So far we have looked at building your own concept of a higher power, having a conscious contact with a higher power, and touched a little on meditation. Today were going to take a deeper look into the concept of meditation and what it can do for us. There is so much to be said about this subject. Meditation is such a personal thing and there are many different ways that people can and do meditate. For example Buddhists pursue meditation as part of the path toward enlightenment and nirvana. Some of their meditation practices include breath meditation, over fifty methods for developing mindfulness and forty for developing concentration as well as thousands of visualization meditations. Christian meditation is generally the process of deliberately focusing on specific thoughts (e.g. a biblical scene involving Jesus and the Virgin Mary) and reflecting on their meaning in the context of the love of God. Christian meditation contrasts with cosmic styles of eastern meditation as radically as the portrayal of God the father in the Bible contrasts with discussions of Krishna or Brahman in Indian teachings. Unlike eastern meditations, most styles of Christian meditations do not rely on the repeated use of mantras, but are intended to stimulate thought and deepen meaning. Christian meditation aims to heighten the personal relationship based on the love of God that marks Christian communion. Within Hinduism There are many schools and styles of meditation. Yoga is generally done to prepare one for meditation, and meditation is done to realize union of one’s self .The Jewish mystical tradition, kabbalah, is inherently a meditative field of study. Traditionally Kabbalah is only taught to orthodox Jews over the age of forty. Corresponding to the learning of Kabbalah are its traditional meditative practices, as for the Kabbalist, the ultimate purpose of its study is to understand and cleave to the Divine. While there is many forms of meditation out there (kriyas, deep thought, breath meditation, silence, prayer, visual meditaion, etc.) it all seems to boil down to one thing a source or power greater than ourselves. recovered alcoholics may choose one, or several of the above options along with other ones not listed but our purpose is not only a means to get closer to our higher power but for us it’s a part of how we stay alive after receiving alcohol addiction help not just spiritually but physically as well. It is our 11th step. When we go through AA, a Los Angeles rehab, or any drug rehab in California we get the opportunity to learn how to be comfortable with ourselves, be alone, and gain several other tools that will help us on our path toward finding a way to meditate that’s right for us. There have been some alcoholics who have tried all forms of meditation. There is no wrong way provided we keep at it and it brings us a sense of peace and grounds us.
