Meditation is simply a quieting of the mind, with no attachment to the outcome. There are different ways of meditating. What I have chosen to explain here is specifically to prepare you for the meditation of labor and birth. I thought I was going to be learning hypnobirthing, not meditation birthing, you say? You’ve been duped – or are you learning both, and what is the difference? First, let’s look at what hypnobirthing and hypnosis are and what they are not.
Hypnobirthing is done to you from the outside, with your participation and your active permission. You listen to a tape or to someone saying the hypnotic suggestions aloud to you, or you say the hypnotic procedure aloud or silently to yourself. Even if you are not saying the words, you are following the words to be led into a state of relaxation in which you let go of certain thoughts. In meditation, you simply observe. You do not have a script for yourself, nor do you systematically contract and release your muscle groups as you do in hypnosis.
But what can you do through meditation? As you know, we experience life through our five senses – sight, sound, touch, taste and smell – and through our sixth sense, our thought. In order to be still and to be present in the now – not aware of the past, not trying to be aware of the future, but just aware of the present – it is helpful to observe the processes of our senses.
To me, the most crucial aspect of meditation, especially for mothers-to-be, is the quieting of body and mind and the letting go of the outcome, even thought the result is often an approach of the absolute and a healing of mind, body and spirit. It is also a letting go of our long search for satisfaction and an entering into the light beyond the mind.
People who practice some Christian religions believe that meditation goes against their religion, that meditation is a religion in and of itself, or that it is a New Age fad. Those who believe in God and who practice religions that do not promote meditation or are even against it, however, might keep in mind that a sincere meditation practice can improve your conscious contact with the infinite. How can that go against religion
Those who do not believe in God and do believe that meditation is a form of a religion or a theist practice of some sort should remember that meditation brings you in touch with your own peace and freedom and can improve your conscious contact with the grandeur of the infinite blackness. This to me sounds like a connection to the omnipresent now and a deep stillness. Perhaps some of the goals are the same as those of religion, but meditation itself is certainly not a dogma or a religion.
EXERCISE: LEARNING TO MEDITATE
If you follow these simple steps for the next few weeks, you will find yourself falling into your own habits of letting go and relaxing or, if you prefer, meditating. That’s really all meditation is: Sitting and letting your mind/body balance.
WEEK 1: To begin meditation, sit in a chair with your spine straight and feet flat on the floor, hands resting in your lap. You may also rest on your side with a pillow to help support your body, your belly, or anything else that needs to be supported. Turn the telephone off.
Settle yourself in your position, or just sit or lie for one to two minutes before you begin. The purpose of meditation is to still your mind. An easy way to do this is to focus your attention on some point in front of you or above you and then to concentrate on this focal point. If you are like most people, thoughts will continually enter your consciousness. No problem. Just observe the thoughts as you would a balloon floating up into the sky. Do not try to push the thoughts away, and don’t try to hold on to them. Just continue to observe them without judgment. Do this for about five minutes, three times the first week.