“Quiet the mind and the soul will speak” – Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati
In today’s world, the stress of work, school, family, relationships, and other factors can weigh heavily on an individual and be a difficult reality to balance. The act of meditation is one of the many ways we can prioritize and address our own mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.
Meditation can be generally described as an active or passive exercise involving various states of consciousness where one focuses on an item, sound, experience, or concept (Cardoso, de Souza, Camano & Leite, 2004). The goal of meditation is to lead a person into a thoughtlessly aware state where one focuses on the present moment in order to bring about reduced stress and other psychological and physiological benefits (Manocha, 2000, p. 1136).
Meditation has many benefits, such as:
- Developing inner peace and stillness
- Managing, reducing, and maintaining positivity towards stress
- Expanding self-awareness
- Opening oneself up to further presence
- Enhancing and maintaining resilient mental health
Different types of meditation exist, with 3 notable examples including:
- Transcendental meditation – the most common form of mantra meditation, where students are instructed to clear the mind and repeat a mantra in order to prevent distractions (Manocha, 2000, p. 1137). This form of meditation has been associated with lowered blood pressure and reduced stress hormone levels (Manocha, 2000, p. 1137).
- Mindfulness and Vipassana meditation – uses focused attention (usually on a physical sensation such as the breath or heart beat) to produce calm and enhance one’s self understanding (Manocha, 2000, p. 1137). This meditative approach has shown to be effective in easing chronic pain (Manocha, 2000, p. 1137).
- Sahaja yoga meditation – an easy to learn meditative yoga that aims to promote “thoughtless awareness” (Manocha, 2000, p. 1137). Literature on Sahaja yoga meditation shows that it has a beneficial role in migraines, psychological health, menopausal symptoms, epilepsy, and hypertension (Manocha, 2000, p. 1137).
Why not try meditation for yourself? UVic Multifaith Services hosts a “Wednesday Noon Meditation” that is free and open to all staff and faculty on a drop-in basis each Wednesday from 12:15 to 12:45 pm. UVic Multifaith Services also offers a “Learn to Meditate” workshop each Monday and Thursday from 4:30 to 5:15 pm. Both opportunities for meditation take place at the Interfaith Chapel. For more information on meditation opportunities around campus, click here.
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