Meditation
Dr. Murtaza Hameer is a medical doctor turned teacher. He pursued his medical degree in India and did the United States medical licensing exams in the USA. He also has a postgraduate diploma in education from the University of Dar es Salaam. He is the author of the book, “Learning How To Learn: Doing well in school, college and beyond”. He is passionate about education and teaching with interests also in philosophy, science, theology and spirituality.
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editation is a practice that has evolved from various spiritual traditions of the East that traces its origins thousands of years back. Being of various kinds, meditation has traditionally been used as a spiritual practice that begins with calming the mind and training it to be present.
Research from several reputed universities in the West have studied various kinds of meditative techniques, especially mindfulness meditation and have documented the various positive mental and health benefits that result from a continuous regular practice of meditation. Meditation has been shown to improve focus and concentration, decrease anxiety as well as help handle stress better. Research from universities such as Yale, Harvard and MIT have shown that regular practice of mindfulness meditation increased the size of the region of the brain involved in concentration and focus. (For the interested readers, please see https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2006/02/meditation-found-to-increase-brain-size/)
It is clear that meditation is a practice that would benefit everyone, especially students. There are many ways to learn how to meditate, from teachers and individual trainers to books and the Internet. A simple way to meditate would be as follows:
- Sit in a comfortable position either crossed legged or with the feet touching the floor.
- Close your eyes and breathe normally.
- Take your attention to your breath and observe the air entering the nostrils all the way into your lungs.
- Keep your attention to your breathing as you exhale the air out
- Observe if you’re breathing with your chest or your abdomen. Continue to breathe normally.
- When your mind wanders, which it will, gently and calmly bring your attention back to your breathing.
- Do this for about ten minutes.
If you’ve never practiced meditation before, try the above to begin your journey into the wonderful world of meditation. Then let it work its wonders on your brain and overall well-being. It is a practice worth doing.
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