Meditation is a term that’s used to describe a whole range of methods used to transform our everyday awareness. The goal is to help us learn more about our true nature and in the process we bring more stillness and harmony into our lives. When we feel this harmony, we’re less likely to suffer from pressure or panic. So meditation can help us deal with our stress and anxiety.
Yet meditation often goes unused in the war against panic and anxiety because it’s often considered too mysterious. People become intimidated by the thought of learning how to meditate because they think of it as some difficult thing only attainable by a monastery monk after years of training. But this is a false assumption.
Meditation is actually quite easy to do. Oh sure, to learn and use advanced meditation techniques takes considerable time and practice, but the truth is that you can begin to learn meditation very quickly. And after just a few short, simple sessions, you can begin to enjoy many of the benefits it holds.
To start out, I think it’s best to try to find some competent instruction somewhere. Look for an organized class. It’s always better to have a teacher who’s “been there” to help you avoid the wrong turns. Local community organizations like community colleges, churches, or organizations like the YMCA are great, low cost places to find some beginning instruction.
And don’t forget your library. You’ll find many titles about meditation at any well-stocked library. Books have the advantage of giving you great depth on the subject and they can also get you going rather fast. But their disadvantage is that they can only guide you so far and they can’t help you make corrections or changes.
Audio CDs and DVDs are an excellent way to get started with meditation. They provide more guidance by actually leading you into and through each meditation session. This gives you a more “full-bodied” experience and leads to a deeper practice and understanding which leads to more anxiety relief benefits.
Typically, your first meditation sessions revolve around breathing meditations. These are the simplest to learn and are often the entry level meditations for the beginner. With practice, you can easily progress to body-based and emotion-based meditations. Practice will also strengthen and lengthen your sessions as well. And the more time you spend in meditation, the more peace and calm you experience.
The art of meditation is a deep and wide subject. Meditation has been around for a long time because it delivers real benefits to its practitioners. With a little bit of experimenting, you can find one or more meditations that work for you in your life. I can’t recommend it highly enough as a way to combat the effects of stress and anxiety.