Meditation is one of the oldest forms of relaxation and humankind getaway. It has been practised since the beginning of time around 5000 years ago.
The ancient Vedas of India were the first to document meditation, about 1,500 BCE. At the same time, other forms of meditation developed in China, and only slightly later, in Japan. Meditation gained ground as a Buddhist spiritual practice between 500-600 BCE, with the first meditation hall opening in Japan in 653 BCE. The Bhagavad Gita, an epic poem that describes the philosophy of yoga, meditation and spirituality, was written around 400 BCE.
By 20 BCE, spiritual exercises involving mindfulness had spread to the west and were documented in early Greek texts, but the practice was not embraced by early Christianity (although prayer and meditation share remarkable similarities).
Throughout most of history, though, meditation was considered a spiritual practice that was the realm of monks, priests, other religious figures and a few intellectuals, and was largely unknown among the general population.
What is Meditation? It is the action or practice of meditation.
Over time the action of meditation is becoming more and broader as meditating is also a synonym with “contemplation, thought, thinking, musing, pondering, consideration, reflection, prayer, deliberation, study, rumination, cogitation, brooding, mulling over, reverie, brown study, concentration, speculation; rare cerebration"
In my opinion activity or non-activity can be meditation. To me is the simple act being present with yourself and disconnecting yourself from the daily “noise” in your mind.
This brings you a greater sense of awareness and it may also help reduce stress and anxiety.
Meditation can take 10 seconds or 10 hours. The choise is yours.
Meditation needs music because as you switch the music on you switch yourself off.
Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.
Ann Lamott
You can practice meditation in silence but you can also start with the help of music which is one of the oldest forms of altering the state of the human brain.
Technology has made meditation accessible to everyone because it does the work of putting you into a meditative state.
It can be as time-consuming as you make it. 15-30 minutes is plenty for you to experience the benefits of meditation. You don’t have to sit for hours on end unless you want to, to enjoy this 5,000-year-old practice that has the most marvellous applications in today’s hurry-up, stressed-out world!
I will leave you with my favourite track from Aroshanti.
You’ll find music by Aroshanti on all the normal music channels where you’ll be able to stream or add music to your playlists. If you prefer to have mp3s or CDs in your music for Yoga collection these are also available from their online shop. Click here to visit Aroshanti.
