Meditation

meditation  (ˌmɛdɪˈteɪʃən) -n.
1.	the act of meditating; contemplation; reflection
2.	contemplation of spiritual matters, esp as a religious practice

I just recently joined a Women's Circle led by an amazing woman Jen Trulson.  She has had many different groups that I wanted to join but a lot of them just haven't worked with my schedule.  A few months ago I found her Women's Circle and the time commitment was only one evening a month.  Yahooooooo, I can do that!  I signed up and a few months later, here I am!

I won't get into the details, but the group talks about different topics and then we have a guided meditation in closing.  I've meditated before.  Maybe once or twice.  WOW.

Let's back up a little bit....

I have been a mom for almost twenty four years.  I have been surrounded by noise and devoting myself to my family for twenty four years.  I still have a teenager at home and a few toddlers here and there and I never even considered what silence sounds like.  I don't mind the noise, it is full of love.  No complaints.

Now that I've dipped my foot into some quiet time, I am completely addicted.  I love the quiet.  Who knew?  I find myself wondering what people are thinking when I talk about meditation.  I know that a lot of people do meditate, but the people that don't kind of look at me funny.  Maybe I've looked at people funny in the past for the same thing.

I have been finding different guided meditations and have found several that I love, in fact, I don't think I've found any that I don't love.  :)   I have just gone on YouTube and searched through the millions of meditations there.  What I do know is that just ten minutes of meditation can completely change my entire being.  I'm officially in love!

Here is an some information that I found that may help answer some questions, for those of you that don't meditate but are curious about it.  Enjoy!

This article taken from - Pick The Brain

These are some of the benefits of meditation:

1. Improved concentration – A clear mind makes you more productive, especially in creative disciplines like writing.
2. Less bothered by little things – Do you sometimes allow yourself to get upset by little things? It is the nature of the mind to magnify small things into serious problems. Meditation helps us detach. We learn to live in the here and now, rather than worrying about the past or future. We do not worry about meaningless things, but see the bigger picture.
3. Better Health – There have been numerous studies pointing to the health benefits of meditation. The reason is that meditation reduces stress levels and alleviates anxiety. If we can reduce stress, many health benefits follow.
4. Knowledge of Self – Meditation enables us to have a deeper understanding of our inner self. Through meditation we can gain a better understanding of our life’s purpose.

Is Meditation Religious?

The great thing about meditation is that our philosophy/religious belief is not important. Meditation is about consciousness. The beliefs of the mind become trivial. We dive deep into the heart of the matter to gain access to our soul – our inner reality. Therefore, mediation can (and is ) practiced by people of different religions or no religion.

But I don’t have time To Meditate

Many people like the idea of meditation, but feel they don’t have enough time. When you really want to do something you can find time. Get up earlier or watch 30 minutes less TV. Meditation requires an investment of time, but clearing the mind makes the the rest of the day more productive. Nothing is better than the feeling of inner peace. What is the point in being tremendously busy but unable to enjoy it? Meditation is not about retreating from the world; it gives us inspiration. Whatever you do, if you have peace of mind, your work will be more enjoyable and productive.

To read the rest of the article, please go click here!  

Let me know what you think.  Do you meditate?  Why or why not?