Meditation -A Balance State Of Mind

One should aim to attain a state of perfect equilibrium where your body, mind and breath are completely under control. Meditation can bring about a balance between the different states of the mind.

The generic meaning of meditation is the “healing of the mind or to take control of the mind”. This is because the mind, a faculty of the soul, is very inquisitive, curious and travels with great speed. The mind is where all the thoughts are created or generated. It is like an antenna where all signals are received. On average, while one is awake, 25-40 thoughts per minute enter the mind of which less than 10 percent are positive. The rest are idle, wasteful, or negative.

In scientific terms, meditation simply means the management of your thoughts. It is to have the ability to think of what you want and when you want, without interference from other thoughts. Meditation is to develop the ability to concentrate on a particular subject without being attracted and influenced by the five senses, the five vices, and the five elements.

Meditation word is derived from the Latin word “meditatio” which means “to think” to contemplate. An approach of regulating the thought waves in which we begin to transform all our physical energy into spiritual energy. It doesn’t mean the absence of thoughts but generating and experiencing more and more positive and empowering thoughts in present.

In Patanjali Yoga Sutras, meditation is the seventh step.

You must first deal with the outward aspects and only then can you turn inwards. Following are the steps you must perfect to attain the proper state of meditation:

1.Correct your behavior with the Yamas and Niyamas.
2.Prepare your physical body with Asanas.
3.Control the chattering of the mind with Pranayamas.
4.Develop a sensory will with Prayatahara.

5.Dharana, which prepares us for meditation.

This step challenges your mind and trains it to focus better. You must start by keeping an object in front of you and focus on that object only.

In this process, your thoughts are there but you are thinking only about the object and nothing else. This is the first technique of meditation.

The object can be anything – a picture of OM, or an idol, or even a flower. All you have to do is keep looking at it, take it in as much as you can, without letting your mind engage with any other thoughts.

A mind is only as steady as the body is. For meditation, you must sit in a stable position. Cross your legs or in other words sit in Sukhasana position, with a straight spine so that the energy can smoothly flow upwards and hands can be in any meditative position."