If you search the dictionary, internet, or ask ChatGPT, you will get different interpretation, probably with the same core meaning.

The dictionary definition- -“Meditation means to become familiar with. When we meditate we are trying to know ourselves better”.

Here is another description of meditation by Liana Vanzant on X

Meditation enables you to let go of all thoughts about yourself, your responsibilities in life, opinions about yourself, your desires, & fears. In order to meditate, you must accept that the invisible power, the force of life that moves thru you, will provide everything you need.

She has emphasized the fact that Meditation enables you to let go.
That is true, but after diving deeper into the benefits of meditation I realized that meditation not only helps you let go, but also helps you to recharge yourself to deal with the situations on hand in a much calmer way, with sharper mind and more energy, and solutions flow through you effortlessly.

Here is my definition of meditation –

Meditation is the experience of just being.
A state of mind when it is not thinking of controlling people, situations, environment; or changing anything in its surrounding, rather when it is in a state of surrender, willing to accept the uncertainty of the moment.

Every time I feel a bit overwhelmed with a certain situation in my daily life, if I close my eyes for a few minutes and take a few deep breaths it relaxes me a bit. On a similar note, we have been advised by motivators and lifestyle gurus to make it a daily practice to meditate to help us deal with the stress of present-day busy life.
I do meditate in my own way, sometimes in the mornings, sometimes in the evenings, or in between meetings, work, on my walks, whenever I get a desire to relax myself and recharge my energies.

But my meditation style is different from conventional meditation. I do not sit in a quiet corner, close my eyes and try not to think. I just cannot do it this way. So, I found an easier way of meditating that seems to be working for me.

My journey to becoming a believer in the power of meditation has been in two stages- first I wanted to know why we should meditate and then finding my own way of meditating.

Before taking the practice of meditation seriously I wanted to know the rationale and some scientific explanation behind it. So, I started seeking answers.

After reading a few books by well-known authors and lifestyle gurus and listening/watching some of them speak about it in their talks, I developed my own rationale for it and started implementing it in my life.

The background knowledge – we are all energy and are interconnected to a bigger intelligence in the quantum field

“Field is the sole governing agency of each particle” – Elbert Einstein

Every entity of the physical world around us is made of some form of energy that has a specific frequency and has its own field. Simply put every particle of a structure is a compound of matter and has it’s field.
For humans, the mind is that field that controls the cells and the genes/genomes.
Body is the particle or the matter/structure.

As explained by the renowned stem research scientist, Dr. Bruce Lipton, every cell of the human body has an electric charge of 1.4 volts. It has a – (negative) on the inside and +(Positive) charge on the outside. We have approximately 50 trillion cells in our body – that means an abundance of energy.

It may seem that every human has its own well defined finite mind, same as our bodies, but the truth is that we cannot tell a human mind’s boundary or clear demarcation because it is the same as a drop of water in the ocean that we cannot tell from the drop next to it. Similarly, the human mind is infinite because it is connected to multiple other quantum fields to make a whole.

Then one may question – how come all of us do not behave the same way if our field is connected and is one?

Each one of us differs in our behavior from the other because of our approach of channeling this energy. Our mind is the governing body that determines how we channel this energy in our actions towards our goals. That is why it is critical for us to understand how our mind works, and how we can harness and channel positive energy to succeed.

The reason we differ from each other lies in the fact that we were born with a certain DNA. There is DNA of the body, and then there is DNA of the field. Everybody has a specific texture or aura of its immediate field (which is connected to the larger field. Often a child is told that he resembles his parent or grandparent a lot – not only in looks, but also in behavior. That is because of sharing this texture of the field that is closest to them. So, to simplify there are clusters of various textures in this whole field. These clusters could be identified as different societies with their own DNAs So, if any big disturbance happens in the larger field, it is very likely to impact the field of these very closely connected human beings in the same way, and then their response is also going to be very similar.

Well, you may wonder – then how come quite often siblings are also different in their personality. Scientists suggest that sibling DNA means you are more similar than anyone else, but they are only likely to be 50% similar. And of, course as they grow and interact with the rest of the world, their experiences are not identical, and their immediate field is going to have its own texture. That means their mindset and approach to situations may differ.

After understanding our mind field from a layman’s perspective, let’s get back to the question of how our mind field governs our daily approach to situations, and how we, once becoming conscious of it, become more aware of our thoughts, feelings and actions (knowing that this desire to learn is also coming from a nudge from our mind field).

Our conscious or the worldly mind that is always interacting with other minds has only limited ability to change its behavior, because the conscious mind is already set with certain inherited and acquired habits and behavior patterns that have already been programmed and saved in the brain’s memory. So, once our mind becomes aware of this desire to change a situation, what can be done that helps in that direction. Some results can be achieved by being aware of our thoughts and actions. Success in certain situations, such as wanting a change of place, change of job, or acquiring wealth, building good relationships can be achieved, to some extent, by planning, adding motivation and then taking action. But quite often our own old behavior or thinking patterns of not having enough confidence or being fearful can come in the way of achieving these goals.

So, motivational speakers advise that because of this we should take help of the bigger field, through our sub-conscious mind. Our sub-conscious mind is the one that has the ability to connect to the bigger field and draw from its’s resources to provide the result we desire.

“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” — Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

But one has to let the Universe know that you want something. And meditation is that communication channel to connect with that bigger Universe. Meditation, if done right, helps in disengaging from the world of the conscious mind and lets our subconscious connect with the bigger field of the Universe. Meditation helps clear layers of doubt, fear and insecurity. Meditation can make you feel like a child and can make your everyday your best day.

Once we become aware of this communication channel with the bigger Universe it helps to understand the language of the subconscious mind. Meditation helps us to get our brainwaves to a subconscious state and hence helps open the communication channel with the bigger energy field.

The language of the subconscious mind is our body’s vibrational frequency. As per the law of vibration, everything, including human body cells, is vibrating at a specific frequency. Someone’s energy or vibrational frequency is not something you can touch or see, it is something you can sense and feel. To be able to attract the energy you desire (such as energy of success, confidence and resilience) you need to train your own body to generate these feelings by consciously changing your body’s vibration to a matching state.

As Kaiser explains, “The law of vibration is the first law that must happen before the law of attraction; in creating that vibration within yourself, you invoke the law of vibration deliberately, and only then can the law of attraction happen.”

This can be done by consciously feeding your brain certain positive information and affirmations about your own desired frequency, particularly when brain is in Alpha or theta state. Our brain is in Alpha or Theta state when we meditate, depending on the depth of meditation. Our brainwaves are also at Alpha when we are relaxed, maybe just before going to sleep, and they are also considered the gateway to our subconscious mind. Alpha waves can also be achieved by meditation or deep reflection. Brain is in theta state just before we get into deep sleep. So, one can feed affirmations to brain just before falling asleep.

Yes, that is why many motivational speakers recommend saying your affirmations just before going to bed, or just as when you are waking up, after or before your brain takes over to do things in a conscious state.

On introspection I realized that there are many such times when I feel like a child, and I feel content and full of love.
They are those times when I am totally engaged and engrossed with some specific activity, totally unaware of the world around me, and void of any negative feelings.
These are the times when I feel recharged and full of love.

Here are the 3 activities that are my alternative to conventional meditation- –
Walking/running – they say that just being in motion somewhat helps put us in alignment of the Universal motion. And if we can just focus on our walk or run and not think of anything else, we are getting ourselves in some kind of rhythm and also getting ourselves closer to a relaxed state
Engaging in a creative activity -According to me all art forms are worship, and when we are in the flow of what we are creating or doing , then we are meditating, and are recharging ourselves.
Dancing, singing or some other physical activity that you are totally into, and feel like you are zoned out, is getting you into a meditative state. It is in this state that artists create their masterpieces. There are many great artists who give credit of their success to a higher power.

Or the best is just to sit and be. Does not matter eyes closed or open. Quite often eyes will automatically close after some time if you are not engaging your mind and are not thinking of anything.

In my understanding meditation is the experience of just being- being in a state of mind when it is not thinking of controlling or changing anything in its surrounding, is in a state of surrender, willing to accept the uncertainty of the moment.

One does not necessarily have to close one’s eyes and tell the mind to meditate by being quiet.

One can experience this state by completely engaging in certain tasks and being in that moment, focusing on just that task. Quite often these tasks can be where only your sub-conscious is engaged, and your mind is not getting involved. These can be routine tasks such as walking, excercising, showering, cooking etc., as long as they do not involve any interaction with the outside world (other people or things). Similarly, other activities such as dancing, singing, painting or other arts are also ways of meditating, when a person is not engaging one’s mind, is just following one’s heart and its vibration, is being in the moment.

In the end, the goal of meditating is to quiet our conscious mind that can make us feel fearful, not confident or not enough, and to get our mind to a state where it is connecting with the larger energy field with its subconscious vibration, to attract the energy we desire (such as the energy of success, confidence and resilience).