Mind control is an asset to anybody who continually strives to achieve greatness. Athletes use techniques that help them “get in the zone” such as taking deep breaths, closing their eyes before the moment of competition, and listening to music. Keeping the mind sharp throughout each day can be a challenge and when we become distracted from a goal, there’s one thing that helps bring everything back to the center: Meditation. It’s an interdisciplinary approach that originated in the Hindi traditions and has roots in Buddhism and Taoism as well. Today it’s used by many communities to aid in everything from increased attention span to healing.
Without citing any research articles, I’m going to share my two-cents on what meditation does for the mind, and the way I practice it. The first time I was introduced to the art was in 7th grade P.E. class so it’s a form of exercise that is quite interspersed. I remember the teacher telling all of his students to think of a triangle with each of the 3 points on the triangle representing a cornerstone of the universe in which we live. One being the sun, one being the moon and the other the earth. Breathing in slowly and counting from 1 to 10 while breathing out quickly, we were told to cycle our breath around each point. After one cycle, we’d rotate to the next (so from sun, to moon etc.). We’d steadily decrease the time from 10 seconds to 1 second, exchanging that breath rate for the inward breath with that of the outward breath. For example, breathing in for 7 seconds meant breathing out for 3 seconds…until we’d breath in for 1 second and breath out for 10.
Growing up, I read more on the art of meditation and came across variables that enhanced the experience. Giving up breath control, using a cushion when sitting, counting in reverse while doing nose-mouth breath cycles, music, water trickling in the background, and the list goes on. The primary goal is to feel at one with the universe (a gigantic goal) and as worry and stress free as humanly possible.
Until this very day, I try to practice for at least 10 minutes each morning. It’s not an easy task to focus your mind, but with each day that passes when I DO exercise in this way, I have better success throughout the day. For instance, I am more attentive, have better multitasking skills, and execute tasks with increased correctness and quality.
One way to start out is by lying in the traditional corpse pose (on your back Vitruvian man style), or by propping your legs up against the wall, making a 90 degree angle at your hips while on your back. Then with each slow breath in, focus your attention on a specific part of your body and mentally tell that region to relax. I usually start at the joints from the top of my head, then work my way down to my ankles (neck, shoulders, elbows, lower back, knees then ankles). The goal is to get your body to allow the floor to support it’s entire weight (much like when a baby suddenly gets a little heavier when being carried, and you know he or she has fallen completely asleep). Keeping all of your attention on each region of your body should eliminate any outside noise and thoughts from seeping in too much. It’s challenging at first, but after the initial 2 or 3 weeks I definitely felt a difference, and so should you.
Taking the practice into the real world can also be an effective way to maintain function throughout the day. For instance, I constantly find my shoulders shrugged while sitting at the desk or standing in line for coffee and have to remind myself to relax. Doing this while focusing solely on one’s breath is a very efficient way to clear the mind of surrounding stressors. At the same time, the body becomes collectively relaxed as a unit and it becomes more and more apparent with each practice how the mind over matter principle works. It all starts with total body awareness….something I’m certain you’ve heard of before, especially if you’ve ever attended a yoga session.
Meditation can be applied in so many ways. For me to say one way is better is like saying one type of grapefruit is better for you than another. I believe in full application of any technique and principal to keep the mind calm. A Cartesian way to think about it is as follows: When the lines within your body stays healthy, you stay healthy. These lines exist within your blood, veins, neuronal thoughts and fibers, connecting each structure together to form you. So give it a shot. It has helped me stay on task and motivated to keep moving forward. Nothing ventured nothing gained.
Ciao for now,
Nattapon Jontom Abbett
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