Silent Sitting
​Let’s get mind fit…shall we?
Silent Sitting in this context refers to Meditation. Just like running, exercising or going to the gym to get physically fit and to keep our body healthy, our mind needs fitness and strengthening too. This is achieved through meditation.
The interesting thing is, while our bodies get stronger with physical activity, for our minds to get stronger we need to make our minds peaceful, calm and quiet. So, meditation is the ‘workout’ the mind needs!
There are number of ways one could meditate. Here, we are looking at 2 ways to meditate:
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What is Meditation?
Meditation can be thought of as a life skill that helps to access your ‘inner’ peace which is already inside you. In meditation you rely on the ability to be focused entirely on the present moment. How can we have peace when we regret the past and worry about the future?
So, meditation is the practice of finding peace within. There are various ways you can meditate on, such as mantra, sound, candle flame, prayer beads or your breath. Genuinely done, all these methods could lead to the same place of inner peace – quietening the mind
We become an ‘observer’ during meditation. That is; we become mindful of our thoughts from the viewpoint of an observer without judging or getting attached to those thoughts. Let these thoughts float and we watch them. Just like you are standing on a bridge that go over the motorway and you watch each vehicle come and disappear under the bridge.
This exercise will help to quiet the mind, the mental chatterbox which is referred to as the ‘Monkey-mind’ I.e. our thoughts are like wild Monkeys jumping from branch to branch. These branches are the endless thoughts of the past and the future in the jungle of chaos. When we meditate, we give the mind to focus on something (breath, sound etc) so it quietens and get to a clam state which is quite serene.
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Why Meditate?
As mentioned above, our minds become serene and peaceful but there are other numerous benefits to meditation. It is a simple and a quick way to reduce stress. That is; a perfect way to ‘let go’ of accumulated stress and slowdown of that fast-paced life. Meditation has many health benefits such as to strengthen the immune system and brain function. Also, helps with emotional balance, increased focus/concentration and reduce anxiety. Also, enhances your creative side and memory.
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How long should I meditate?
There is no set time for meditation. One can meditate as long as you like. Intensity of effort is far more important than the time spent on meditation. However, do not meditate to the point of boredom and, avoid forcing yourself to do meditation when you’d much rather be doing something else. At the same time, be a little stern with yourself. Don’t stop meditating altogether with the excuse that you have other things to do. Success won’t come to people who never try. As a general guideline, try to mediate daily for 20 minutes to half an hour. Eventually, you’ll come to enjoy meditating in time. Then you’ll find yourself meditating longer because you enjoy meditation.
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