Depression Meditation: Traditional and Photo Charge

Researchers have found that relaxation and meditation techniques can boost immunity, short-circuit anger, curb smoking, and relieve insomnia, back pain, high blood pressure, motion sickness, impotence, premenstrual syndrome, menopause, and irritable bowel syndrome. With professional care, these techniques can also help control diabetes, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, panic attacks, phobias, and depression.

Meditation has been prevalent since the evolution of the mankind in different forms. The earliest written text about it comes from the Indian philosophy as one of the components of the highly enlightened philosophy of "YOGA", where it has been called as "DHYAN" or mental concentration. Later on it was exported to China and Japan when the Buddhist monks reached there to propagate the new religion. It was then called by the names of Zen etc. Yoga is a complete manual for the distressing of mind as well as the physical body in a very scientific layout. Its philosophy was considered sacred and was kept secret for ages. Traditional meditation

Meditation is the mainstay in the process of distressing mind. Various exponents of Yoga have prescribed various forms with minor variations in the past. The meditation as prescribed by most of them includes sitting on the floor in a cross-legged posture with or without locking both the legs in an intertwining manner (Lotus position) followed by closing the eyes and then focusing or concentrating by imagination in the area of the face between the eyebrows. All this was done with or without chanting some sacred "Mantras", prayer, wishful thoughts etc. Some exponents even ask for mental imaginations instead.

Why traditional meditation does not work?

The traditional meditation methods fail due to two reasons in particular, leading to inability to get the desired results.

Posture- To sit cross-legged on the floor for a long time stresses the vertebral column and the muscles in a very short time. Viewing this from the anthropological point of view shall bring out the flaw. Humans are bipedal animals i.e. there body weight is not only to be supported by the two legs but it is to be constantly balanced too. This is a very tiresome job to be carried out by a large number of the muscles and puts a tremendous strain on the vertebral column whenever we are walking, running or even adopting wrong postures in sitting, sleeping etc. The stressed vertebral column and its associated powerful muscles are further stressed in the posture adopted in the traditional meditation methods, which does not permit a proper mental concentration. Remember a physically distressed body is a pre-requisite to a stresses state of mind through meditation.
Closure of the eyes- It is essential to close the eyes in the traditional system of meditation, but as soon as the eyes are closed we find that stray and weird thoughts of all kinds surround us i.e. our mind becomes full of unrelated thoughts and worries- the same thoughts which we originally wanted to remove from our mind. It becomes almost a paradox. The fundamental objective of meditation should be to achieve control of thought to depress the mind, not the vice versa. Photo charge meditation

The route to thoughtlessness and stress less state of mind

I have devised an innovative approach to meditation through my own experience and practice to achieve a stress less state of mind. The procedure is simple, comfortable and easy to follow.

One may be seated as usual on a chair or even be semi reclined in an easy chair. No need to sit cross-legged.

Place yourself close to a window, rooftop of a building, open areas like parks, hills or even in a skyscraper from where you can have an obstructed view of either horizon or at least 3-4 kilometers of clear path of vision i.e. no buildings or trees in between.

Take care to see that there are no audible disturbances like car horns, music systems or chatting/shouting of people in the close vicinity. Noises are likely to break the meditation effort.

Keep your eyes open and focus your vision (gaze) towards the horizon or the most distant object. Keep the line of vision horizontal; don't look up to the sky or in depths. Focus intently at the farthest areas as if you are trying to "see" or "locate" something in that distant area. Shortly everything you see would appear blurred. Keep on gazing at the infinity for at least a few minutes.

Within a short time you shall feel as if you are not there where you belong. The mind shall be totally lost in the realms of the hollow space surrounding you and it would be in this state that you should reach a state of bliss, a queer state of mind. This would be the state of thoughtlessness. It is to be experienced to be fully aware of it and its pleasures. You shall lose all contacts with the thoughts in your mind and with your immediate physical vicinity. It would be akin to a state of semi-trance or self-hypnosis.

Within a few minutes you shall automatically come out of this state when the eyes shall urgently need blinking. Often around five minutes or so. You repeat the procedure for as many times as you like and keep on adding the benefits, but 30-45 minutes in one session is quite reasonable.

Do the same procedure for a few sessions as and when you like it and then feel the difference. Within a short span you shall feel as if a great burden has been lifted off your mind and that you are with more peace of mind than ever before. Gradual practice shall enable you to even put in a particular thought or a problem along with this meditation and I am sure you shall be able to take a decision or a solution of the same at the end of the meditation session.

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