How meditation affects the brain. What meditation gives Meditation to attract a specific person

If you want to start meditating, you need to know Why is meditation needed and what does it give?

Answers to these questions are necessary for many people who have heard about meditation and would even like to start meditating, but cannot for unknown reasons. Not understanding, what does meditation give? the brain resists and finds excuses: I can’t visualize, I can’t stop the constant rush of thoughts, I don’t have time, I don’t have the opportunity to be alone, my loved ones won’t understand me, etc...

Currently, millions of people of all ages and different religions in many countries practice meditation every day, both in ashrams or special centers, in seminars in groups led by an instructor, and independently at home or in cars, while fishing or washing dishes, waking up in the morning. or rocking the baby. And those who have never practiced meditation, as a rule, treat it with understanding and interest, and even want to try it one day, so that they can learn from their own experience what meditation is...

Why is meditation needed?

The answer to this question was given by great meditation masters such as Osho, Sri Aurobindo and others.

Meditation is an ancient spiritual practice, initially accessible only to initiates, is one of the paths of spiritual development and has existed in the East for many centuries as the art of connecting with the Divine principle, realizing the Divine nature of one’s soul, one’s true “I”. In the West, the art of meditation began to gain popularity around the 60s of the 20th century, as a practice of changing consciousness, allowing you to be happy here and now, regardless of life circumstances.

Nowadays, with the help of meditation, people get rid of stress, chronic fatigue syndrome, excess weight, financial or creative crisis, etc., achieve happiness, peace, harmony with the Universe.

Today there is no longer any need to prove that stress is the cause of many human diseases and premature aging, and meditation is one of the best healthy ways to relax, eliminate nervous tension, prevent the consequences of stress, and increase stress resistance. By releasing tension and irritation and calming the mind through meditation, we allow the body to direct the freed vital energy to heal and restore physical, mental and mental reserves.

Meditation is needed to free the mind from unnecessary information, opening up opportunities for development and creativity. Many people who practice meditation notice an increase in their ability to concentrate, improved memory and speed of thinking, improved mental balance and even a decrease in sensitivity to pain (increased pain threshold).

What does meditation give?

The results of scientific research can answer this question.

Since the second half of the 20th century, when Eastern practices began to spread in the West, scientists began to study the effect of meditation on human health. As a result of these studies*, a positive effect of meditation in general on the general state of human health and in particular on the following body functions was revealed:

metabolism,
blood pressure,
brain activity and memory,
mental processes,
cardiovascular activity,
disease resistance.

For example, as a result of an experiment by American researchers led by Professor Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School, it was proven that during meditation the brains of Tibetan monks are immersed in a special “altered” state, which gives a feeling of complete peace and unity with the world and allows you to redistribute forces in a few minutes and energy in such a way that they last all day*.

In the course of research by other American scientists from the Medical College of Wisconsin (USA), it was found that transcendental meditation, namely meditation on the mantra “Om” or another mantra, helps reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular diseases. In a group of patients with cardiovascular diseases practicing transcendental meditation twice a day for 20 minutes, mortality from stroke, heart attack or any other cause was 48% lower compared with participants in the control group who followed traditional recommendations (healthy eating and exercise). In the group of meditators, a decrease in the level of stress and irritability was noted, and a decrease in blood pressure was recorded. According to the head of the study, Robert Schneider, meditation turns on the body's hidden resources, and it begins to heal itself. The researcher claims that the more a person meditates, the lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.

It is also worth mentioning the studies that have established the effect of meditation on the health of older people. It turned out that meditation helps a person manage their stress and cope with loneliness- this is the conclusion made by American experts led by Dr. David Cresswell based on the results of a survey of men and women aged 55 to 85 years. After a medical examination, a group of elderly people began learning meditation and yoga under the guidance of an instructor. After two months of regular meditation practices, the experiment participants underwent a re-examination, the results of which were compared with the initial data. As it turned out, meditation had a beneficial effect on the health of the experiment participants. According to the results of the examination, the activity of substances that provoke inflammatory processes decreased in the blood of people who meditated. In addition, the general well-being of older people improved; they did not feel calmer and were able to cope with feelings of loneliness more easily.

Thus, scientific research data allows us to reasonably state that meditation gives positive dynamics:

mental balance,
mental development at almost any age,
physical health, youth and beauty, and therefore:
financial well-being (just imagine how much you can save on medicines and treatment),
quality and life expectancy.

Be persistent!

All beginners experience difficulty concentrating; a tireless brain makes it difficult to concentrate and stop the “internal chatter.” In this case, images (for example, a painting, photograph, flower, stone, candle flame or other object) help very well. But if you know why do you need meditation, difficulties will not prevent you from reaching your goal. If you know, what does meditation give, Are you ready for change.

Currently, Meditations are available to everyone! Of course, it is ideal to start meditating in a special center under the guidance of an experienced master, and then move on to independent practices. But if you are ready for self-knowledge and to work on yourself, then the lack of such an opportunity will not be able to stop you. I myself started practicing meditation at the age of 17 after reading several books. At that time, there were no centers in the city of my childhood, and I had no mentors. Then, of course, there were classes with an individual mentor and group trainings and meditations in ashrams in India. But that very first experience of meditation left an indelible impression, because it was new and unusually vivid sensations, a different reality and a different awareness of oneself and one’s life.

There are many types and techniques of meditation. Some can be mastered on your own; others require the help of a teacher. It is better to start with meditation practices given by famous masters, for example, Osho meditation.

For beginners to practice meditation, especially for those who have difficulty with visualization, Osho's meditations are very suitable:

Meditation "Golden Light".
Meditation “Inner Smile”.
Meditation “Harmony with the Universe.”

Meditation "Golden Light"

“Golden Light” meditation gives you a feeling of inner radiance, serene relaxation, peace and joy!

This practice uses very simple images that are familiar to everyone and can be easily reproduced in meditation: golden light (male or solar energy), a dark river (female or earthly energy) and one’s own body. The best state for performing this meditation is half-sleep, half-awake, when you wake up or, conversely, fall asleep. In the morning, when the energies gradually intensify, their surge is easier to feel.

This is a simple way of transforming your energy and channeling it to the highest. The exercise should be done at least twice a day. The best time is early in the morning, just before you get out of bed. The moment you feel that you are awake, that you are awake, do it for twenty minutes. Do it at this very moment, because when you wake up, you are very subtle and sensitive, you are very holy and the effect will be profound. When you have just woken up, you are less in the mind than ever, so the method can penetrate through the cracks of the mind to the innermost core. Early in the morning when you wake up and when the whole earth wakes up, there is a huge tidal wave of awakening energy throughout the world - use this tide, do not miss this opportunity.

All ancient religions used early morning for prayer - when the sun rises, since the sunrise is the rise of all energies of existence. At this moment you can simply ride the wave of rising energy, it will be easier than at other times. In the evening it will be more difficult, the energies subside, then you will have to fight the current. In the morning you will move with the flow.

Just lie as you normally would in your bed, on your back. Keep your eyes closed. As you inhale, imagine a golden light entering through your head into your body, as if the sun had risen very close to your head. You are simply empty, and the golden light fills your head and goes deep, deep down to your toes. When you inhale, imagine it. This golden light will help you, it will cleanse your entire body and fill it with creativity. This is masculine energy.

And when you exhale, imagine something else: darkness entering your toes, a great dark river flowing into your feet, rising and coming out of your heads. Breathe slowly and deeply to imagine it. This is feminine energy. It will soften you, make you receptive, it will calm you down and give you rest. Do this very slowly and you will have very deep and slow breathing as you come out of sleep, as the body is rested, it is relaxed.

Another best time is when you go to bed at night.. Lie down in bed and relax for a few minutes. When you begin to feel that you are on the verge between sleep and wakefulness, right in the middle, start the exercise again. Do it for twenty minutes. If you fall asleep while doing it, this is the best thing, so the action will remain in the subconscious and will continue to work. If you practice this simple method for three months, you will be surprised - there is no need for suppression, the transformation has begun on its own.

Meditation “Inner Smile”

Meditation “Inner Smile” gives you a feeling of happiness and peace!

When you are sitting and have nothing to do, simply relax your lower jaw and open your mouth slightly. Start breathing deeply through your mouth. Allow the body to breathe so that it becomes more and more empty. And when you feel that the breath has become completely empty, and the mouth is open, and the cheekbones are relaxed, the whole body will be very relaxed.

In this moment, begin to feel the smile - not in the body, but in the whole inner being... you can do it. This is not a smile that comes to the lips - it is an existential smile that spreads from within.

Try to understand for yourself what it is... Because it cannot be explained. You don’t need to smile with your lips on your face, but as if a smile comes from your stomach, your stomach smiles. And this smile is not laughter, so it is very soft, delicate, thin - like a small rose that opens in the stomach, and its aroma spreads throughout the body.

If you understand what a smile is, you can be happy twenty-four hours a day. And when you feel that you are missing out on that happiness, just close your eyes, find that smile again, and it will be there. During the day you can find this smile as many times as you like, it is always there.

Meditation “Harmony with the Universe”

This meditation gives an extraordinary feeling of security and peace. Meditation “Harmony with the Universe” allows you to find a foothold, gives you a feeling of love and happiness!

At first it is better to perform it in solitude, and then, when this mood becomes natural for you, you will be able to perform it in any conditions and almost always.

Feel your body and listen to the breathing of the Universe. Just as a mother loves and cares for her child, the Universe loves and cares for you. Just as a child, even in the womb of his mother, hears the beating of her heart, feels and accepts her love and care, realizes himself as one with his mother, so you will hear the heart of the Universe beating. Feel the energy of power that the Earth gives you, Feel the wisdom that the Cosmos gives you. You are the beloved child of the Universe, a piece of it. Feel the love of the Universe for yourself and accept it. Feel your love for the Universe, gratitude to it. Feel how this love fills your soul, how the power of the Earth and the wisdom of the Cosmos fill every cell of your body. You are one with the Universe.

Stay in this state for a while, then open your eyes and feel a sense of gratitude towards yourself for everything you have done today, and finish the meditation.

Those who are not afraid of difficulties will be rewarded - the ability to concentrate will come, you will learn to calm your thoughts and completely relax. By mastering the art of meditation, you will be able to experience an extraordinary feeling of security and peace, inner purity and happiness, peace and joy, and you will get to know yourself from a new perspective. By practicing meditation daily for a long time, you can push the boundaries of consciousness and find meaning in life, happiness, harmony and peace of mind.

Hello, dear readers! I am often asked about the benefits of meditation, what it does, how it helps and why meditate at all, so I decided to write this article in which I will talk about its effects and true purpose. There are many misconceptions about this topic in the world, and we will talk about many of them so that you can distinguish fact from fiction.

This topic will consist of two parts. In this article, based on my more than 10 years of experience, I will describe what I myself have understood regarding the benefits of meditation over the years. The second part consists of scientific research that I collected from various resources, mostly in English, and translated into Russian.

The essence of meditation

First of all, I want to say that in addition to all the benefits that are given in the studies linked above, meditation still has its origins in the traditions of yoga. This is part of yoga practices aimed at working with consciousness. Often, this aspect is hushed up and not given due attention, which always makes me a little offended, and instead the secondary benefits that a person can receive are brought to the fore.

This is all good, of course, you can get great benefits, but if you do not use this opportunity to its full potential, then the whole meaning is lost.

It's like hammering nails with a mobile phone. I hope you understand what I'm talking about.

I don't know why this happens, but I can guess. Currently, meditation has been turned into a business, and in order not to scare away the inexperienced public, they often do not talk about all its possibilities, benefits and true purpose. And what’s even worse is that sometimes they attribute some magical effects to it, which no one else knows about except those who invent them. It is also worth mentioning the reverse side.

So, if we continue and return to the real purpose and benefit, then meditation is primarily designed to lead to harmony with your higher “I”, to make life more meaningful and spiritual. By and large, meditation is designed to comprehend one’s “I” and reunite it with the Higher Consciousness, to establish a connection and relationship with the Lord.

Meditation is inherently present in all religious, spiritual and philosophical movements. And moreover, it is also present in the lives of very ordinary people, but sometimes they don’t even realize it.

Marvelous?

Well, for example, in the Christian tradition they offer prayers to God and repeat the Jesus Prayer on the rosary, this is meditation!

Muslims perform namas several times a day - this is also meditation. With Buddhists everything is clear, in the Vedic traditions and in Hinduism too.

But how do ordinary people meditate?

Meditation by ordinary people, of course, does not have a spiritual bias; it is rather the very principle of awareness. For example, a fisherman while fishing carefully watches the float - this is meditation. The housewife evaporates the milk and makes sure that it does not run away, this is also meditation. A scientist reflects on various inventions, a programmer writes a program, completely immersing his consciousness in the process, all this can be attributed to shallow meditation, since at such moments a person is concentrated on the moment “here and now.”

A deeper immersion in the meditative process sometimes happens to people when they see the beauty of nature. For example, a person saw a beautiful sunrise, at that moment his soul is filled with a bright feeling of happiness, the flow of thoughts stops for a few seconds, there are no value judgments. These are the moments closest to meditation in a person’s daily life.

But now we are still talking about conscious practice aimed at spiritual self-improvement!

The main goal of meditative practices is not to rid us of depression, panic attacks, obsessive thoughts, bad habits, to develop relationships with someone, to improve health, to train memory, etc. It all comes naturally, as side effects, it will all happen. And health will improve, and there will be a beneficial effect on the brain, and, in principle, everything that I have listed. But the real and true purpose and benefit of meditation is spiritual self-improvement.

In 8-step yoga, meditation begins with the 6th step. The first stages begin with, and meditation begins with the stage of dharana, then dhyana and samadhi. Each of these stages is characterized by deeper and longer retention of attention. We will talk about them more in future publications.

Basic properties of meditation

Now, however, I will briefly talk about the most important properties and effects that come from meditation.

Mindfulness

Meditation develops a sense of awareness. Awareness is an essential attribute on the path of self-improvement. When we stop identifying our true essence with our ego and physical form, we are freed from the pressure of the past and fear of the future, presence in the present moment arises.

Awareness gives us the opportunity to act and see emerging problems not through the prism of patterns, but looking at everything with a sober look. To tell the truth, conscious people have fewer problems. As Albert Einstein said, “You cannot solve a problem at the level of consciousness at which it arose, you must rise above it.” This is exactly what happens during mindfulness.

Most conflicts between people occur due to past grievances, but conscious people have fewer of them, since they are not fixated on the past. They are also able to clearly see how this or that rude word or action can hurt a loved one, and then they turn on self-control, which I will talk about a little later.

Flexibility of mind and prudence

Thanks to meditative activities, a person grows not only spiritually, but also intellectually, as concentration and memory improve, and logical and abstract thinking develops.

As I already said, a person stops thinking in stereotypes, which allows him to consider any situation more broadly, from different angles.

Self-control

Practical meditative techniques develop a person’s willpower, and accordingly his self-control increases, that is, the ability to regulate his thoughts, emotions and desires. A meditating person ceases to be a puppet of momentary, impulsive impulses, but takes any situation into his own hands.

Self-control helps you not put things off until tomorrow, diet and exercise until Monday. There is enough strength and energy to do everything necessary now. This ability helps you move towards your goal.

When a person takes control of his desires, the need for many bad habits disappears, as he begins to take care of his health. Bad habits are often called small weaknesses; they are indeed a weakness, and not a small one at all. Meditation helps strengthen the willpower with which you can say “No!” all bad habits.

Relaxation

Some people sometimes confuse relaxation and meditation, although they are different things. Relaxation techniques do not necessarily involve the meditative process, but muscle relaxation (relaxation) always occurs during meditation.

It is a scientifically proven fact that during stress all the muscles of the body are in a very tense state, there is an opposite connection - when muscle tone relaxes, mental tension weakens.

This has a positive effect on the entire body. Bioenergy flows are harmonized, insomnia goes away, stress resistance increases.

Meditation relieves depression and panic fears

Getting rid of depression and panic fears is not such a simple thing as it is presented on many sites dedicated to meditation. It is not enough to simply meditate 20 minutes a day to solve serious internal crises. There are various meditation practices, but not all of them are able to get to the bottom of the truth. Superficial meditation that does not touch the deeper aspects of the heart and soul will ultimately not get rid of the cause and root of the problems. Undoubtedly, any meditation aimed at developing awareness will improve the condition, depression will decrease and may even go away for some time, but for a deep transformation to occur, serious, long-term work is required.

A parable about overcoming crises

There is a certain type of bird of prey that lives a very long time. By about 40 years of age, their claws grow strongly, a calcareous coating appears on their beak, the plumage becomes too heavy and they can no longer fully hunt and obtain food for their existence. At this time, they have a choice: die or change themselves. And some of these birds fly high into the mountains, where they grind their claws and beaks on the rocks for a long time. Then they pull out the excess plumage and thus return to a full life for another 30-40 years. This is a rather painful process, but those who go through it receive a reward at the cost of their lives.

Likewise, meditation is serious, deep work on your consciousness, which gives amazing results. A person comes face to face with his fears, depression and other problems, and in the process of serious work, their causes are destroyed, and not just their external manifestations.

Purpose and mission of life

Meditation helps you find your purpose. After all, every person in this life has his own specific mission, but when our soul comes into this world, we forget about it. As we age, our minds become overgrown with other people’s opinions about how to live correctly, and lead us further and further away from our true goal.

With the help of meditative exercises, a person can get out from under the yoke of public opinion and hear his inner “I”. Thanks to this, over time, inner potential is revealed. This, of course, does not mean that a person will immediately become an artist, a writer, and an engineer. The very gift that is placed in us by the Creator will simply begin to awaken. By moving in this direction and developing our talent, we will achieve great success along the path of our destiny.

Let me give you an example:

Imagine a mirror that is covered in dust. We want to see our reflection in it, but we see nothing. We need to take a rag and wipe the dust off the mirror, and the cleaner it is, the more clearly we see ourselves. So does meditation, it helps us see our true selves. Get closer to a spiritual understanding of your essence. The meditative process clears our mind of the veil of mental dirt and allows us to look inside ourselves. And the purer our mind becomes, the more clearly we will come closer to understanding our true nature.

Spiritual self-improvement, development of relationships with God

I have already spoken about this above. This is the main purpose of meditation, no matter how the popularizers of this topic try to hide it. In order to communicate with the Lord, it is not necessary to go to any specific place, it is enough to look inside yourself, into your soul, because there is a divine particle in each of us.

The Lord is present in the heart of every living being, and sometimes gives us answers to all questions. They may come to us as flashes of insight or intuition. Thanks to spiritual and meditative practices, a person more subtly senses the signs of the Universe and feels his relationship with the world.

I have described the most common effects of meditation, although of course there are many more. If it’s not difficult for you, dear reader, then tell us in the comments to the article about how meditation has benefited you.

Sincerely, Ruslan Tsvirkun.

Over time, people noticed that almost all meditators live long lives and have extraordinary health. This fact has greatly interested the modern world. Through many scientific studies, it has been proven that regular meditation actually has a positive effect on health and emotional well-being. In addition, meditation allows you to detach yourself from the realities of life, temporarily forget about problems and losses, and become a simple impartial contemplator, which helps you understand yourself and solve seemingly insoluble life problems.

What does meditation give?

Nowadays it is very difficult for a person to completely relax. Even in your sleep you feel tense and anxious. Meditation classes provide complete relaxation, immersion in a state of peace and tranquility. Due to this, the emotional background quickly levels out, meditation gives a powerful surge of strength and joy.

During this time, breathing slows down, and the blood begins to become more saturated with oxygen. Thanks to this, blood pressure is stabilized, the heart muscle is strengthened, and the airways are cleared, which helps prevent and even treat many diseases.

Many experiments were carried out, during which it was scientifically confirmed that with the help of meditation, people were cured of many diseases, even such terrible ones as oncology.

It has been noted that meditation strengthens the immune system; even special antibodies are produced that fight viruses and infected cells. Under maximum loads, which sometimes cannot be avoided, meditation gives the fastest positive result of relaxation and rest. Hormones of joy and happiness are produced inside the body, this state is remembered and preserved for a long time. Therefore, people who meditate are much more resistant to stress and react more adequately to all situations.

Everyone sooner or later thinks about the meaning of life. Meditation allows you to know your own “I” and feel connected to the Universe. Helps you recognize your own mysterious inner world and understand your purpose.

With the help of meditation, you can find answers to many questions, find harmony and joy in life.

These are just a few answers to the question of what meditation gives, in fact there are many more. But only through practice can one appreciate and understand the full power of the magic of meditation.

Very often, people who start meditating quit the practice because they do not receive the expected life changes after a few months. Others don’t even understand why this needs to be done. Why is such a seemingly simple practice capable of bringing any changes into life?

This article is a detailed answer to the question: “why should you meditate”. Exactly. Why set aside special time just to consciously concentrate on one point, be it the breath, internal sensations, or entire words and phrases? “Aren’t there more useful and interesting activities? And anyway, how can such a primitive exercise change my life?”- you ask.

“And very, very strongly,” I will answer you, “up to a global reassessment of values, improving the quality of life, getting rid of addictions, fears, depression, developing intellectual and personal qualities, deep self-knowledge and finding inner harmony (no matter how banal it may sound ).

Thanks to meditation, I stopped smoking and drinking. And . I left my paid job and organized my own business, which allows me to do interesting and valuable work and travel. I solved many other personal problems, I understood where I was aiming and what I want to achieve.”

People who are more skeptical will say:

“Yes, this is all nonsense. How can my life change if I simply stare at one point for half an hour a day? Sounds even less realistic than the “shop on the couch” proposals.

And others, more enthusiastic, will gratefully take up this idea:

“Where is this magical exercise that in just 30-40 minutes a day can solve all my problems and change my life!? Give it to me quickly! I’m in a hurry to get started!”

But my task is to “ignite” the former a little and cool the latter. Because both have unrealistic expectations. The first ones don’t understand at all why this needs to be done. And “enthusiasts” are likely to quit the practice when it does not bring the expected magical changes.

“Phew, take it easy, guys! Just sitting on your butt and watching your breath won't change your life much. Yes, you will relax, but you won’t have to expect drastic changes. For meditation to work, it must be integrated into life, implemented in many daily actions, and its skills must be used in everyday life.”

Although very effective, it is not a panacea. But, nevertheless, this tool, if used correctly, can unlock many of life's locks.

And the second task of this article is to explain How to use this tool to get maximum effect.

Lovers of mysticism and esotericism will be disappointed. There is no magic here. I won't perform mind-blowing stunts, juggle fireballs, or pull a rabbit out of a hat. Watch my hands carefully. Now I’ll show you everything.”

Is meditation needed to relax? Or…

If you ask any person who is superficially familiar with meditation why you need to do it, he will most likely answer:

“Well, probably to relax, relieve tension.”

Yes, many people associate meditation with bearded yogis who are in sublime serenity and deep trance.

But saying that meditation is necessary for relaxation is like saying that the value of a car lies in the storage of things in its trunk. A car is needed not only for this, but also Meditation is not just for relaxation. This is not the main function at all.

Of course, mindfulness practice has been shown to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, reduce amygdala activity, stabilize blood pressure, lower heart rate, increase alpha activity in the brain, and trigger other physiological aspects of deep relaxation.

But this is only a small part. And I can’t say that this is capable of seriously motivating anyone.

When you choose a car, you are primarily interested in its behavior on the road. It is unlikely that anyone can be attracted to buying a car only by considerations of trunk capacity.

Same with meditation.

“Why meditate to relieve stress? This is a boring job! I’d rather drink beer and turn on the TV!”(Of course, beer and TV cannot be called complete relaxation, but that’s another conversation)

That’s why my last live seminar, which I conducted in the spring, was called: “Meditation NOT as a relaxation technique.” This does not mean that I forbade relaxing on it =) No, relaxation is just obvious. When explaining the value of meditation, I prefer to focus on other, less obvious aspects of the practice.

And then I’m going to answer the question of how and due to what simple observation of breathing (internal sensations, the work of consciousness, the body, mantra, etc.) can help you solve many life problems. Why is it necessary to be aware at all?

So what is “meditation”?

Before I continue, I will write what I generally understand by meditation. In general, a more appropriate term is mindfulness, but here I will use both. For simplicity of presentation, let's agree for the moment that these are synonyms. The topic of the article does not require clarification of all the subtleties of the differences and nuances of terminology.

“meditation is not just sitting on your butt with your legs crossed and looking smart...”

Mindfulness is directing attention intentionally, in the present moment, non-judgmentally. I borrowed this Definition from Viktor Shiryaev.

I completely agree with this definition (though “non-evaluation” raises questions, but let’s not talk about that for now), moreover, I consider it exhaustive. I won’t go into explanations for now, but I’ll just ask if you see anything unusual in it, something that doesn’t correspond to stereotypical ideas about meditation?

Think about it.

That’s right, nothing is written here about the “lotus position” (or any other pose), or about closed eyes, or about breathing. That is, the most inherent attributes of meditation (meditation as it is seen in the public consciousness) are not affected here.

What I want to say is that, indeed, meditation is not just about sitting on your butt with your legs crossed and looking smart. Mindfulness is simply a certain quality of our attention, which can be realized in different ways: both as concentration on the breath, sitting with eyes closed, and in the form of directing attention to the sensations of the body while walking. And not only on body sensations: on thoughts, emotions, any other internal phenomena.

When you swallow food consciously during lunch, focusing on its taste and other sensations in your mouth, this is also meditation. Moreover, meditation is no less than “classical” - in the lotus position or in Turkish. Every act of attention directed intentionally and in the present moment to any sensations, external and internal phenomena is meditation.

Meditation (mindfulness) is a very broad term and covers many different techniques and different ways of focusing attention.

But here, in order not to clutter it with unnecessary meanings, I will understand as a basic meditation technique the technique that uses concentration on breathing. And, yes, this particular type of meditation involves sitting on the floor with your eyes closed - everything is as you imagined.

I just couldn’t help but touch upon the aspect of the breadth of the concept of meditation here. I decided that without this the information would not be complete.

Short exercise

To answer this question, I will ask you to do a short exercise. Yes, exactly where you are sitting now. You don’t need to do anything strange that people around you might notice—don’t worry.

You may or may not close your eyes (especially if you are sitting at work and are busy depicting vigorous activity and involvement in the work process).
If you slouch, sit crookedly, straighten up. Now direct your attention to the abdominal area. Try to notice all the sensations that arise there when you breathe. When you inhale, the stomach swells a little, and when you exhale it falls. This gives rise to certain sensations, just try to realize them. That they are there.

Noted?

Now I will ask you to simply observe these sensations for a minute. Direct all your attention there, without being distracted by extraneous thoughts. And if you notice that you have begun to think about something and have “lost” the sensations in your stomach that arise when you breathe, just calmly return your attention back to these sensations.

Doesn't sound difficult, right? Now try it. About a minute. It is not necessary to detect, according to your feelings.

Have you tried it? Well, is it as easy as it seems from the beginning? How many times have you been distracted by thoughts? One, two, ten times? And this in a minute! (And even if you are not distracted now, you will notice that this will happen constantly during longer sessions).

I’ll say right away that this is normal and natural. This is how our mind works. Like a fussy monkey, he constantly rushes about, runs back and forth. Clings to thoughts, plans, memories. It is beyond any control.

But we can train this mind through the practice of meditation. So an important premise of this article is that we view meditation as a workout, not just a way to feel calmer.

If so, then what are we training by focusing on the sensations of breathing?

We train concentration!

By “loading” the biceps, we train the biceps. And by “loading” our attention, we train attention. It is obvious. Why do you need to develop concentration? This also seems obvious, but not always. Our ability to concentrate is related not only to our ability to, say, get work done without distraction, but also to willpower. Which I will talk about a little later.

“This knowledge will often be much more reliable and accurate than information in psychological literature, because during meditation you work with the mind directly...”

Where will it be useful?

You are preparing for an exam at the institute. You can’t concentrate: sometimes you’re distracted by a computer, sometimes Facebook, or some kind of fuss on the street. But thanks to the fact that you started meditating, you already know how to deal with it. You understand that external stimuli, of course, interfere, but you cannot always take them and remove them.

But you can ignore them, just as you don’t pay attention to extraneous thoughts during meditation, concentrating in spite of them. Calmly note that you are starting to think about how great it would be to launch a new computer game, remember that you need to prepare, that you will be expelled if you fail the subject and calmly turn your attention for a textbook.

The next day you successfully pass the exam and with a calm soul and a sense of accomplishment, you launch a new toy on your computer.

Less obvious uses:

Did you decide . Everything in you is already ripe for this decision: you no longer experience much pleasure from tobacco, you don’t see much point in continuing to follow a bad habit. There's just a little bit left to do. Take it and throw it. Do not give in to temptation until withdrawal occurs. You set a goal for yourself: not to smoke under any pretext.

And just a few hours after this agreement with yourself, the brain, feeling the withdrawal syndrome, begins to tempt you to break it: “come on, let’s smoke, quit on New Year’s Day, then!”, “how will you cope without cigarettes, it’s such a difficult period at work!”, “okay, fine, we’ll quit, but now we’ll smoke the very last one” .

But you already have experience in meditation. Are you ready to withstand temptation? These thoughts come to you, but you have already learned to treat any thoughts during meditation as distracting interference. Not as orders that you cannot disobey, but as proposals that you can consider and then either accept or reject.

That's why you don't follow them, but stay focused on your goal, just like you keep your attention on your breath during meditation. And you pursue this goal despite all the distractions.

You quit smoking and after a few months this whole smoking thing seems like a bad dream. The cough goes away. Your hands, body and clothes, your breath stops smelling, your health and breathing improve, you smell more. You are grateful to the practice for supporting you in this difficult matter.

Meta-observation:

The practice of meditation is the practice of working with consciousness. And the result of this work is not only a restructuring of consciousness and the emergence of new skills. And also the emergence of a better understanding of how everything in our minds functions.

If we are engaged in repairing cars, then thanks to this work we begin to better understand the structure of the car, enrich our mind with knowledge and experience (This will be a “meta-observation”).

The same can be said about working with consciousness. We see what results this or that influence on our mind leads to, we record it and note it, we keep this knowledge in mind so that it will be useful in further work.

This knowledge is the result of observing one's own mind. It will often be much more reliable and accurate than information in psychological literature, because during meditation you work with the mind directly.

And under the heading “meta-observation” I will collect the conclusions I personally derived from this observation. To demonstrate how we can use meditation to develop not only skills, but also gain knowledge.

And when we develop concentration during our practice, we begin to see that:

The ability to concentrate is directly related to willpower. It helps you to be collected and disciplined.
Attention is also associated with relaxation. We notice that concentrating on one thing calms our mind. Makes problems seem less significant.
Distracted attention is a rather energy-intensive thing. When we are concentrated, we expend less energy. Our thinking acquires a framework and structure.

We develop mindfulness

Mindfulness is another quality of our attention, more related to memory.

(Please do not get attached to the terms that I use. Other meditation teachers may use other terms and a different classification. Classification is most often always a rather conditional thing: the terms and classes within it can be considered differently, as well as interact and intersect in every possible way .

I introduce this terminology not in order to somehow “affirm” or “legitimize” it, but only as an auxiliary way to convey my idea to the reader. Direct his attention in the right direction so that, having taken this into account, he himself, based on his own practice experience, can draw his own conclusions.)

What is the difficulty in keeping your attention on one thing during meditation? The fact is that it is constantly distracted. But if you look at this process under a magnifying glass, you will notice that it is more related to memory.

You “remember” for a while that you need to concentrate on the sensations of breathing. And the fact that you are distracted from this means that you have forgotten about your goal! And returning to concentration means nothing more than the act of remembering that you are now meditating and must observe your breath!

“Why do I dream about ice cream, because I need to watch my breath!”- it's like a sudden flash of memory.

Renowned meditation teacher Allen Wallace compares this to a state of permanent mini-amnesia. We forget our goal and remember it again. Then again. And again. But it normal. This is how our mind works.

But we can teach our mind to more quickly “remember” its tasks and goals, notice that it has been distracted by extraneous thoughts and turn its attention back to the subject of concentration. And this is important!

This is exactly what we do during meditation: we learn to notice as quickly as possible that we are distracted and “remember” our goal. Gradually, through regular training, these memory flashes begin to appear at smaller and smaller intervals in everyday life.

And where can this be useful? Oh, many places!

Where will it be useful?

You haven't been able to sleep for an hour now. Anxious thoughts about tomorrow creep into your head: what if your project at work fails? What if you don't fall asleep and your presentation fails?

Your mind runs through hundreds of scenarios about how bad and catastrophic tomorrow could turn out. But then you remember that at the beginning of the practice of meditation you are also attacked by whole flocks of anxious thoughts that seem very important and urgent, not tolerating being put off until later.

And then you simply try not to react to them, not to pay attention, and they gradually lose their power. They cease to seem so significant and frightening, becoming simply "running line in my head", which is no longer particularly troubling.

And now, lying in bed, you decide to try to apply the same principle. You simply try not to react to these thoughts, turning your attention to your breathing. At first it is very difficult, you constantly forget that you should observe your breathing, you are again sucked into the whirlpool of anxious thoughts. But you notice this, “remember” that you want to sleep now, and not think about tomorrow and turn your attention for something else.

Gradually thoughts lose their power. You begin to drift off to sleep. And just before you fall asleep, you realize how much you have inflated the problem by constantly thinking about it. That, in fact, tomorrow's presentation is not so important and scary, because it will only concern the intermediate project, and not the key one. And in general, not even a single high-ranking boss will be present.

You wake up in the morning fresh and rested, satisfied with yourself. You realize that now you can use the skill of “mindfulness” anywhere when you are attacked by intrusive, anxious thoughts. And it is not at all necessary to turn your attention specifically to breathing. You can translate it to anything: to sounds, to your surroundings, to your work that you need to do now, to your affairs!

Meta-observation

Often obsessive thinking about a problem does not bring us any closer to solving it, but only confuses us even more.
It is impossible to get unpleasant thoughts out of your head by ordering yourself “not to think about them.” This leads to the opposite result. But we can simply not react to them, noticing every time they come and turning our attention to something else. Then they subsequently lose their power and stop bothering us.
Mindfulness is an important skill that underlies the development of self-control and the destruction of automatic behavior. In order for us to let go of destructive emotions, not to be led by obsessive harmful desires, we first need to learn to notice the moment when our mind began to “fall into them”, to fall under their control. Mindfulness is a necessary pause, to notice: “ah, these emotions have come again.” Pause to make a conscious choice whether to follow them or simply not be fooled by them. When there is no such pause, then there is no choice: we obey all our thoughts, emotions, desires blindly, automatically.

We develop an observer position (“Self in Context”)

If mindfulness and concentration are some “quantitative” parameters of our ability to concentrate (how long we hold our attention on a point, how quickly we notice that we are distracted). That observer position is the “qualitative” aspect of attention, which affects exactly what our attention becomes during meditation.

We can direct all our attention to watching a film, empathize with its characters, follow the plot, but this will not be meditation insofar as we do not watch the film from the position of an “observer”, maintaining “equality” and "non-judgmental". If we watched a film without being involved in what was happening, or if we observed our emotions and feelings from the “observer position” that arise while watching the film, then this would be meditation.

When we simply observe our sensations arising during breathing, our attention becomes detached, as it were, not involved in all internal experiences, feelings, thoughts, emotions. We look at emotions and even thoughts as if “from the outside.”

This is called the “observer position” or within the framework of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (English) - a modern direction of psychotherapy) it is called “I in context”.

Agree, this is already something new. If people who have never meditated are reading this, they are probably already interested in: “What is it like to observe your emotions from the outside, especially your thoughts?”

Indeed, this seems not obvious and contrary to common sense. However, this only becomes clear through regular training. The ability to be aware of experiences from the perspective of an observer is an important and unique skill. This is a completely new way of relating to the inner world for many people, which can bring a lot of new things into their lives.

Where will it be useful?

Example 1

Are you tired of having to endure your senior work colleague constantly snapping at you, yelling and criticizing you for every little mistake. You are new to the team and, moreover, the youngest. This is why your colleague chose you as an outlet for his anger. Mutual responsibility: he receives a portion of indignation from family members and his boss, keeps it to himself, and then takes it out on you.

It infuriated you from the very beginning. At first, you simply tried to restrain your anger, suppress it: after all, it seemed to you that your position as a new, inexperienced employee did not allow you to respond to his attacks in the same way.

You sat in silence, enduring moral slaps in the face, then went home spat upon with a disgusting inner feeling.

The anger built up until a month ago when you took it out on your colleague. It was like watching a frail dam being carried away by a powerful water flow: so much irritation had accumulated that it simply washed away all the barriers. You screamed, became hysterical, and left in the middle of the workday, loudly slamming the door.

And this did not have any positive effect: from the outside it looked as if you were making a fool because of your own mistake, lost your temper and lost control. Burnt out, in short. Your colleague went unpunished and continued to bully you.

Therefore it was doubly offensive. From that day on, you decided that you needed to deal with your anger, so you decided to take up the meditation you read about on the Internet. Naturally expecting that the anger will simply become less.

Through the practice of observing your breath, you learned not to get caught up in your emotions. Anger, irritation, thoughts about the insult came, you simply turned your attention to your breathing or sometimes concentrated directly on these emotions and, as it were, observed them from the side.

It was an amazing and new experience for you! Until now, you thought that your emotions left you no choice. If anger comes, then you should supposedly follow it immediately or suppress it diligently, which, again, can lead to disaster.

But with practice, you've learned a whole new way of responding to emotions: simply observing. Don’t try to remove the emotion, but at the same time don’t follow it. Then, as you have seen, they lose their power.

And the next time, when a colleague began to shout at you and lose his temper because of a small mistake in the interim report, you again noticed a powerful wave of anger in yourself: flaring nostrils, tension in your head, burning cheeks...

You expected meditation to make your anger lessen, but it didn't. On the contrary, you began to feel it, as if even brighter...

But something has changed. There was a pause. And detachment appeared. Yes, the anger was still there and it was very strong. But it seemed that now he seemed to be walking a little away from you, without covering you completely, subordinating you completely to himself.

(A suitable metaphor. A beginner surfer is covered by waves, sucked into himself and twisted. But a more experienced surfer rides a wave, can maneuver on it or simply “dive” under it and let it pass over him. Waves as his skill increases, at the same time, don't disappear anywhere)

You have already been able to notice this moment of the wave hitting you. "Yeah, now it's starting again". You remembered what disaster this led to last time.

But instead of following the anger into hysterics or trying to suppress it, you allowed it to be. You directed all your attention to this emotion. And they just started watching. How this wave grows in the body, how it breaks out of the chest, as if it is going into your head.

You didn’t try to suppress it, you watched calmly. Thanks to the fact that you stopped “feeding” your anger by resisting or encouraging it, the “wave” quickly subsided. Yes, you were still awkward and uncomfortable, but you felt that you were already in control and could somehow control yourself.

You have decided how you will act. Neither the reciprocal outburst of anger nor the kind words had any effect on the colleague. So you choose a different tactic. You breathe a little, pause. Then take your colleague aside and calmly tell him that this was the last time he lost his temper with you. And if this happens again, then you will take certain measures.

Interestingly, some ancient relaxation practices involve working closely with a person's core senses as well as their environment.

Meditation to attract a loved one is one of the most powerful techniques based on strong concentration of attention on a specific object. The right approach and competent organization of practice allow you to change your own destiny and speed up your meeting with your soulmate.

General rules for meditation techniques to attract men

Meditations with love energy cannot be dedicated to something bad. Therefore, you should not think about how you will take revenge on your ex-partner or outdo your rivals. Such sessions do not allow you to concentrate and are not beneficial. It is much wiser to fill the soul with bright desires that will allow the consciousness to let go of thoughts.

Do not attract specific people through such practices. The main principle of meditation is free will, including that of others. Therefore, introducing individuals during a session does not seem to be effective. It is better to imagine your own feelings during meditation: love, harmony, happiness.

Use your favorite comfortable poses during practice. Just don’t lie down, otherwise you’ll likely fall asleep. Meditations to attract love can be performed with romantic melodies, incense and red candles that will create the right atmosphere. During the lesson, you don’t need to force all your thoughts out of your head: just let them float freely.

Do not forget about regularity, because 2-3 sessions a week, even with a duration of 10-20 minutes, significantly increase the chances of meeting love.

Slavic meditation

Surprisingly, even the ancient clergy were puzzled by issues of marriage and relationships. It was thanks to their rituals that meditation on attracting a star half became possible. It is worth noting that you should study this technique together with a specialist, since ritual meditation is enhanced through additional classes.

This type of practice is useful for those who want to find family happiness or are afraid of losing the tranquility of an already created home. Using the wisdom of your ancestors helps you achieve excellent results in building harmonious relationships.

Before performing meditation, it is worth mastering the educational training Rodosvet, which will tell you a lot of new things about the traditions of the Slavs and about the position of the wife and husband in the family itself. In addition, at this stage you can get acquainted with ancient rituals: Attracting a star couple (a technique for strengthening connections on which the meditation itself is based) and Ladoslav. The last rite concerns communication with the goddess Lada and allows you to open your heart to release the flow of love.

Ritual meditation itself is collective. For efficiency, it is accompanied by music, as well as video clips.

Meditation “Secret Marriage”

Finding a soul mate is an important step on every person’s path to true happiness. Finding true love is only possible if you meet your soul mate. This meditation to attract a loved one helps to turn on the Light of your own Soul and harmonizes existing contacts with the opposite sex.

Thanks to this practice, subconscious blocks are released, as well as stimulation of the partner for its development. And this technique is based on the judgment that each of us has a certain degree of Soul opening, which corresponds to another person in the world.

Choose meditative music for your lesson.

Lie down on the bed and lower your eyelids. Relax, feeling the freedom of every cell of your body.
With a feeling of peace and tranquility, imagine yourself on the hot sand of the sea coast. There is a clear sky above you, your body is warmed by the sun's rays, and the sound of the surf is heard in your ears. On this oceanic island you are in absolute solitude: in this space there are no people, no worries or worries. Feel the full bliss of loneliness, which does not burden, but inspires and bestows integrity with the world.
Take a closer look at the shore. Along the edge of the noisy surf, a person is approaching you - your other half. He rushes to you with love and joy, and you feel pleasant excitement in anticipation of this meeting.

At this stage, it is very important to develop a sense of permission: allow any image to appear in your mind, and do not imagine a specific person. A stranger may well not fit your ideal and even cause rejection. But you need to accept it, connect with it, and then you will reveal your Light of the Soul, the petal of love, the creative flow of energy.

Sometimes it happens that people do not see the face of their chosen one at all during meditation, but receive images of animals. This is evidence of a subconscious block in contact with the opposite sex.

Your significant other comes close to you and hugs you. Here a new stage begins - the magical act of unity of two people. Show your imagination, give yourself complete freedom and abandon restrictions. You can do whatever you want. You can indulge in sex, lie on the sand, play or swim. The main thing is to feel the body of your chosen one, feel his breath, listen to his voice.

In the process of accepting this half, a deep energy exchange occurs. As soon as you are filled with new bright feelings, the chosen one will leave you, dissolving into the subconscious. Spend it without any sadness or regret.

Visualization Meditations to Attract Men

As in previous practice, in these techniques an important criterion for success is a person’s ability to be distracted from everyday life and everyday life, plunging into the abyss of imagination.

At the same time, meditation on attracting a man may not always involve imagining his ideal image. However, as a result, you will be able to attract love energy into your life, and therefore a person who will fill your soul and your whole life with happiness and tranquility.

Practice “Meeting with Cupid and Vesta”

Relax and imagine yourself in a wonderful blooming place with the music of fountains and birdsong. Right in front of you is a stunning golden temple. You approach it and see that you are greeted by angels in pinkish-gold robes. They take you to a beautiful hall where a gentle melody can be heard. In this vaulted room, the floors are decorated with carpets, vases with flowers are placed everywhere, and sofas and tables with goodies are placed near the walls. In the center of this hall there are two thrones. The gods Cupid and Vesta sit in them. With a welcoming word they call you closer to themselves.
Come up, say hello and make a request to them. Ask them to dissolve the blocks in the body that prevent you from meeting your loved one. The gods lead you to the center of the hall, and suddenly a golden-pink glow begins to penetrate through you.
You rise above the floor and feel the disappearance of fears, the growth of the feeling of your love. Get down to the ground. The doors in the hall open and you see your soulmate walking and holding out his hands to you. Your chosen one joins you, and the gods join your palms as a sign of blessing.

You thank the gods and angels and then return to your reality.

Practice for the next meeting

This practice will set you up for the next meeting with your soulmate. Use this visualization daily for a month. It is enough to devote only 3 minutes to the lesson.

Imagine yourself on the sea coast in a pleasant summer restaurant. Look at the seascapes, admire the painting and enjoy the aroma of the ordered drink - coffee or tea. You sip your drink and watch as different women and men surround you. They say nice words to you and give you memorable gifts.
Thank them.
In the next company you notice one special person. Feel that this is also a gift that is worthy of the best phrases of gratitude. Feel the state of happiness.

Now your soulmate will be with you.

Meditation to attract a star soul mate

This meditation takes about 15 minutes and can be done both in the morning and before bedtime. This technique should be practiced daily for 40 days.

Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a pleasant place: in a forest, on a river bank, by the sea. Feel the rays of the sun and listen to the birds singing.
Your Guardian Angel is approaching you. Greet him and thank him for his constant help and support. Contact him with a request for the ideal man, trusting his decision. Agree that this person will appear in life at the right moment. Then take the Angel by the hand and follow him across the sky to the tent, where you will wait for your loved one.
Sit in the center of the room and imagine that a wonderful light is bursting out from your heart chakra: it expands and fills the entire space.
Suddenly you notice a male figure. The silhouette of a man approaches and is filled with your light. Feel that this is your ideal partner and connect with them in a strong bond.
Imagine any activity you might do together.

Before leaving your meditation, visualize the two of you lying on a cloud of pink flower petals. They rain down from above, giving you laughter and happiness. Now you can open your eyes.

Meditation “Flame of Love”

If you already have problems in your personal life and lack happy moments, use the daily “Flame of Love” meditation.

Take a relaxed position.
Imagine that a spark is quietly burning in the center of your chest. This is a small reddish-golden light of your love. Gently direct beams of energy into the area so that the fire begins to grow.
Feel how your chest heats up from the flame. Be filled with this warmth completely and enjoy the feeling.
Try holding the air for a couple of seconds and exhale slowly.

The energy of heat will now remain inside you and help establish relationships with the outside world.

Opening the Sex Chakra

This practice will help you open the center of natural love. Meditation to attract a loved one also helps to improve the health of the physical body, especially the reproductive system. Even single males can carry out this practice, but they need different words to tune in to the new energy of love.

Close your eyes and inhale slowly through your nose. Exhale deeply. Repeat the procedure with the feeling that you are breathing from the sexual chakra in the pubic area. Feel that the energy of nature is gradually awakening in you. You open your soul to the opposite sex and see the divine essence in every person.
If a girl conducts meditation, she must say from the bottom of her heart that she lets men into her life and allows herself to love them, and for them to love themselves. A meditating man at this stage also speaks of readiness for female love, of the desire to achieve harmony in relationships.
Now take a moment to travel back to your childhood. This is necessary to open your chakra. Introduce your parents, hug them, kiss them. Thank your mother and father separately.
Next, you should forgive everyone who has ever offended you. Men forgive women, and vice versa. You should say “Thank you” to these people for the new experience and the love given. Thank Heavenly Father, i.e. Creator, as well as the Divine Mother. Feel the love for all children and all people on Earth. Give them the warmth of your soul.

Women at this stage feel their sexuality and attractiveness, so tuning is required to enhance energy. We should thank Mother Earth for the world around us, the Universe for its presence in life. You also need to express words of forgiveness to all men, refuse their condemnation and criticism. Ask nature for energy for healthy children. Feel that a loved one appears in the space of your soul and you create a harmonious relationship with him. You should also apologize to anyone you have harmed in your life.

Renounce fears of men, negative programs in your body, and regrets. Realize that everything is fine with you, and your reproductive system is completely healthy.

Please note that this meditation for attracting men is more effective during the full moon or within 2 days before/after this moment. This time was chosen due to the activity of female lunar energy.

Meditation practice for men

Among the stronger sex there are also tired bachelors, so meditation to attract a loved one has existed since ancient times and in a male version. This technique is based on the effective Hindu mantra “Klim”, which attracts love and happiness into a person’s life.

Take a comfortable position, calm down and free yourself from unnecessary thoughts.
Focus on the sounds of the mantra. Pronounce it correctly, extending the “I” sound. Repeat the desired word and listen to it.
First you need to repeat the mantra 6 times while exhaling, focusing on the back chakra. Then you need to repeat the mantra 6 times with concentration on the umbilical chakra.
Repeat the previous step with sequential emphasis on the following chakras: solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, crown chakra.

The mantra is repeated once at a time with an emphasis on the chakras of the right eye, left eye, right, and then the left brain hemisphere. One repetition is enough for each ear, each nostril. Then concentrate once on the mouth chakra and tongue chakra. As a result, the mantra will resonate throughout your entire body.

In the evening, write the word “Klim” at least 108 times. The more mantras that come out of your pen, the more effective your meditation will be. Don't forget to say the mantra out loud or silently while writing it.

Meditation to attract a loved one is a serious step for radically changing your own destiny. The success of any of the presented practices is largely determined by the readiness for change and the ability to accept a soul mate, regardless of its characteristics. You must constantly believe in meeting a loved one, and then meditation can bring this joyful moment closer.