Why Meditation Works

“And it is only in this state that we have any control over the experiences that we have in life. Only when we're calm only when the mind is focused”

We may be more comfortable than our forefathers, and this probably is the best time to be alive. But our minds are busier than ever before in the history of humanity. We are exposed to overwhelming amounts of data everyday, which directly affects our mental wellbeing.

Anxiety and stress are common issues today. But did you know that these are usually just mental habits that we have learnt and created for ourselves? And that we actually have the power to undo them?

Meditation allows the brain to unload all that is unnecessary, so it can return to its original state, which is calm and focused.

In this video you will find out about.

• Why so many of us often feel anxious, stressed and overwhelmed

• How meditation will return the mind to a calm state

• How to start meditation

• An introduction to Chidakasha meditation (witnessing)

• The importance of remaining detached during meditation

• How mental obstacles are destroyed

Why Meditation works – video transcript

In today's age of social media, technology, rapid movement, our minds have become overactive. There is a continuous influx of data coming in through the five senses. We are exposed to images, to lights, to videos, to music, changing environments all throughout the day. There is movement everywhere we go.

So our brains are now processing more data than ever before in the history of humanity. And all this data processing gives rise to many different emotions throughout the day, which makes our mind restless, which makes the mind overactive.

And a restless mind naturally takes us through emotional journeys that are filled with fear, that are filled with stress, that are filled with anxiety, that are filled with doubt, that are filled with worries.

Because a restless mind will worry about the future, exploring every possibility and it will worry about the past, exploring every single memory, never remaining in the present moment.

But a calm mind, a meditative mind remains in the present because a calm and meditative mind is a focused mind and a focused mind does not run between the past and the future it remains in the present – at the present moment. It remains focused.

Being calm and relaxed is actually our true nature. Restlessness, stress, anxiety, these are all mental habits that we've picked up during life.

Just take a look at children, for example. Their nature is joy, their nature is being curious, their nature is playfulness, their nature is truth, their nature is innocence. They live in the moment. And it is our nature, too.

But society has taught us to engage with reality in a way that generates stress and it takes some effort to undo what we've been doing for so many years. So what is the best method by which we can return to our original state? To a restful state? By meditating. By meditating, we can return the mind to its original and calm state.

And it is only in this state that we have any control over the experiences that we have in life. Only when we're calm, only when the mind is focused. So how do we start meditation? Well, there are many different types of meditation, many different practices and techniques. Some focus on the breath, some use sounds, some use images or a specific body part. But the most important thing is to just start to just explore, because we are all different. And since we are different, we will respond differently to different practices.

One thing that many people tell me is “I can't meditate, when I sit down and close my eyes, my mind gets overfilled with thoughts. I can't empty my mind. It makes me anxious and it makes me stressed and I just have to get up and stop doing it”.

This is a great misunderstanding that people think that meditation is about control. Meditation is not about controlling the mind. It is not about forcing the mind empty. Meditation is about exploring the mind, it is about observing the mind, it is about befriending the mind. So when we sit down to meditate and we close our eyes, we don't have to empty the mind. We just have to pay attention to whatever comes up. We have to observe the thoughts. In yoga this practice is known as Chidakasha meditation, and Chidakasha actually means the space of consciousness and it refers to the dark space that lies directly in front of our closed eyes in which our thoughts manifest.

But we have to keep a certain distance from these thoughts. We have to separate ourselves from these thoughts because they are the reason that we are anxious. These are the thoughts that are making us restless. So we have to go into it as a witness – like we do when we watch a movie. When we watch a movie, we don't have to be any of the characters. We don't have to be the hero or the villain or be involved in the script or the production in any way. 

We watch a movie for entertainment, we watch a movie as a witness. In the same way we have to go into meditation with the same attitude.

And slowly by observing, we exhaust some of these images, thoughts and memories. And as the mind gets quieter and the mind gets calmer, we start experiencing images, thoughts and memories that are stored in deeper layers of the mind. And I'll tell you something interesting. The deeper the layer, the thought, memory or experience is stored in, the more power it holds over us. 

So the deeper we go, the more powerful we become, because we undo our own obstacles. We undo the things that are stopping us and causing us anxiety. And then there comes a point in which we realize that the source of most of our problems and disappointments lies within us in the form of a memory or a thought or an experience. And as we go deeper into meditation, these are revealed to us. And when we can see them with absolute clarity, we are liberated from them.

We destroy our own obstacles. And this becomes a revolutionary experience in life, in every aspect of life, from health and wellness to your profession to personal relationships, anything. So the next time you sit down to meditate, don't try to control the mind. Don't try to empty the mind, just sit down, relax, close your eyes and watch your thoughts manifest. Observe the thoughts. And let everything reveal itself.