A Modern Perspective on Meditation

Meditation is frequently perceived as a mentalby learning to acknowledge distraction and to
exercise of quieting one's thoughts... an intimidatingchoose to gently refocus, you interrupt the
prospect when gifted with an active mind. Anpattern of your mental chatter. Mental chatter
increasing body of research shows thatrevolves around the past or the future, but the
meditation is actually a full body experience: themind-body connection and the five senses are
mind quiets, breathing deepens, heart rate andfully in the now. This quality of listening deeply to
blood pressure fall, neurotransmitter levels adjustyourself grounds you in the present moment.
toward a state of relaxation. So which reallyMaking your body-mind connection the focus of
comes first, the mind quieting or the physiologicalyour meditative practice transforms your
changes? At the junction where yoga therapyrelationships with others as well. By recognizing
and mindfulness meditation meet, a powerfulthe qualities of your breath, you start to notice
approach to meditation exists -- where it doeswhich events and thoughts contribute to shifts in
not matter whether you start with the mind oryour breath patterns. The time-tested advice
the body because the mind-body connection itself"take a deep breath before you reply" does in
is the meditative focus. With focus on thefact physiologically break the neurochemical
mind-body connection, meditation becomes ancascade associated with emotions thereby
embodied practice... an opportunity to bringcreating space within which reaction can be
self-awareness off the meditation pillow andtransmuted into response. By deeply listening to
forward into daily life. By bringing self-awarenessyourself, you begin to learn how to deeply listen
into daily life, routine tasks become opportunitiesto others, bringing more than you sense of
to meditate.hearing into the moment. Ultimately, to offer
Yoga therapy is a growing field in whichpresence to someone else -- whether a loved
therapeutic concepts and techniques from yogaone, a client or a student -- you need to be
are used to support an individual's movementpresent to yourself as well.
towards wellness. One basic premise of yogaIn this modern age, setting aside time daily from
therapy is that communication from the mind toan already busy schedule is often a barrier to
the body, and from the body to the mind, islearning meditation. When the focus is the
virtually instantaneous and extremely complex somind-body connection, meditation becomes a
it is appropriate to perceive it as an integratedtransportable, empowerment tool that can be
connection. We've all experienced how quickly ourused at any time and any place. Opportunities to
body kicks into fight or flight mode whenmeditate surround us throughout the day... are
threatened, or how quickly emotions arise at theyou caught up in your thoughts or do you have
thought of an injustice. This is the body-mindthe presence of mind to recognize these
connection at work. Similar to body-mindopportunities? Those impatient minutes waiting in
psychotherapeutic modalities, like Somaticline at the grocery store become an opportunity
Experiencing or the Hakomi Method which believeto notice your breathing. The driver who cuts you
that the body stores trauma, another foundationaloff creates an opportunity to recognize the
concept of yoga therapy is that beliefs, fears,physical qualities of annoyance as they arise. Your
doubts, and trauma are embedded as tension anddaily walk becomes an opportunity to stop and
constrictions throughout the entire physical body.smell the roses. The growing field of
In the yoga therapy model, these storedneuroplasticity has proven that the brain is capable
experiences result in imbalances, which when leftof growing more neural connections throughout
untended can express themselves as chronic painour life. As you teach yourself to notice these
or recurring emotional/mental patterns, likeopportunities, you are in fact re-patterning your
depression or anxiety.brain to become more proficient in noticing these
Making your body-mind connection the focus ofopportunities, rather than continue in mindless
your meditative practice provides you thepatterns. The result is an escalating compounding
opportunity to transform your relationship witheffect whereby the tendency to fall into old
yourself. For example, by tuning into the quality ofhabits reduces, as you begin to increasingly notice
your breath when stressed or anxious, you canthat you are surrounded by opportunities to tune
take a deep breath to relax. By noticing theinto your mind-body connection.
unique physical expression of your emotions, youThis is the junction of yoga therapy and
develop the ability to notice your emotions beforemindfulness meditation -- a mobile empowerment
they fully kick in. By learning to focus, you begintool that radically transforms your relationship to
to recognize when you are distracted. Conversely,yourself and with those around you.