Meditation: and the human mind By George Moriarity
Sep 14, 2014
Meditation: and the human mind
By George Moriarity
Thesis
Meditation, or the seeking of relaxation through mental or physical exercise, comes in many forms and is practiced in some form in every culture around the world.
What is the definition of Meditation
Meditation is a mental discipline by which the practitioner attempts to get beyond the reflexive, "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness.
What does that mean?
"Meditation." Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. 02 Mar. 2010. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Meditation>.
My definition of Meditation
Any system of concentration or distraction of the human mind and body, used to reach higher levels of awareness, physical performance, concentration, or relaxation generally created from an internal source.
Reasons behind
Meditation
Stress relief
Anger management
Control over Anxiety
Improved awareness, and concentration
Improvement of cognitive skills
Davich, Victor M. The Best Guide To Meditation. New York: Rennaisance Media, 1998.
Simple meditation in every day life.
Day dreaming
Sports/physical activity
Close reading
Listening or playing music
StudyingDavich, Victor M. The Best Guide To Meditation. New York: Rennaisance Media, 1998.
Basics: how to
Its really simple
Find a quiet area
Sit cross legged, back straight palms facing up resting on knees, or down in a comfortable position
Choose a thought process and expand on it.
Davich, Victor M. The Best Guide To Meditation. New York: Rennaisance Media, 1998.
Different types of Meditation thought
processes
Breathing
Conceptual
Physical
Clear mind
Awareness
Object
Mantra
Gillman, Steve. "Six Types of Meditation." Www.Buzzle.com. 1 Mar. 2006. Web. <http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/2-26-2006-89868.asp>.
Breathing Meditation
Concentration on relaxation of the body
Concentration on the rhythm of your breathing
Counting techniques applied
Gillman, Steve. "Six Types of Meditation." Www.Buzzle.com. 1 Mar. 2006. Web. <http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/2-26-2006-89868.asp>.
Conceptual Meditation
Concentration on a philosophical concept
Allow mind to wander and expand.
Chaos Vs Order etc…
Gillman, Steve. "Six Types of Meditation." Www.Buzzle.com. 1 Mar. 2006. Web. <http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/2-26-2006-89868.asp>.
Physical Meditation
Concentration on physical actions.
Reaction to opponents actions (heightened awareness during competitive situations)
Controlled breathing (yoga)
Different from any other form of meditation
Gillman, Steve. "Six Types of Meditation." Www.Buzzle.com. 1 Mar. 2006. Web. <http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/2-26-2006-89868.asp>.
Clear mind Meditation
Difficult yet effective
Clear mind completely
Concentrate on keeping mind totally blank
Gillman, Steve. "Six Types of Meditation." Www.Buzzle.com. 1 Mar. 2006. Web. <http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/2-26-2006-89868.asp>.
Awareness Meditation
Observe all things in your surroundings
Be in tune with all of your senses to clear your mind of thought.
Total awareness of the moment.
Gillman, Steve. "Six Types of Meditation." Www.Buzzle.com. 1 Mar. 2006. Web. <http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/2-26-2006-89868.asp>.
Object Meditation
Simple
Concentration on one point of vision
Total awareness of that point
Gillman, Steve. "Six Types of Meditation." Www.Buzzle.com. 1 Mar. 2006. Web. <http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/2-26-2006-89868.asp>.
Mantra Meditation
Repetition of a word, phrase, hymn, or prayer to clear the mind. And provide a vessel to concentrate on.
Commonly found in Buddhism Hinduism and Christianity
Gillman, Steve. "Six Types of Meditation." Www.Buzzle.com. 1 Mar. 2006. Web. <http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/2-26-2006-89868.asp>.
Religion and Meditation
Religions that practice Meditation
Hinduism
Buddhism
Taoism
Christianity
Davich, Victor M. The Best Guide To Meditation. New York: Rennaisance Media, 1998.
Hinduism
Many Gods
Chakras, healing, promotion of strong mental and physical condition
Yoga
Chakras
Davich, Victor M. The Best Guide To Meditation. New York: Rennaisance Media, 1998.
Buddhism
Belief in Buddha
Awareness and mantra techniques are emphasized
Goal is enlightenment
Davich, Victor M. The Best Guide To Meditation. New York: Rennaisance Media, 1998.
Taoism
The way
Buddhist meditation, chakra, concentration and focus on chakra
Concentration on inner self
Davich, Victor M. The Best Guide To Meditation. New York: Rennaisance Media, 1998. 1stholistic.com. Web. <http://1stholistic.com/meditation/hol_meditation_taoist_meditation.htm>.
Christianity
Belief in Christ
Prayer, and hymns
Church
Davich, Victor M. The Best Guide To Meditation. New York: Rennaisance Media, 1998. 1stholistic.com. Web. <http://1stholistic.com/meditation/hol_meditation_taoist_meditation.htm>.
Famous Practitioners
Steven Segal
Richard Gere
Orlando Bloom
Tiger woods
Wildmind.org. 7th June 2007. Web. <http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/on-practice/top-10-celebrity-buddhists/2>.
My application
Introduce a group of people to the concept of meditation
Explain activity, “15-20 minute, guided meditation”
Guide group through activity,
Question and answer period
What is Guided Meditation
The process of using language in the form of a narrative or song to bring a person to a state of relaxation/meditation
The science behind the art
Meditation health benefits
Increases the longevity of life
Lowers heart rate, blood pressure,
Relieves body of mental and physical stress
Our experiment
Request a volunteer
Record heart rate and blood pressure of an individual prior to any variation to normal life
Have volunteer meditate for a predisposed period of time
Record heart rate and blood pressure again and compare
The Tools Utilized
A volunteer
A basic sensor and EKG equipment
Mac Logger Pro
The Results
Before Guided Meditation
Further Results
Post Guided Meditation