The basics of meditation, or how to learn to do nothing usefully

“The same rake again,” my wife told me when I was once again late from work. “The project is interesting, it needs to be completed,” “I’ll push myself now, then it will be easier,” is my typical set of responses to overwork. With remote work, it’s even easier to overload yourself - you don’t have to go anywhere, no one calls you for coffee, and the list of options for relaxing “outside” has been reduced.

Online there is only talk about how to work efficiently and maintain a balance with relaxation, but it’s much easier to turn on YouTube and eat something sweet. After an hour, I get even more tired: “What the hell, I wanted to watch a useful video, but I’m watching a UAZ wind up on a pole”?!

I work as a game designer at EPAM and often overwork: juggling multiple projects at once, doing a home project, and writing this article. It happens that the number of tasks makes your head spin, when listing things takes more time than solving them. To stay positive, YouTube with sugar is no longer enough, and you need something more powerful.

In this article I will tell you why meditation is the best remedy for stress and overload.

Why stress occurs

The main cause of stress is the illusion that you need to constantly do something and run somewhere.
Even a simple break can cause a feeling of guilt from supposed idleness when a lot of things are waiting to be resolved. In meditation you need to do nothing at all, not plan, not think, and this looks like a crime against time.

As a child, I had no problems with this - I could sit on a bench for several hours and “get stuck” on how the grass grows, it was interesting, and I was happy how much was happening around me, and did not suspect that this was akin to meditation .

But as you get older, it seems that the more you think, the more you work, the smarter, richer and more famous you will be. Then multitasking and a feeling of lack of time come, the desire to cram more and more things into a unit of time.

Can such sensations be called pleasant? It’s unlikely, which is why people are starting to look for a solution, creating a demand for a “meditation experience.”

In this case, there is a whole industry of meditation, which teaches how to drown out stress, fall asleep on time to the sounds of nature or fairy tales. A lot of money is pouring into this area.

But isn’t this something that everyone should be able to do at any time?!

Two wings of practice

The practice of meditation has two wings - the so-called formal and informal practices.

Formal practice

Formal practice is meditation for which we set aside a special time and place in our lives. We devote this time to ourselves, while postponing all matters. In these moments we are engaged in “just being” here and now. Formal meditation deepens our practice.

Informal practice

The second wing is informal practice, which does not require a special place and time. It is about bringing mindfulness into our daily activities. Integrating meditation into everyday life expands our practice.

Both wings are equally important and interconnected. Without one of them, the practice will not be complete. Informal practice complements formal practice. Meditation helps us to be present in our daily activities, and focusing on the present moment in ordinary activities in turn helps meditation. This is why it is so important to integrate meditation into our daily activities.

Small moments of mindfulness throughout the day

Bringing mindfulness into an ordinary activity turns it into meditation. You can use any moment of the day to fully focus on what is happening. Try to do only one thing at a time. Direct all your attention at the current moment to one action, be it eating, walking, communicating, creativity, routine activities.

Try to fill simple moments with your attention. After a few days, you will see that these tiny moments of mindfulness will make a real difference to the quality of your day and the state of your mind.

Gradually, you will begin to see hundreds of opportunities throughout the day to bring mindfulness into ordinary moments of life. Being present will become your habit and mindfulness will become your lifestyle. .

How to meditate while standing in line?

Meditation while eating

Digital Mindfulness Practices

Learning to meditate is easier than you think

Let's try meditation right now.
Place your palm in front of you and find a point on your skin where you cannot take your eyes off for 60 seconds. Not looking away means stopping any, even the smallest eye movements! At this moment, think about how the body relaxes and becomes heavier. Keep your back straight and make sure your eyes don't move.

If you're stuck

- congratulations, you are close to meditation, your attention has stopped being distracted by other thoughts.

If you're distracted

and started thinking about plans for the evening - that’s even better.
Now you see how the mind is disobedient and does not obey you 100%. The most common answer
Most likely you didn’t even try because you don’t have time :). Continue to bring your attention back to your palm every time you become distracted.

If you draw a graph of attention, you will get a meditation chamomile

: in the center it has the object of meditation - the palm, and the petals are how far and for how long you were distracted. The petals of a meditation chamomile decrease over time because you begin to remember the object of meditation earlier and are less likely to be distracted.

The moment when attention does not switch is called meditation - this is the ease from childhood, when there is nothing to worry about. Allow yourself to rest in this state.

This doesn't mean things will evaporate. It’s just more pleasant to make them from a peaceful state. The more things become more enjoyable, the more enjoyable life in general becomes.

If a thought haunts you, switch your attention through meditation so that the problem ceases to be important, and then solve it with a calm head.

Why is it difficult for beginners to meditate?

You can start meditating on your own without the help of an instructor, but beginning practitioners often find themselves unable to enter a state of meditative flow. What could be the reason?

Reason for difficulty during meditation:

1. Situation. Make sure that the place where you intend to study is quiet, private, without loud sounds or other distractions. Warn your loved ones not to disturb you for a while. You can dim the lights and light some incense if it helps you create the right mood.
2. Pose. Posture should be straight. Beginning practitioners should pay special attention to this point. It’s not for nothing that so much attention is paid to asanas, because the body and consciousness are one, and by building the correct position of the body, we put the mind in order.
3. Internal dialogue. Beginning practitioners are overwhelmed by thoughts with redoubled force. Sometimes it seems like nothing is working out. Any attempt to concentrate cannot last longer than a few seconds; every now and then you fall into the abyss of thoughts. The only thing I can advise here is not to give up and continue studying. If you feel like you are mentally carried away somewhere far away, just come back to the present moment and don’t blame yourself. Be patient and the result will definitely come!

Why meditation reduces stress

There is an excellent article from Lifext that has a lot of evidence-based material about the benefits of meditation.
Let's also look for interesting things in attention research. So, in meditation, all attention is occupied by the object, and other thoughts weaken without support: stressful thoughts dissolve, and attention gradually collapses inside the object. Why does this happen, and is there a scientific basis?

The effect of reducing attention from monotonous actions is known to science. It's called the vigilance decrement

(Vigilance Decrement).

It was studied by the classics of psychology S.L. Rubinstein, G. Helmholtz, and their experiments confirm the appearance of the effect when performing monotonous tasks for a long time, for example, attention decreased when observing the clock hand for a long time, which sometimes made a double jump; the subjects often did not notice it.

One can notice a similarity between a decrease in the vigilance of attention and a decrease in the sensitivity of other senses under monotonous influences. For example, clothes cease to be felt after some time, and a piece of sugar loses its sweetness if it is not moved across the tongue. It turns out that the brain also loses sensitivity without new “food” in the form of thoughts and sensations.

The brain, as an object of the “organ” class, inherits the same properties as other sense organs. Its difference is that it not only “eats” thoughts, like language in the case of sugar, but also produces them itself, creating a semblance of recursion. Because of this, it can be difficult to fall asleep: the flow of thoughts will not subside, and then meditation with counting sheep comes to the rescue.

Meditation allows you to break the cycle of unpleasant thoughts, switch gears, and uses the scientifically proven effect of decrementing alertness.

Begin!

Now you are fully armed and can start practicing. It will be easier for beginners to do this with audio accompaniment from the instructor. The Meditations section with audio guides of meditations is always available to you.

Don’t put it off until tomorrow, try short meditations now that you can do anywhere and at any time.

Meditation Conscious breathing. Simple practice for beginners.

Meditation to reduce stress. SOS practice returns the mind to a calm, clear state, reduces tension in the body.

Find more meditation audio guides here.

Good luck with your practice and remember: whatever you practice gets stronger! Your awareness is no exception!

Is it possible to prevent the very cause of stress?

Meditation is a great stress reliever.
But will you meditate every time something doesn't go as planned? So I don't. This could be the end of the story about meditation, but the effect of the decrement of vigilance has one more feature, noticed by D. Broadbent - it is not so much that attention decreases, but rather that its resistance to react increases

.

Meditation and the decrement of vigilance increase the resistance to react to new stress. For example, someone was rude to someone - a person trained in meditation is more likely to have a “window” with a choice: to be rude in response or to wish them health and longevity.

The point is not what exactly to choose, but that there is a choice, otherwise a person lights up like a match to any irritant.

Either you choose, or your boss or the salesperson at the checkout will make the choice.

The skill of noticing is called awareness
and is improved through meditation. In meditation, you notice that you are distracted and return to the object. It’s the same in life: if you notice that now you are being carried in the wrong direction, then half the battle is done. All that remains is to make the right choice.

See if you can notice and purposefully reverse your train of thought if something goes wrong. If you often regret acting in haste, then you should think about increasing your awareness through meditation.

How to stay awake during practice

Falling asleep during class is one of the main difficulties for beginners. Most often this happens for two reasons:

• banal lack of sleep or severe fatigue;
• chronic overstrain. A person is so accustomed to stress and muscle tightness while awake that the brain perceives any relaxation as a signal to fall asleep.

How to fight falling asleep? Tips for improving sleep:

1. First of all, establish a sleep schedule. Give your body enough rest. Don't practice if you are overtired.
2. If you feel like you are about to fall asleep, try changing your body position to one that is less comfortable for sleeping.
3. Do not practice where you are used to sleeping, so as not to mislead your body. Set up a special place for practice - this way you will let your brain know that you are not here to sleep, and gradually accustom it to discipline.

Types of Meditation

Few people can enter meditation with a snap of their fingers.
Therefore, most meditations begin with auxiliary “crutches”. For example, counting the number of exhalations, scanning the body, staring at the palm of your hand is not meditation, but tuning into it. It is needed in order to reach a state of meditation where the mind is no longer distracted. Over time, you will be able to enter meditation without a lot of setup.

When the state of meditation is achieved (this is called Dhyana

in Sanskrit), it's time to decide what to do next.

Meditations come with different goals and objects of meditation.

If you want to restore your strength and develop awareness

- look towards simple objects that do not require attention to maintain themselves, such as breathing.

The original technique with an object on the breath is called Anapanasati, and this is the technique that Sidhartha Gautama Shakyamuni is said to have used before becoming the Buddha. This is Buddhist meditation with strict adherence to stages and techniques, which is characteristic of Buddhism as a whole.

Breathing is the most universal subject for meditation because it happens automatically. At the same time, there are difficulties with this technique for beginners: it is not so easy to catch its shades in different parts of the body and at the same time not influence its natural course.

Although Anapanasati's pure form of 16 stages is practiced mainly by monks, the first four are quite accessible to everyone and provide stable concentration.

My teacher briefly talks about the practice of Anapanasati.

If you want to experience pleasant emotions or ease fear

, look towards mantras - specially designed sequences of sounds.
This meditation is called Japa
. For example, the mantra AUM consists only of the basic sounds A, U and M, from which all others are obtained using the language in the same way that all colors can be obtained by mixing red, green and blue. The master puts logic into the sound and rhythm, so it is worth using the original sound without translation into Russian or English.

In Japa meditation, the object is the mantra, its sound and meaning. A meditative state is achieved by monotonous repetition, and the weakening of fear occurs by switching attention to the mantra and thinking about the meaning of the mantra, in comparison with which fear will seem like a mere trifle.

Note the difference between a musical mantra and the rhythmic chanting of the same mantra by a specially trained person. Music is aesthetics, Mantra is a “can opener” for opening the mind (from Sanskrit: Man

- mind,
Tra
- tool).

If you want to work with beliefs

— such meditations should end with visualization. They are especially loved by psychologists and coaches for eliminating “toxic” beliefs: “I can’t do this,” “I’m too old for this,” “you can’t catch a fish out of a pond without effort,” etc.

You can eliminate what is unnecessary, or you can instill what is necessary: ​​the mind gets used to what is observed in visualization, and it begins to seem quite ordinary in real life, making it easier for what was observed to occur.

If you need to find a solution to a complex logical problem

— such meditations should end with careful observation of emerging solutions. Such meditations are suitable for those who think a lot logically and creatively: programmers, designers, architects and others.

Basic mistakes when meditating

The practice of meditation has been known to mankind for a very long time, and over the centuries people have been able to identify and describe a variety of errors that prevent them from mastering it or make it ineffective. Take note of the most common ones and try not to do them:

• You should start a meditation session only in a calm and unencumbered state. Nothing should bother you, you should not be very tired or tired. Otherwise, it will be difficult to concentrate and relax. (However, there are advanced meditation practices that allow you to meditate on states of stress, anger, fatigue, illness, etc.)
• During meditation, you cannot be distracted - this reduces to zero all the progress achieved during the session. Distractions include extraneous noises, loud music, inappropriate music, screaming children, barking dogs, etc. Unpleasant odors, heat and cold can also distract and cause discomfort. That is why you need to meditate in an environment conducive to this.
• There is no need to try to meditate for a long time at once. There will be no benefit from this. You will simply have to “sit out” for the set time, and the internal sensations from being unaccustomed to it will only cause discomfort. Remember: it is much better to meditate a little every day than to meditate long in one day. Moreover, even one negative experience of meditation can discourage you from doing it for many months.
• When meditating, you don’t need to be very zealous and strained, both mentally and physically. Strive for relaxation and concentration on the chosen object (in the described technique - on breathing). When you feel tension in one part of your body (and this will certainly happen), simply relax it and continue the practice.
• Don't limit yourself to just one meditation pose. Even if you feel comfortable in one, this does not mean that it will not be so in others (it may even be more comfortable). Try alternating poses: “half lotus”, sitting on a chair, standing. By the way, try to meditate while walking (dynamic meditation) - the effect of such practice can be very unusual. As a matter of fact, you don’t have to limit yourself to a place for meditation - after mastering the basics a little, try practicing in a park, forest, on the beach, in public transport, etc.
• If something doesn’t work out for you during a meditation session, do not get angry or irritated under any circumstances. These are destructive mental states, in which you should not count on any peace, relaxation, calm, etc. Perceive everything that happens in your mind and body calmly, you are just an outside observer in this situation. And if some thought haunts you and constantly imposes itself, concentrate on it, and it will disappear very soon.
• There is no need to expect any specific result from meditation; you should not constantly check whether you are making progress, especially during the process of meditation itself. The effect of this practice can only be expressed in words in very rough terms; it can only be fully felt. The “quality” of meditation will increase gradually, the result will accumulate and come gradually (and then only under the condition of regularity and systematicity).
• By practicing meditation, a person eventually reaches a slightly different level of thinking and consciousness. And here a trap may lie in wait - you can begin to be proud of the fact that you have become “different from everyone else,” “better than others,” or something similar. Meditation is undoubtedly a path to a better self, but in no way a reason for pride and self-exaltation. You should strive for wisdom, expansion of consciousness, personal and spiritual growth, and not be arrogant and proud.
• Having tasted all the charm of meditation, you can fall into another trap - you begin to want to feel the state of “enlightenment” always and everywhere. During and immediately after meditation, a surge of joy and positivity, good mood and even some kind of grace may come over you. It is very difficult to maintain it constantly, and only very experienced people who have devoted years to meditation are capable of this. There is no need to idealize anything, everything comes and goes. And the state after meditation should be treated in the same way – philosophically.

And finally, let’s say one more thing: once you start meditating, don’t stop developing. Continue to build up and improve your results: increase the meditation time, the number of daily sessions, try different places and options to understand what is best for you. And remember that meditation does not have a specific end result - it is a permanent process. And if someone tells you otherwise, know that it is a myth. Well, just to conclude the article, a few more words about common misconceptions and myths about meditation.

What is important to know about meditation:

• The main enemy of meditation is the feeling of guilt from wasting time “doing nothing.” Therefore, make time for it in advance. Decide for yourself that this time will be spent improving everything that happens during the day. The “important” thoughts about work and play can wait.
• It can seem incredibly difficult to focus on an object: stare at one point for an extended period of time or feel the breath on the tip of your nose. But that's the process. Simply bring your attention back to the object.
• Do not try too hard to achieve meditation, do not expect special sensations or “special effects”. The more you wait for something, the more difficult it is for it to come, because waiting is the thought that came in through the back door.
• It was easier for me to start with guided meditations - when a voice leads and tells me what to do.
• It is better to meditate for 5 minutes every day than for an hour once a week.
• One simple meditation that can be done at any time is better than 7 different meditations for different occasions.
• Start small: 3-5 minutes a day will be enough to get started.
• Meditation is not a dream or a trance - the mind is riveted to a monotonous object in order to refresh the “taste buds” and feel clarity. But if you fall asleep, it's okay.
• Because meditation brings a lightness that many have not experienced for years, tears may flow. This is normal, especially for brutal people who were told not to cry. Treat this as a psycho-emotional release.
• Meditation is not suitable for treating clinical illnesses such as depression, but it can prevent their onset because it reduces stress and promotes emotional release.

What are the benefits of meditation?

If we consider meditation from a more down-to-earth point of view, then for those who lead an active lifestyle, the practices can become a resource for physical and emotional recovery. This occurs due to deep muscle relaxation and achieving peace of thoughts and feelings. In addition, meditation can improve alertness and concentration during training and competition. Which, of course, will have a positive effect on your results.

Those who regularly practice meditation significantly expand their consciousness and the boundaries of their perception of reality. To put it simply, people live their lives brighter, feel happiness more strongly and much more often, because they are able to see it in ordinary things. Classes provide an opportunity to accept and let go of negative emotions and feelings while remaining in harmony. Such exercises teach awareness.

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How to deal with esotericism

If you ask a person if he meditates, then there will probably be an awkward moment: they won’t think that I’m in a sect, performing rituals with candles, incense sticks and other esoteric items to “raise vibrations.”
Therefore, many meditation apps try to disown as much as possible anything that has even a hint of esotericism and “over-dry” meditation too much. Artistic descriptions of the effects of meditation are quite logical:

"In meditation you can feel levitation"

- sounds fantastic. But if you sit for 30-40 minutes, the body will really become numb, and you won’t feel anything below the neck. This is an unusual feeling - it is not surprising that it has received a colorful description.

"In meditation you can observe the aura"

— try looking at one point for a very long time without taking your eyes off. Gradually, the boundaries of bright and dark objects will be “imprinted” on the retina and create an aura effect.

“In meditation you can see special effects”

- if you hold the brain for a long time and confidently on an object with your eyes closed, then magically it will begin to draw circles and spots on its own, apparently out of despair.

Unfortunately, if you thoughtlessly cut out ALL esotericism, then Sanskrit mantras and mandalas will go under the knife, which could be replaced with mantras in Russian and a boring point for meditation. In this case, not only part of the essence will be lost, but also the charm of the process.

Esotericism in some cases protects hidden meaning, in others it advertises superpowers. In some places it is not there at all, in others it is “terry”. But it’s clear that a lot of time and effort has been spent on creating meditation tools. Therefore, treat esotericism calmly and judiciously: take what works for you personally.  

If a tool works for you, then use it regardless of what others think about it.

Where to start meditation - tips for beginners?

The tips are primarily useful for beginners. The success of meditation depends on how prepared a person is for meditation. Let's take a look at the basic recommendations for beginners.

Choose a suitable location

It is advisable to conduct sessions in a secluded, quiet place where the person will not be distracted. This will allow you to better concentrate on your sensations and feelings.

It is important that no one distracts the meditator during the procedure. The best place for meditation is one that is away from people or isolated from others.

It is not necessary to perform sessions at home. This can be done in the yard of the house or in the garden. The main thing is that meditators should be so comfortable and comfortable to be there.

Choose comfortable clothes

This is one of the important aspects of where to start meditation. Clothes should not restrict movement or irritate the skin - these factors will distract from the process. During sessions, it is important to remove your shoes, as it will be uncomfortable to sit in them for a long time. If it’s cold outside, it’s better to replace your shoes with warm socks.

If a person plans to meditate outside during the cold season, then he should wear a sweater or throw a blanket over his shoulders. The feeling of cold can interfere with concentration and cause the session to be ineffective.

Decide on time to study

Before you start training, you should decide how much time you can devote to them. It is important that the sessions take place at the same time and are not interrupted.

The optimal meditation time for beginners
is 15 minutes
. Every week the duration of training can be increased by 5-7 minutes. If you meditate at the same time every day, the habit will develop faster and the sessions will be easier.

The most important rule of meditation for all beginners

–
do not quit practice without serious reasons.

Stretching before each session

During meditation, practitioners remain in the same position for a long time. To prevent blood stagnation, it is first recommended to do several exercises to warm up the body. With relaxed muscles, it will be easier to sit for the required period of time and not be distracted by pain and numbness of the body. Areas that need to be warmed up first:

• neck;
• shoulders;
• lumbar back;
• inner thigh (especially if the technique is performed in the lotus position).

Each person can choose the best stretching option for themselves. But experts recommend that beginners practice yoga or Pilates before starting the meditation itself.

Find a comfortable position

It is very important that the person feels comfortable during the entire session. People who have insufficient stretching should avoid techniques that require them to sit in difficult poses for a long time.

Recommendations for beginners on how to choose a comfortable position:

• at first, use pillows, benches or chairs for meditation;
• do not attach much importance to the position of the legs; they can be either straightened or crossed;
• Move the pelvis so that the spine is in a central position relative to the hip joint.

Meditation benches are sold in specialized stores. As a rule, they have an inclined seat. If it is not possible to purchase such equipment, then you can place a 7-10 cm thick pillow under the back legs of the chair.

It is not necessary to conduct sessions while sitting. You can practice the techniques in any position convenient for a person: lying down, standing, on the go.

Straighten your back

This body position allows you to relax as much as possible and feel the processes occurring in the body. At first, beginners will have to focus on their posture and imagine how one vertebra is in relation to another.

If the meditator feels discomfort in any area, then he needs to mentally try to relax it. If you can’t relax, then it’s better to change your body position. The main thing is not to fall over and not bend the spine.

The correct position of the hands during meditation techniques is one limb on top of the other, palms up. You can place your palms on your knees or place them at your sides.

Close your eyes while exercising

Sessions can be performed with both open and closed eyelids. The first option is more suitable for people who have been practicing the technique for a long time and are able to abstract from external factors. For beginners, it is better to close your eyes so that your mind is not distracted by anything.

Open-eye meditation techniques are great for people who have trouble concentrating with mental images.

The eyes should not focus on a specific object. It is best to look as if through space. Meditation does not involve a person going into a deep trance. It is necessary only to relax and put thoughts, feelings and emotions in order.

conclusions

• Meditation is like a lubricant: it makes it difficult for stress to stick to you. The more “slippery”, transparent and flexible a person is, the less situations catch him. Conversely, if he is conservative and inflexible, then the simplest aspects of life will be a huge problem.
• Meditation is simply doing nothing, but due to the fact that a person has forgotten how to be still, whole techniques and “crutches” are required for maintaining attention on an object. Understanding how the alertness decrement works will help you achieve a state of meditation, regardless of the technique.
• Meditation is not a cure for everything, but it can help you regain a pleasant state and maintain it without side effects.

In life, something always happens that doesn’t go according to plan, but there is no need to worry about anything. I want you to do things that are really important to you, not to waste your nerves on the little things in life, and for this you will need a meditation tool.

What's the point?

For centuries, people have been meditating in search of peace, happiness, transformation or control of their own consciousness.

If a person really feels satisfied with what he has and who he is, then more often he does not think about the need for self-knowledge.

But in most cases, people come to yoga and meditation when they feel inner hunger - a feeling that there is something bright inside, something vast and divine, but a person does not have access to it. This inner hunger comes from a spiritual need.

The purpose of meditation is to learn to control the most valuable tool of every person - the mind, attention. After all, the state of mind is the determining factor in the feeling of happiness and achievement of success in all spheres of life.

A person can have all the blessings and still feel unhappy, or, on the contrary, he can have very little, but feel in harmony with himself and the world around him.

Look around, observe yourself and your loved ones, media figures in the field of sports, politics, show business - no amount of material wealth, physical skills and resources will help a person become happy and peaceful if the way of thinking is negative and unconstructive.

Meditation will not solve your problems at home, at work, or in society. But it will give you much more - the ability to cope with any events (good and negative) occurring in your life, it will give you strength and teach you to let go of unnecessary emotions, feelings, thoughts.

Meditation helps you master your own mind by influencing one of its key aspects: attention. After all, everything that we pay our attention to exists for us.

Having mastered the ability to fix your attention only on what you need, you will be able to filter and not miss negative aspects, as well as everything that is not useful for you.

Thus, meditation for beginners is a powerful tool for working with consciousness, which will ultimately give you the opportunity to create and receive what you want.

How to straighten your back

There are several secrets to correct body position in meditation.

Firstly, in all the described poses you need to slightly tilt your pelvis forward. This will make it easier to straighten your back. Secondly, you need to constantly maintain the crown pressure. Imagine that there is a balloon attached to the top of your head, which is pulling the top of your head up. And behind the top of the head, the entire spine and the whole body stretch upward, like a string. Just don't go too hard. The back, like a string, should be stretched, but if the string is overtightened, it will break. Find a feeling of comfortable, pleasant stretch.

Contraindications

Thus, if a person suffers from depression, schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder or another mental illness, meditation can turn into trouble for him: exacerbation, psychosis or even a suicide attempt. Some schools of spiritual practices today even use questionnaires that make it possible to identify and weed out among applicants those who have already encountered mental disorders themselves or know that such cases have occurred in their family history. However, there is nothing surprising about this. Meditation is a way to actively use and train the mind, just as running is a way to train the heart and legs. If your heart or joints are not always working well, you may need to run carefully or choose a different type of exercise.

A few important principles

Before moving on to breathing patterns and correct postures, let’s clarify a couple of basic points:

• Mindfulness and meditation are different concepts . Meditation is a set of mental exercises, and mindfulness is a state in which you fully experience every moment of time.
• The main thing in meditation is concentration and regularity. You will learn to relax, relieve fatigue and fall asleep quickly if you practice every day.
• Meditation is a tolerant practice. You choose the place, pose, time, duration, purpose yourself. The most important thing, as Kaggi Erling writes in the book “Silence in the Age of Noise,” is to “shut off the noisy world” and be alone with your thoughts and judgments for at least 10 minutes.

Contra: excess serotonin and disappearance of boundaries

Even the Dalai Lama believes that you need to be careful with meditation: “Western people move to deep meditation too quickly: they need to learn about Eastern traditions and practice more than they usually do. Otherwise, mental and physical difficulties arise.”

Neuroscientists note that meditation can indeed be bad for your mental health, especially if you already suffer from some kind of disorder. Dr. Solomon Snyder, head of the department of neurophysiology at Johns Hopkins University, warns that during meditation, the brain additionally releases serotonin, one of the main neurotransmitters that controls many body systems. This may be useful for mild depression, but excess serotonin can cause paradoxical anxiety that occurs against the background of relaxation. Instead of relaxation, a person in this case gets deep sadness or a panic attack. In schizophrenia, Snyder says, meditation can in some cases cause psychosis.

Dr. Andrew Newberg from the University of Pennsylvania found in his research that meditation reduces blood flow in the posterior superior parietal gyrus, which is responsible for deep sensitivity and boundaries of the body. This fully explains the feeling of “unity with the world,” which people who have tried such practices often talk about. “If you block this gyrus,” says Newberg, “you will stop feeling where your personality ends and the world around you begins.” “Meditation will not be useful for all patients with emotional disorders,” says colleague, Professor Richard Davidson from Wisconsin. “For some categories of people it may even be harmful.” Davidson argues that meditation practices “can change the state of neural tissue in areas of the brain responsible for empathy, as well as attention and emotional responses.” This, according to the professor, can negatively affect relationships with other people and lead to feelings of loss and loneliness, which can undermine a person’s mood, even if he is mentally healthy.

It is not only neuroscientists who speak out in favor of careful handling of meditative practices. Christophe Titmousse, a former Buddhist monk who attends Vipassana at an Indian school every year, warns that sometimes people have very traumatic experiences during the course, which subsequently require round-the-clock support, medication and even hospitalization. “Some experience a momentary state of terror that their brain is out of control and are afraid of going crazy,” he adds. “Away from the usual everyday reality, it is difficult for consciousness to recover, so such a person usually needs help from the outside.” However, Titmuss notes that he doesn't think meditation alone causes these effects. “The function of the meditative process, as the Buddha pointed out, is to become a mirror reflecting our essence,” says the former monk.

Meditation reduces the risk of heart attack

This information was published by the American Heart Association on November 18, 2012. Thus, according to the ASA, according to the results of research by Robert Schneider, MD, meditative practices reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and strokes by 48%.

The study involved 201 people suffering from cardiovascular diseases. And it was noted that over a five-year period of meditation practice, the subjects had almost half as many strokes, heart attacks and heart attacks compared to similar patients who did not practice meditation.

Meditation affects cognitive function

Research (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20363650) has found that meditation directly affects the development of memory and learning abilities, and also develops the abilities of introspection, self-awareness and compassion. MRI scans of the subjects' brains showed that after eight weeks of meditation practice, gray matter density increased by a third.

The field of neuroscience has also noted the positive effects of meditation. According to research (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25783612) conducted in this area, meditative practices strengthen connections between neurons, which improves perception and information processing, and also speeds up reactions.