The Benefits of Meditation

Meditation has been talked about and recommended extensively in the self-help and therapy space. But what is meditation - what are the different forms of meditation and what is it about meditation that appeals to so many?

What is meditation? It has been described as:

1) The act of engaging in a mental exercise (such as concentration on one's breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness;

2) The act of contemplation and reflection; and

3) The act of attending to one’s thoughts, feelings, sensations for the purpose of understanding it deeply.

There are different forms of meditation practices, and these are broadly categorizes into three main groups: focused attention, open monitoring and effortless presence.

Focused attention meditation involves bringing attention on one or more objects such as the breath, a thought, a word, visualization, part of the body, sensation, and/or external object. With practice, a meditator will be able to sustain the flow of attention in the object(s) of focus more deeply and for longer periods of time, and distractions become less common and do not last for very long. When practicing focused attention, a meditator develops depth and steadiness of attention. Most forms of yogic (mantra, chakra, kundalini, pranayama, etc.), Qigong, Loving Kindness, Samatha and some forms of Zazen meditations are primarily focused attention practices.

The practice of open monitoring meditation involves keeping your attention open and not focusing on any specific object. All aspects of experience are monitored without judgement or attachment. When practicing open monitoring meditation, internal and external perceptions such as thoughts, feelings, sensations, memories, sounds, smells, etc. are acknowledged and accepted for what they are without judgement or agenda. Meditators who consistently practice this form of meditation develop the capacity to observe their internal and external perceptions without attachment and judgement. This non-reactive monitoring of content of one’s moment-to-moment experience facilitates the development of the “observer self”. Mindfulness meditation, Vipassana, some forms of Taoist meditations are open monitoring practices.

Effortless presence is a state of being where one is aware of oneself, but without being focused on one specific thing or object - being quiet, empty, steady, reflective, and contemplative. Effortless presence is the goal of every form of meditation. Focused attention and open monitoring meditation practices are ways to train and condition the mind so the meditator can move towards cultivating the ability to maintain effortless presence and maintain an inner silence. This inner silence is a state of being where the mind is quiet, and there is a more profound experience of emotional stability and peace. When effortless presence can be cultivated and consistently experienced, we do not suffer due to attachment to mental chatter and are able to engage more meaningfully with life through sustained connection to the present moment. Self-enquiry meditation, Dzogchen, Mahamudra, some from of Taoist meditations, advanced Kundalini Yoga meditations are practices that focus on the development of effortless presence.

There are several benefits to meditation, most notably enhanced attentional control, increased emotional awareness and improved emotional regulation and change in perspective on the Self.

Focused attention meditation helps with attentional control as it helps the meditator train the mind to bring attention back to an object or several objects. This practice helps an individual train the mind to shift attention from thoughts to other aspects, such as emotions, objects in their environment, the body (or a part of the body) to the breath, etc. at will. With consistent practice, the meditator is able to consciously move attention to where they would like attention to go, thereby having greater control over what is being focused on at any given moment. If you experience a sense of powerlessness against rumination, negative self-talk and/or anxious thoughts, the practice of focused attention meditations will help you feel more in control of where your attention goes and will provide you with greater agency and provide you with a choice on whether you want to engage with certain thoughts or not.

While all three forms of meditations can increase emotional awareness and improve emotional regulation, open monitoring practices have been found to be particularly useful in the cultivation of emotional awareness. The non-judgemental and observer stance that this practice encourages is helpful in helping the meditator encounter, stay with and process uncomfortable emotions. When we are able to tolerate the experience of uncomfortable emotions, we free ourselves from the judgement of having them which then helps us to develop greater awareness of ourselves. Emotions are signals that something in our environment or in our relationships is not working for us, and when we are able to remove the judgement of having certain emotions, we are better able to understand ourselves. An increased ability to tolerate emotions helps us to witness our emotions - to give them space, and ultimately it would help us to better manage and regulate them.

When we feel empowered to shift our attention away for anxious thoughts, we are more aware of our emotions and feel better able to regulate our emotions, our perspective on the Self changes. An increased sense of control over our thoughts and emotional awareness helps increase self-confidence and self-esteem because we do not feel powerless and out of control because we feel in control of our internal experience. As a result, we feel that we can affect change in our external world as well. The experience of effortless presence further enhances our relationship to ourselves because we are able to effortlessly connect to a sense of inner peace.

Meditation is a practice - no one is born with an innate talent for it but with consistent practice, the ability to shift focus from anxious thoughts, tolerate uncomfortable emotions and experience a quieter mind is possible. It may not be a challenging practice to begin and sustain but you may find it to be worthwhile to try.

I incorporate mindfulness, focused attention and effortless presence meditation practices during my sessions with clients. I believe that there is great value is using meditation during therapy sessions and assisting clients in developing a meditation practice as part of the therapeutic process. I welcome you to contact me me if you are interested in learning more about how meditation can be used in therapy and how you can begin to improve your relationship with yourself through meditation. It would be my honour to support you on your journey towards a more empowered Self.