MEDITATION FOR CLARITY OF MIND
Have you ever felt that
you’ve almost made up your mind, but then, from nowhere, a black cloud of doubt
appears that doesn’t seem to clear? Such doubts are like ripples in the water
that give us a distorted reflection of ourselves and all that are around us.
But once the ripples settle down, everything becomes crystal clear.
Is it possible to achieve
that crystal-clear state of mind or is it just a fool’s paradise? Fortunately,
it is very much possible with regular practice of meditation. Meditation, a time-tested
technique, is like that signboard that shows you the way out of your jungle of
thoughts.
It is the unseen force
that settles the ripples of doubts in your mind and gives clarity in what you
think and how you act. How can meditation transform the quality of our
thoughts? What’s the science behind it? Let’s unravel the mystery here.
Meditation Induces a
Sense of Calm
You might have come across this Chinese proverb: “When you feel confused, take
a pillow and go to bed”. They probably knew that sleep can calm down your
confused mind. But, do you know that meditation can replicate this calming
effect?
Did you know that when in
meditation, our body’s oxygen requirement goes down by 10 to 20 percent, which
otherwise goes down by only 8 percent during sleeping? A lower oxygen
requirement is an indication of a heightened sense of calm, which gives our
body its much-needed rest. A calm mind can think more clearly than a restless
mind because it is not scattered all over the place.
Meditation Increases Your
System’s Energy
The mechanics of meditation we discussed in the previous point shows that
meditation increases our energy levels. When this happens, all doubts and
confusion give way to clarity of mind. Have you noticed that when you were sad
or feeling low, you were not clear in your mind? And do you also remember being
happy when you knew just what needed to be done?
Clearing your mind of
confusion is like clearing the dust from the window. You can see and sense
better when you are happy. It can happen when our energy levels are high. This
way, meditation can be your energy booster. Dust is like doubt and a clean
window is like clarity of mind, which will inevitably also reflect in our
actions. It will all come with a few minutes in meditation.
Meditation Makes You
Focused
Have you observed yourself at the times you felt you were very focused on your
work or whatever you were doing? At all such times, you were probably also high
on energy. That is because your energy is not diverted to other wasteful
thoughts. Our mind is like a computer’s RAM (the part of a computer that does
all the thinking, analyzing, and interpreting).
So, when there are too
many programs (thoughts) running in the background on a computer, the more
important programs slow down. This is a near-perfect analogy for our scattered
mind, and meditation helps you shut down these unwanted programs. Meditation
can clear your mind of wasteful, noisy thoughts. That undoubtedly makes us
clear in the mind, and we are able to work and take decisions with clarity.
Meditation Improves
Observation, Perception, and Expression
You undoubtedly know that your eyes are your window to the world outside? Can
you see clearly when you have a speck of dust in your eye? Similarly, is it
possible to perceive things clearly when you have stress in your nervous
system? We start doubting ourselves and others when our mind is shrouded by the
emotions of anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, fear, and/or regret. Meditation
makes us centered, and such feelings don’t bother us much.
At the same time, it
improves our observation of the world inside and out. We are more receptive to
how we feel and how others feel about us. Once we start listening to ourselves,
it becomes easier to have a say on our feelings and emotions. Clearer
observation means a clearer understanding of the situation and clearer
distinction of right from wrong, which inevitably affects our decision making.
Undoubtedly, this is also
going to improve your communication skills and make the content of your communication
richer. When your perception and observation are clear, you know what to
express and how to do it.
Meditation Retains
Clarity For a Longer Time
While we’ve already understood how meditation clears the garbage from our mind
and helps us grasp, think, and express clearly, it is also necessary to
understand how to retain this clarity over the long term. That will come when
we meditate regularly. Morning is a good time to meditate because there is less
chaos and we can meditate deeply.
Daily meditation sustains
our energy at higher levels. It also helps us maintain a perpetual state of
calm, which we can otherwise lose easily when we face difficult situations. Not
just that, meditation also keeps us grounded when we are overcome with
happiness. The benefits of meditation are plenty
Comments
Post a Comment