Meditation: The World Needs It Now More Than Ever—Learn Why

[Written by Qusai Mahesri]

War, COVID, inflation, environmental challenges, and political acrimony. And that’s just for starters. To say we live in a stressful time would be an understatement.

And in this stressful and hectic world, it is clear to me that more and more people are looking for ways to get out of the rat race—even if it’s only in their minds, for short periods of time now and then. Well, meditation can help you do that!

As an expert trainer in the field, I am an avid learner and am always on a quest to discover more about the non-physical part of our universe. I can tell you that meditation can provide a sense of balance, calm, and peace that can do wonders for our emotional well-being and physical health. Meditation can be utilized to help us relax by refocusing our minds on something calming. And all of this can really make you a healthier person.

Mainstream science is catching up on the benefits of meditation, too. The National Institutes of Health tells us that “meditation and mindfulness practices may have a variety of health benefits and may help people improve the quality of their lives. Recent studies have investigated if meditation or mindfulness helps people manage anxiety, stress, depression, pain, or symptoms related to withdrawal from nicotine, alcohol, or opioids.”

And even Forbes, that beacon of clear-eyed capitalism, states that the “meditation-and-the-brain research has been rolling in steadily for a number of years now, with new studies coming out just about every week to illustrate some new benefit of meditation.”

All of that is a way to say that meditation can provide us all with a higher level of inner peace.

And let’s debunk the myth that meditation needs to be done in a quiet place on top of a mountain or in some other “mystical place” where everything is just perfectly balanced. The fact is that meditation can be achieved in many different ways. You can meditate in silence, through guided meditation, while walking, eating, listening to music, etc. The idea is to still the mind, and all of us must find a way that works best for us.

Qusai Mahesri is an expert in meditation and yoga.

The most common comment I get about meditation is: “I always fall asleep while meditating. That is defeating the purpose, isn’t it?” Well actually, falling asleep while meditating is a good thing! After all, you were in a true meditative state before you fell asleep even if it was for just a few minutes. I believe that this is evidenced by people waking up with an answer to the question they had before they started the meditation!

The feeling of stilling the mind through meditation is really something to be experienced by everyone, and can be difficult to describe, but let’s take a stab at it with examples. Think about a time that you were in love, and it felt like the whole universe was loving you. Or think about a time when you took a walk on the beach or went hiking and really felt that you had become one with nature. That emotion, that feeling, is when you are most aligned with your true self, and that’s what meditation can do for you. The kind of awareness that can be derived from meditation is a huge gift from which we can all benefit.

And the most unusual comment I have heard about meditation? It was from someone who told me: “I have been doing meditation for 10 years and it has done nothing for me!” (He actually used far more colorful language!) Although I was taken aback at first, I asked him a few follow-up questions to try and better understand why he was struggling. As he went on about his busy and stressful life, I quickly realized why his meditation had been futile: All he talked about was how he had created great wealth by taking over companies and firing thousands of people. He was a true believer in Machiavelli’s philosophy of using ruthlessness and grabbing power: he felt he could do whatever he wanted and get away with it.

And although there are a variety of ways that one can meditate, the most important aspect in all these techniques is that one must have good intentions towards your fellow man and woman. Without such good and sincere intentions, you cannot achieve a higher state via meditation. Period. And so that was a very interesting conversation!

In conclusion, I would like to urge people to investigate meditation. And also remember that while they are out there every day conducting their busy lives, they can indeed stop for a second, observe your surroundings, be grateful for what you have in your life, still your mind and become one with nature. You can truly derive the benefits of meditation. And it may just change your life!