What is Meditation?

Meditation is the conscious process of turning our attention inward. Ordinarily, our mind is focused on external objects– the way that car looks…the way those cookies smell…the way this cashmere feels. Everyone pays attention to what’s happening outside, but very few people pay attention to what’s happening within them. Because of this, we find ourselves attributing our pleasure, and pain to the things around us. Our happiness becomes dependent on external circumstances. Through meditation, we begin to withdraw our awareness from our sense perceptions and focus on what’s happening within us. And this yields many benefits.

Meditation is Concentration

How often does your mind wander throughout the day? How often do you catch yourself thinking about something and not knowing how you arrived at that thought? Do you ever have negative thoughts that seem to come out of nowhere? You’re not alone…

So many of us have these type of experiences throughout our day. Our minds are constantly thinking. We see a picture of a sail boat and it reminds us of some past sailing trip we took, or our desire to buy a sail boat, or our fear of water. Our mind interprets and analyzes everything we see, hear, touch, smell, and taste. The mind amazing! And yet, many of us don’t understand how to control our thoughts and feelings. Consequently, we may experience all kinds of suffering as a result of our mind. But meditation teaches us how to hone the minds power into single, one-pointed focus. By focusing our mind on a single thing–whether it be your breathing, the flame of a candle, or a picture of a deity–we learn how to control the mind, and we experience many benefits as a result.