Time to meditate

"The purpose of meditation is not to control your thoughts, but to keep your thoughts from controlling you."

- Unknown author

Meditation is a form of spiritual practice not reserved for Buddhists. In Christianity, there are various forms of meditation, such as reciting the rosary. Meditation involves focusing on mindfulness or thought control. The basic form of meditation involves focusing on an activity, most often the breath or spoken words during Christian prayer.

Research by Harvard University psychologists Mathew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert shows that when our minds wander, focusing on the past or future instead of the present moment, we become unhappy. It turns out that we are happiest when we are engaged in various activities, such as exercise, conversation, or making love.

Author Fabrice Midal says the goal of meditation is to accept reality as it is. "I am open to everything that happens, without exception. I can be sad, I can be unhappy or moved, I can shed tears, but I feel deep relief," - says Midal.

Meditation can also have a positive effect on our health. According to a study by an Orlando-based research team, people with cardiovascular disease who meditate regularly have a 43% lower risk of death. It should be noted, however, that the people studied meditated twice a day for five years.

Meditation is an effective way to relieve ADHD symptoms in children who struggle with uncontrollable reactions. However, it can be difficult to get children to regularly practice meditation, which involves focusing on breathing, because children need stimulation and activity. Tal Ben-Shahar, an Israeli psychologist and author of books on positive psychology, believes that "meditation is to our brains what jogging is to our hearts. He adds that "meditation helps us find peace in a world that is very stimulating from the outside" (4).

To encourage children to meditate, psychologists have come up with creative solutions such as karate, kung fu, or aikido. Children think they are learning martial arts, but in fact they are doing meditation-focus exercises that help them control their emotions and stay calm in situations that require concentration. This form of meditation is more interesting and attractive to children than traditional meditation, which focuses on the breath.

In conclusion, meditation can take many forms, but research shows that just a few minutes of daily meditation helps quiet the mind, reduce stress and tension, and improve mood and concentration. Try it for yourself: sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing, paying attention to its rhythm and pace. During meditation, if your mind begins to wander, gently remind yourself to focus on your breath again.

Bibliography:

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/11/wandering-mind-not-a-happy-mind/

Let Go and Live, Fabrice Midal

Train your soul, stretch your brain, Jerzy Vetulani, Grzegorz Strzelczyk

Happier, Tal Ben-Shahar