Meditate The Right Way | Guest Post

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What is Meditation About Anyway?

Glad you asked!

Meditation is about connecting with your inner self. Think about it, how often do you just sit down and simply breathe?

How often do you clear your mind of all intrusive thoughts and focus on your surroundings? 

If you’re like most people, your answer will be: rarely.

Meditation forces you to silence your thoughts, and reconnect with yourself in powerful ways. It’s a source of peace and serenity in a world of chaos and uncertainty. 

So why don’t you try it? 

Here’s What Meditation Can Do For You

I’m sure you’ve heard people talk about meditation and say that they felt “better.” But that’s pretty vague. What does meditation actually do for emotional wellbeing and better yet, what does it do to the brain? Om Swami, the founder of OS. ME Online Community is a great example of the true impacts that meditation can have on a person. 

Om Swami, founder of the OS. ME Online Community

He spent 15,000 hours in mindfulness meditation and the prefrontal cortex in his brain was dramatically changed. His level of concentration was far superior to those who did not meditate. 

Don’t believe me? 

Well, Harvard researchers took scans of his brain and compared them to scans from other people. They published their findings in a peer-reviewed academic journal to show the impact that meditation has on the human brain. 

The brain scans showed how his pre-frontal cortex had extreme stability which is a result of correct meditation. Now, he can voluntarily control any part of his brain (activate or stabilize), and he can also control the functions of his body, including his pulse. 

Meditation is not only impactful to your emotional wellbeing...it impacts your brain as well. 

The Right Way to Practice Meditation 

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Om Swami and other spiritual guides share countless meditation tips with the OS. ME Online Community. 

OS. ME members learn more about ways to improve their emotional wellbeing through spirituality and meditation. Here are some of the top tips to practice meditation from the OS. ME experts themselves: 

1. Sit Peacefully for Long Periods of Time

This is an important part of meditation. The problem we have is that most people cannot sit quietly without some form of stimulation (media, television, technology). 

One of the most important things you can start with is sitting peacefully for long periods of time. But you can start with 5 minutes...then work your way up to the 10+ minutes. 

Silence your inner thoughts, focus on your surroundings, and truly be in the moment. This is harder than it sounds!

2. Hold Your Concentration for Long Periods of Time

Sitting quietly for long periods of time is a fantastic start...but that’s only the beginning. The whole point of meditation is to help your mind focus and concentrate for extended periods of time. 

The next thing you need to try is to hold your concentration for 5 minutes. Just like you did with sitting quietly, over time, you’ll get used to it and be able to concentrate for 10+ minutes while you’re sitting quietly. Om Swami recommends this because he was able to reach a maximum concentration of 72 hours. Yes, that sounds unattainable, but with years of experience and practice, you can do it too!

If you want a practical way to test your concentration, just play your favorite song and see whether you can focus on it until the song ends. Even this can be challenging, but with mindfulness meditation, your brain will be able to focus better and you’ll reap those benefits in your everyday life.

Final Thoughts

There are many different forms of meditation, but they all have these things in common: sitting quietly and concentrating for long periods of time. That’s how you get started on this meditation journey! 

If you want to learn more about this, you can read this article by Om Swami, or join the OS. ME Online Community to become a part of the kindest place on the internet.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

OS.ME ONLINE COMMUNITY 

The unique OS.ME online community focuses on empowering members to share their life experiences in one of the only judgment-free zones on the internet. The platform is also used to promote genuine connections over the web and share a wealth of knowledge related to mindfulness.

Websites: OS.ME Online Community & More about Om Swami