Patanjali, the original teacher of Yoga had described meditation as “the uninterrupted thinking of one thought”. Swami Vivekananda had said, “Meditation is the focussing of the mind on some object. If the mind acquires concentration on one object, it can concentrate on any object whatsoever.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Basic Procedure of Meditation<\/p>\n
Though different religions, communities and sects may have some variation in the procedure of meditation, the basic procedure is almost similar in all cases. The main goal in meditation is to withdraw the mind and senses from the surrounding environment and focus the attention on any given object.<\/p>\n
Meditation is usually done in the following steps:-<\/p>\n
Complete Relaxation<\/p>\n
Complete relaxation refers to conscious suspension of all movements of the body resulting in relaxation of all skeletal muscles and limpness of the body.<\/p>\n
\u25a1 Adopt either sitting postures like Padmasana, Sukhasana and Vajrasana or the standing posture.
\n\u25a1 Maintain the posture and keep the spine and neck straight and the whole body relaxed.
\n\u25a1 Concentrate your mind on each part of the body one by one, starting from the toes to the head.
\n\u25a1 Allow each part to relax and feel that it has become relaxed completely.<\/p>\n
Awareness of Breathing<\/p>\n
\u25a1 Concentrate completely on the breathing, taking slow deep and rhythmic breaths.
\n\u25a1 Concentrate at the meeting point of both nasal cavities and perceive both the incoming and outgoing breaths.
\n\u25a1 Next concentrate on the navel and be fully aware of the contraction and expansion of abdominal muscles during exhalation and inhalation respectively.
\n\u25a1 Alternate breathing can also be practised during meditation without causing any wandering thoughts or discomfort.<\/p>\n
Awareness of Body Parts<\/p>\n
\u25a1 Concentrate on each part of the body one by one, perceiving the sensations and vibrations in each part. Start with the big toe of right foot, moving upwards in the front and back to the head, focussing on each part.
\n\u25a1 Perceive the body as a whole while assuming or even standing up slowly from the sitting posture.<\/p>\n
Awareness of Chakras or Psychic Centres<\/p>\n
\u25a1 While sitting in the relaxed posture, focus the attention on the seven chakras or psychic centres, starting from the Muladhara Chakra or Shakti Kendra.
\n\u25a1 Imagine as if the vibrations are flowing from Muladhara Chakra upwards up to Sahasra Chakra or Jyoti Kendra.<\/p>\n
Awareness of Psychic Colours<\/p>\n
The chakras or psychic centres can be activated by visualising certain colours, which are capable of producing specific vibrations. This is possible by regular practice of meditation.<\/p>\n
While perceiving the different chakras or psychic centres, one should visualise a particular colour, which is specific for it (refer Table below). This helps in activating these centres and enhancing their physiological functions.<\/p>\n
Chakra\/Psychic Centre – Colour to be Visualised<\/p>\n
1. Muladhara Chakra or Shakti Kendra. Red
\n2. Swadhisthana Chakra or Taijasa Kendra. Orange
\n3. Manipura Chakra. Yellow
\n4. Anahata Chakra or Ananda Kendra. Green
\n5. Vishuddhi Chakra\/Kendra. Blue
\n6. Ajna Chakra or Darshan Kendra. Purple
\n7. Sahasra Chakra or Jyoti Kendra. White<\/p>\n
Auto-Suggestion and Resolution<\/p>\n
Auto-suggestion refers to repeated recitation of a sentence, e.g., “The pain in my knee is disappearing,” or “My headache has gone,” etc. Auto-suggestion helps in building up faith and belief and the tolerance to bear the disease or its effects. This also brings up physiological changes in the body, weakening the forces of disease, mental imbalance and emotional disturbances.<\/p>\n
Resolution or contemplation refers to building up healthy and positive attitude towards life. This can be done by repeating “I will not steal,” or “I will tell the truth,” or “I will stand first in the class,” etc. Repetition of such a resolution helps in overcoming negative attitudes and psychological distortions, and develops positive attitudes like truthfulness, amity, fearlessness, tolerance, love, sympathy, etc.<\/p>\n
Role of Meditation in the Treatment of Allergy<\/p>\n
\u25a1 Regular practice of meditation is capable of boosting up and modulating our immune system and controlling allergy, which is an immune disorder. Thus, even if an individual experiences an allergic reaction on being exposed to the specific allergen, the allergic response will not be so severe to affect the normal activities.<\/p>\n
\u25a1 For individuals with dust allergy, it is advisable to activate the Sahasra, Ajna, Vishuddi and Anahata Chakras by visualising the corresponding colours given in the Table. In those with food allergy, activation of Manipura and Swadhisthana Chakras is essential.<\/p>\n
\u25a1 During the phase of autosuggestion, the affected person should say repeatedly: “My allergy is controlled and I am perfectly normal.” These statements help in bringing about physiological changes in the body and reducing the intensity of allergic symptoms and sometimes even lead to complete freedom from these symptoms.<\/p>\n
\u25a1 Regular practice of meditation stabilises and strengthens the neuromuscular, neuroendocrine and immunological systems keeping the body fit and free from allergy.<\/p>\n
\u25a1 Negative thoughts and emotions are controlled helping people to overcome stress, which may be one of the precipitating factors of allergy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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