progress as you are getting carried away in a blissful experience. Do not break the momentum and continue to meditate to see even more of the signs of progress listed in this article.
You include meditation as a key part of your day / You are happy to spend your time in a peaceful manner. You enjoy Meditation in the same way as you enjoy going to movies, drinking coffee, reading a book or any other activity that would give you tremendous pleasure while performing it. You enjoy spending time by listening to the chirping of birds, admiring the beauty of nature or simply gazing the still river.You learn to prioritize yourself which is very important. Living a life for the good of others is fantastic, but caring about your desires is equally important. A combination of both is the best possible form of living.
Feel younger / We age early because of our limited thinking. Think wide and remember that meditation brings in energy that is required to fulfill your expectations. It deals with battling and winning over the thoughts of age barriers. You feel to mix with the people younger than you so that you remain up to date in today's world. Most of the people live their life thinking that they are superior to others in their own way. Meditation drifts away from this thinking by bringing in the sportive spirit in you.
Improved health / You have better health and don't get sick as often. Meditation is believed to solve health-related issues in a natural way. Healthcare is one of the major concerns and increased expenditure in this field is a worrisome matter. Some treatments involve high costs and there is no guarantee of restoring good health even after spending sufficient amounts of money.
Enjoy family time / You discover ways of keeping your personal and professional life separate. You enjoy moments spending with your family and do not let your professional problems spoil your family time. There is no chance of missing the important conversations that happen during breakfast, lunch, or dinner time because you are now fully present. Also, scientifically, eating together brings an inner joy that cannot be achieved by eating alone.Meditation brings a change in you making you realize that family love is unconditional and be grateful for the moments spent with them.
You no longer seek attention / Do good without expecting anything in return. This holds true in any field. Whether you carry out charity work or spend time with your loved ones, you don't crave for attention with regular meditation.
Better posture / You become more conscious of your body with regular practice of Meditation. Good posture has a number of health benefits and sitting up right during mediation to start your day can be a great habit to cultivate in order to continue to improve your posture throughout the day as well. The use of a specialized meditation cushion can also aid in helping you meditate in an upright position for longer.
Greater awareness of your actions / Very often we act without thinking and then get frustrated with our actions. But don't be upset over it. It is a sign of progress if you notice your actions. Slowly, you will become aware of your responses earlier than your reaction and you start behaving in a creative way, allowing you to better manage your anger.
Become a good listener / People get pleased when you are patient enough to listen to their conversations. Talking is easier than listening. Listening with concentration requires skill. This is essential to get you out from the false assumption that your knowledge is important than anyone else's.Never underestimate the conversations that seem boring. They could turn out to be useful in your near future. You increase your listening power with meditation. In this way, people would enjoy your company. Your identity will be framed as a loving, friendly, caring, and humble person.
Meditate to become a kinder, calmer, healthier, modest and happier person. Meditate to compete with yourself to become a better and stronger version than your previous one.