Fun fact! Sleep deprivation will kill you more quickly than food deprivation...sorry, not so fun after all...lets just agree to both eat and sleep, and we will be fine!
Meditation is not easily definable: depending upon the context, there can be many different types of meditation and thus many different definitions. Let us compare two definitions from authorities we can rely upon. The first definition is from that great tome, 'The Encyclopedia Britannica'. It defines meditation as 'private devotion or mental exercise consisting in any of innumerable techniques of concentration, contemplation, and abstraction, regarded as conducive to heightened spiritual awareness or somatic calm.'
The other definition is taken from the Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia which says that meditation is a 'religious discipline in which the mind is focused on a single point of reference. It may be a means of invoking divine grace, as in the contemplation by Christian mystics of a spiritual theme, question, or problem; or it may be a means of attaining conscious union with the divine, e.g., through visualization of a deity or inward repetition of a prayer or mantra (sacred sound).' The common point between these two and all other definitions is the same; meditation is the act of consciously directing your attention to alter your state of consciousness.
Even though it is an ancient technique of relaxation, meditation is continually becoming more and more popular among people all over the world. When we speak of meditation the most common image that our mind conjures up is that of a Hindu saint sitting cross legged and chanting mantras. The description is quite accurate but from having seriously religious connotations at one time, meditation became the in thing by the efforts of one Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, an Indian who espoused the concept of 'Transcendental Meditation', which took the technique out of its religious settings and made it more popular among people of all faith. Today, 50 years since the birth of Transcendental Meditation, it still remains popular among western societies.
Music has always played a major role in the relaxation of the human mind and body. It also is a great accompaniment to meditation and yoga. The correct type of soothing music will make sure that you have a complete meditation experience and will also guide you through the steps of meditation. Inner Splendor Media, a New York based company specialises in providing meditation music, sleep music and more.
