M E D I T A T E ON T H I S
H I S T O R Y
The earliest known records of meditation come from the Hindu tradition and date back to 1500 BCE. While the origins of Buddhist meditation are up for debate among scholars, there are written records found in the sutras dating back to 1st century BCE. By 20 BCE, meditation was emerging in the west in the form of "spiritual exercises" that integrated concentration and attention.
During the middle ages, meditative practices arrived in Japan from China and became an integral part of Japanese Buddhism. The Japanese monk Dosho opened the first meditation hall in Japan after a visit to China in year 653. After a trip to China in 1227, Dōgen, Japanese Buddhist priest, writer, poet, philosopher, wrote instructions for Zazen, or sitting meditation, and created a community of monks focused on this practice.
From here, meditation became a part of the Jewish tradition through meditative prayer, mizvot, and study. Sufism also began incorporating meditation through the practice of breathing controls and repetition of holy words. In the Eastern Christian tradition, meditation can be traced back to the Byzantine period in the form of repetitive phrase and prayer in a specific physical posture. Western Christian meditation took a different approach as it does not traditionally include repetition or a specific posture, but instead is practiced by monks as Lectio Divina, aka divine reading.
During the Hindu revivalism in the late 1800s, new schools of yoga developed alongside secularized yoga traditions such as Transcendental Meditation, Hatha Yoga, and Ashtanga Vinyasa School. These secular schools focus on stress reduction, self-improvement, and relaxation, rather than spirituality. Despite many the studies on both forms of the practice, the exact power behind the practice remains unclear.
Reduce stress and anxiety
Improve concentration
Decrease depression
Improve resilience
Encourage healthy lifestyle
Increase self-awareness
Increase happiness
Increase acceptance
Slow aging
Improve cardiovascular health
Improve immunity
Ease chronic pain
Boost mood
Balance eating habits
Increase focus
Boost creativity
Improve breathing and heart rate
H O W T O
Sit comfortably on a chair, cushion, or bench with your back straight.
Eyes can be open or closed, whichever makes it easiest to focus on breath.
Look slightly downward whether eyes or open or closed.
Hands can be in any position, legs crossed however you like.
Set a timer.
Bring your focus to your breath.
When your mind wanders, guide your attention back to your breath.
T I P S
Start in small increments. 10 minutes to begin, then increase.
If you can't concentrate, try counting your breaths.
Out breaths tend to be when the mind wanders.
Choose a gentle alarm.
Don't judge yourself for a wandering mind, simply bring your attention back.
W H O, W H A T, W H E N, W H E R E
Monday & Friday :: 12:30-1:30pm :: Yoga & Meditation :: with Sondra Sun-Odeon
Tuesday & Thursday :: 5:30-6:30pm :: Yoga & Meditation :: with Nora Brank
Sunday :: 9:10-10:30am :: Yoga & Meditation :: with Nora Brank
*S P E C I A L E VE N T *
Visual Meditation Open House
Sun, April 23 :: 7:45 pm - 9:00 pm
Donation-only meditation open house featuring visual art and melodic sounds by artist, Stephen Linsley. Come and go as you please and get lost in SlomOcean, a video series featuring the beauty of waves crashing below Southern California piers, which will be projected on the large wall in our peaceful Sanctuary studio and accompanied by meditative music.
There is no need to pre-register or bring a mat. All will be provided.
Donations go to Inner City Arts.
article sources: wikipedia.com, alfieofproductivity.com, liveanddare.com
images: Dave Getzchmann
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