The Importance of Meditation

[Bring4th_Austin]

It seems to me that the scientific community is coming around in regards to meditation, a little bit anyways. Now that they have instruments that can effectively measure the physical effects on the brain, they no longer have to rely personal testimony (thousands of years worth from multiple cultures...).

There have been a couple of "scientific views" of meditation that have helped me in my approach to meditation specifically. I suppose in the same vein of that skeptical scientific community, it is understanding how meditation is working that helps me to feel that the effort put forth is worth it.

The first one relies on the concept of neuroplasticity - the concept that the brain has the ability to reorganize itself changing the neural pathways. Within this concept is myelination, that neural pathways will become "hardened" or more set as a pathway is reinforced through continued use. Essentially, when we think a thought, perform an action, feel an emotion, or do anything that activates certain neural pathways, those things become easier for the brain to access later. They will arise more often and with less resistance.

There have been studies that show that, during meditation, we are creating neural pathways between the two halves of the brain (or perhaps more specifically, between the various modes of perception and function in various regions of the brain). To continuously enter into this mindset would help to solidify a more holistic perspective, one in which a broader view of any given catalyst comes more readily throughout the day.

On top of this, when entering a state of meditation, the neuroplasticity of our brain increases. The "hardened" neural pathways get a bit looser and easier to reconfigure. This helps us to break old habits or paradigms within our thinking. If we have something we have struggled with and want to change, the act of meditation allows for this to change easier - not necessarily through meditating on the subject, but entering into a state where the brain is more receptive to change.

The other scientific view of meditation is similar but from a slightly different perspective. It comes from a book I read recently titled The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It. Not a big fan of the full title, but I found the book itself incredibly interesting. It focuses on cultivating willpower to do things we want to do or not do things we don't want to do - addictions, bad habits, etc. I was very happy that a lot of the science present was very much in-line with the Law of One. It talked about how self-judgment makes positive change more difficult and self-acceptance facilitates positive change.

The author, of course, brings up meditation as a method of cultivating the willpower we desire to do better in our lives. The interesting thing is that she talks about how "bad" meditations are actually more useful for cultivating this willpower than "good" meditations. The evaluation of good or bad here is whether or not you are able to enter into a truly quiet state of mind versus whether you feel your mind constantly wandering and being distracted.

She talks about it is the act of dedicating yourself to the process of meditating and coming back to it over and over that strengthens the ability for us to make the choices we want to make it life. When we gently guide ourselves back to the silence and attention of meditation, we are "practicing" guiding the self back to a state of observance rather than activity. These distractions in meditation can be related directly to how we find ourselves giving in to "bad" decisions in our lives. When we want to eat healthier but a pass a bakery with the smell of big cookies wafting out, we become more able to simply observe the desire to stop and buy a cookie rather than actually act on that desire.

This "practice" results in a strengthened willpower muscle. One way to frame it is not in the terms of willpower, but mindfulness. This is essentially practicing allowing a distraction or urge to be brought back to observance. And the funny thing is, this benefit is most present when meditations have a lot of distraction and struggle to stay focused. It is the dedication to staying focused despite distraction that has a powerful effect.

The implications of this grow out into the catalyst we experience on our spiritual paths, I think. If we find ourselves distracted on our spiritual path, that distraction is catalyst for us to learn more about ourselves. When we can observe our desires or distortions that distract us rather than act on them, we learn about where they come from and enter a deeper understanding of our natures and what we are here to learn and balance.

It goes along the lines of what Jade is saying, I think, and reminds me of Ra talking about the adept being one who develops "an inner concentrative power that can transcend boredom and discomfort." Practicing meditation despite boredom or discomfort results in an ability to truly become conscious co-Creators as we become less beholden to whims of the distracted mind and body and more able to observe and participate in a present moment.