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FAQ ABOUT MEDITATION
So here are some of the questions I am often asked about meditation
1. What mantra do you chant?
I chant the Maha Mantra which goes like this:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare,
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare..
Hare - female divine energy
Krishna - means all attractive - the highest one
Rama - the reservoir of pleasure ( so basically we are always seeking pleasure and so we are calling out THE source of all that brings us joy and pleasure..)
2. What do you think about while you're meditating?
Trying to engage all your senses in your meditation practice allows you to absorb faster and deeper...
smell:
having a space that you meditate where you can light a candle or incense or a scent that you train your mind to recognize as the scent you meditate with.
sight:
you can choose to close your eyes or have them open, whichever you feel most comfortable doing. If there are lots of distractions, I say keep them shut. But sometimes I really enjoy looking out at the sky or sunrise or clouds.
sound:
the goal is to really LISTEN to the words you are saying. Every time your mind wanders take it back to the sound of the words. I also sometimes play instrumental flute music or something soothing in the background quietly if I find my mind wandering.
taste:
no, you don't eat during meditation, but keep your mouth engaged with the words you are saying. You can say them aloud or fast or slow or quietly. I often change it up as I find my mind getting distracted..there are unlimited ways to sing/say the mantra!
touch:
I use beads, each bead represents one mantra, and so it keeps the hands also engaged in the practice.
Lastly I want to add that even if you do all of this, it is pointless without the intention and mood behind the meditation. Everything I have said about is the technical stuff is important but really the mood we pray or meditate with is what truly matters! Our teachers always talk about the mood of SURRENDER...
Dear Lord/dear universe/dear soul, please engage in your service, I surrender it all to you...for this 10 mins/hour/2 hours I surrender my time my mind and my heart ♥️ - I keep this in the back of my mind when I meditate
You might think, DAMN AFTER TRYING TO DO ALL THIS HOW COULD I POSSIBLY EVEN GET DISTRACTED...trust me when I say, you can and I do 🤣🤣.
3. How long do you meditate?
I meditate for about an hour and a half every morning. I started meditating in 2012 for ten minutes a day and then built up slowly. Like I said before, start with the right intention and mood..and then work on time..obviously the longer u do it, the more consistency you have the deeper you will feel it!
4. What are the benefits of meditation?
So I've realized there are two parts to this question and depending on the type of person you are you will be attracted to meditation for one or the other at first. I'm a hundred percent sure that once you start meditating, both aspects will be extremely obvious to you!
Science:
Only recently has the scientific efficacy of meditation has been tested. Before it was just trusted and felt through experience and heart. But I believe in this day and age it is necessary. Meditation is a foreign concept for many and the facts and scientific information provide that push towards it. Sometimes we just need the facts before the feelings 😂
Endless scientific experiments have shown the following:
1. Stress reduction - meditation and mindfulness practices have been shown to reduce cortisol, the hormone produced when your body is stressed and the inflammation response connected to it.
2. Anxiety - a regular meditation practice has been shown to help reduce and cope with their anxiety.
3. Attention & focus - Attentive meditation practice has been shown to overflow into other aspects of life, increased focus in the workplace, in conversations and memory
The feeling, the energy, your heart opening:
There are many things in life we cannot see or test with a scientific experiment. I believe feelings and emotions are our bodies way of communicating with us. Meditation brings awareness to our soul, our heart, facilitates a deeper connection to it and so naturally it brings bliss and joy to us. I have felt so many emotions during my meditations but one thing is for sure, the consistent regular practice has changed me as a person and has allowed me to see the world through my heart rather than my eyes. It has allowed me to connect to people deeper and to life itself with a deeper meaning and purpose. In the Vedas, it is believed that the soul in our body is a spark of the supreme, of God and so actually when we meditate and we focus on our soul we are connecting, having a conversation, and deepening our relationship with God. In my opinion, how something makes you feel, how it changes you, how it affects you is far more important than any scientific experiment. Telling someone something is good for them won't make them do it as much as when they try it and realize the effects that it has worked. The WHY is stronger and only then do we continue a practice.
I hope this has helped your spiritual journey in some way, and given you a gentle loving push into meditation and its wonders ❤️
Here are some articles with links to such studies
https://www.headspace.com/meditation/benefits
Sending you so much love
With gratitude
xx Radhi ♡