Meditation Meditation is a holistic discipline .It is generally an internal, personal practice and most often done without any external involvement. Meditation is a safe and simple way to balance a person’s physical, mental and emotional forces. But can benefit everybody. Meditation is not a technique but a way of life. Meditation means 'a cessation of the thought process' . It describes a state of consciousness, when the mind is free of scattered thoughts and various patterns . The observer (one who is doing meditation) realizes that all the activity of the mind is reduced to one. Herbert Benson, M.D., a professor at Harvard Medical School, describes the meditation experience as the "relaxation response." He discovered by studying various yogis and longtime meditators that the meditation process counteracted the effects of the sympathetic nervous system-the one that wants to fight or flee. Whereas the sympathetic system dilates the pupils and gets the heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure up, the parasympathetic system, activated when we meditate, does just the opposite. Muscle tension decreases, blood pressure drops, and for some extraordinary practitioners, even temperature and basal metabolism rates drop during a prolonged meditation. Oxygen needs of the body are reduced when one is in a highly relaxed state, and brain waves change from the busy beta-waves to the blissful alpha waves. In addition to the growing body of research literature on meditation, physicians, psychotherapists, and other professionals are increasingly adding meditative techniques to their practice. Over six thousand physicians have begun the practice of Transcendental Meditation and regularly recommend the TM technique to their patients..

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|Content |
|1 |Introduction |
|2 |History |
|3 |Types of Meditation |
|4 |Reasons why people Meditate |
|5 |Benefits of Meditation |
|6 |Meditation for physical Fitness |
|7 |Meditation for Mental Fitness |
|8 |Meditation for Student |
|9 |Celebrities who are Meditate |
|10 |Slogan of Meditation |
|11 |Conclusion |

❖ Introduction: Meditation is an intensely personal and spiritual experience. It makes a person more positive and it can gives a way that how a person can be happy and success in his life. To meditate is to run inwards, to concentrate on the inner self.

The use of Meditation for healing is not new. Meditative techniques are the product of diverse cultures and peoples around the world. It has been rooted in the traditions of the world's great religions. In fact, practically all religious groups practice meditation in one form or another. The value of Meditation to alleviate suffering and promote healing has been known and practiced for thousands of years.

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❖ History: The word meditation steams from Latin root “Meditatum”. Meditation has been known and practice for thousand of years. In spite of rich history, in 1960 scientific study has focused on the clinical effect of meditation on health. Although there’s a paucity of recorded history on meditation, its roots travel back to ancient times. Researchers speculate that primitive hunter-gatherer societies may have discovered meditation and its altered states of consciousness while staring at the flames of their fires. Over thousands of years, meditation evolved into a structured practice. Indian scriptures called “tantras” mentioned meditation techniques 5000 years ago.

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Meditation was spread to Western society thousands of years after it was adopted in the East. It finally started to gain popularity in the West in the mid-20th century. In the 1960s and 1970s, many professors and researchers began testing the effects of meditation and learned about its multitude of benefits.

❖ Types of Meditation: There are different types of meditation. Some of them are:

➢ Breath Watching, ➢ An empty mind meditation, ➢ Walking meditation, ➢ Mindfulness meditation, ➢ Simple Mantra meditation, ➢ Meditating on a concept.

All these practices have one thing in common - they all focus on quietening the busy mind. The intention is not to remove stimulation but rather to direct your concentration to one healing element - one sound, one word, one image, or one's breath. When the mind is "filled" with the feeling of calm and peace, it cannot take off on its own and worry, stress out, or get depressed.

❖ Reasons why people meditate: For many reason people practice meditation. Some of them are:

➢ Religious, ➢ Health, ➢ Relaxation, ➢ Self-improvement, ➢ Paranormal reason etc.

❖ Benefit of meditation:

Regular meditation calms down the restlessness of the mind, and decreases the number of distracting thoughts, bringing a sense of inner peace and relaxation. As the sense of inner peace increases, the ability to concentrate and focus the mind improved. With a peaceful mind one makes less mistakes, makes better judgments and decisions and becomes more patient and tolerant.

❖ Meditation for physical Fitness:

▪ Reduce heart diseases. ▪ A deeper level of relaxation.

▪ Decreased high blood pressure.

▪ Improved flow of air to the lungs.

▪ Increased levels of energy.

▪ Decreased muscle tension.

▪ More easily falling asleep and sleep soundly.

▪ Improved state of the immune system etc. [pic] ❖ Meditation for mental Fitness: • Decrease in restless thinking.

• Increased ability to stay calm in every situation.

• Greater creativity.

• Decreased anxiety.

• Decreased tendency to worry.

• Decreased depression.

• Enhancement of self-confidence.

• Improved concentration.

• Increased self-discipline.

• Improved learning ability and memory.

• Increased feelings of vitality.

• Enhanced feelings of happiness.

• More emotional stability.

• Developed intuition. [pic] ❖ Meditation for Student: Students from all cultures around the world are enjoying the benefits of meditation in their daily lives. Transcendental Meditation research shows a range of benefits from creativity, to improved brain functioning, improved cardiovascular health and increased IQ. ❖ Celebrities who are Meditate: There are many celebrities who are highly involved with meditation. Some of them are:

1.Aung San Suu Kyi:

[pic] Heavily influenced by Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence, Suu Kyi campaigned for the democratization of Burma, and in 1989 she was placed under house arrest. In 1991 Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her peaceful and non-violent struggle. Commenting on her long isolation, she said “Isolation is not difficult for me. Maybe it’s because of my Buddhist upbringing.” 2. Herbie Hancock: [pic] Famous Hancock say, “Buddhism opened me up to being out of my comfort zone — to exploring things and being courageous enough to try new things.” 3. Steven Seagal: [pic] Hollywood Star Steven Seagal has a long story behind his success. He practice meditation regularly. Seagal say that, “I have been doing serious meditation in my own pitiful way for probably twenty-seven years.” 4. Kate Bosworth:

[pic] Kate Bosworth say that, “Meditation just a really incredible state of mind. It’s basically about constantly growing and making yourself a better person and focusing on what you want for yourself and the world and really putting it out there. It’s amazing.”

5. Richard Gere: [pic] Heart-throb Richard Gere is a passionate advocate for human rights in Tibet. He is a co-founder of the Tibet House, creator of The Gere Foundation, and he is Chairman of the Board of Directors for the International Campaign for Tibet. He meditates daily. He says, “It helps me set my motivation for the day.”

❖ Slogan of Meditation: Meditation has it’s own slogan for increasing people’s hope and remove the depression of life. Some of them are: ➢ Change your life by changing your attitude . ➢ Don’t get angry. It will take you from Hero to Zero. ➢ Live a stress free life. ➢ Think everything positively. ➢ Don’t think that you are alone. ➢ “I am fine” say that at least 20 times per day. ➢ If you want respect and love, you have to respect all etc.

❖ Conclusion: Meditation makes a stress free life. By practicing meditation one’s mind becomes more positive and one learns to react more constructively, patiently and calmly to the various situations of daily life, from dealing with people to dealing with problems, tasks or goals. One's actions become positive and efficient, focused and more satisfactory. [pic]