Meditation and Inspiration

by Melissa Hathaway ~ Guest blogger

Meditation is a popular and well-known practice with great potential for increasing creativity and improving one's openness to inspiration. Generally, meditation works by making the individual aware of how their thoughts arise, then allowing them to master their consciousness to improve their overall mental function. Many forms of this practice do not require any specific spiritual beliefs, and offer people a release from the common state of being 'prisoner to one's thoughts'. Meditation can, therefore, be used to maximize time and attention to become more productive.

 

Benefits of Meditation

The benefits of this practice are numerous and diverse. One of those which is most relevant to a modern life – in which inspiration comes at a premium and where distraction is ubiquitous – is that meditation increases the attention span of people who practice it. A study by the University of California quantified the effects of meditation by sending their subjects on a meditation retreat, having them regularly undergo a computer test which measured the length of a their attention span. They found that the meditation techniques which the subjects learned improved their attention spans and that as they progressed into the retreat this improvement continued throughout its five month duration.

Meditation has also proved to help people to think in a more original ways and to avoid the 'ruts' which can develop in an individual's pattern of cognition. It is very easy to find oneself getting stuck in a narrow way of thinking, finding that the same problems present themselves – this trend can often present itself when couples argue repeatedly over the same issue. Meditation has been proven to allow people to think in more creative ways and to solve tasks more quickly. As such, meditation presents itself as a way of developing and diversifying one's thought patterns in a calming and risk-free manner.

Pitfalls and How Meditation Can Avoid Them

In a stressful world, many people turn to alcohol and other drugs to deal with their problems or simply to get away from the trials of their work or education. Recently, the Pennsylvania police reminded the state's young people of the risks which are associated with alcohol use, especially illegal underage-drinking. Despite having some of the most restrictive alcohol-laws in the union, numerous injuries and fatalities involving young people occur each year due to alcohol in Pennsylvania. Fortunately, meditation can provide very real relaxation and concentration for people, providing an alternative to alcohol, which is known to be associated with health problems and accident. Many people come home after a day's work and reach for an alcoholic drink, seeking relaxation – meditation requires more effort than this to begin with, but with practice comes skill, and in the long term it will be a healthier and far cheaper way to wind down.

How To

There is an almost innumerable variety of meditation types from which someone who is seeking to condition their mind can choose, such as those from the Hindu tradition through to the practices of the Zen worldview in China. One of the simplest forms of meditation – and one which does not require any specific religious beliefs – is the Vipassana tradition of Buddhism. This simple tradition, as Shambhala Sun explains, involves finding a comfortable and relaxed location and posture, then focusing on the breath; thoughts will naturally arise in consciousness, with the Vipassana tradition stating that the meditator should recognize this as 'thinking', then return to the breath. This, just like exercising a muscle, allows the individual to develop their ability to direct their own thoughts.

The ability of meditation to focus the mind and to improve concentration makes it a prime tool for anyone to increase the extent to which they can find inspiration in their lives. Meditation offers anyone the possibility of organizing the progress of their thoughts and refining their consciousness to make themselves more creative and responsive. People who feel that they don't have the time for hours of meditation needn't despair, also, in that just ten minutes is useful, and every session contributes to a more developed consciousness. As such, meditation is a hugely advantageous practice for anyone who is looking to harness creativity and to find inspiration, both for its ability to develop the mind and for its simplicity and affordability.