Introduction
Meditation is a fundamental human development component popularized in modern life routines. It is embedded in the development of rituals that allow people to become one with the world (Han & Steuer, 2020). The idea is propagated more in the form of Yoga building from the development of systematic meditation embedded in the five elements of earth, water, fire, air, and space. Chapple (2020) revealed the premise of meditation in Yoga for mental discipline and inner peace and control through interiorization, which involves concentrating and purifying the elements. Consequently, I review the application of a Yoga-based meditation plan to improve my internalization and being oneself with my surroundings and the world.
Meditation Plan
Yoga centers on connecting to one’s surroundings and developing oneness in body, soul, and mind. The meditation will be based on purpose and interlinked with attention and affective meditation. Beforehand, the first thing when meditation is calming oneself and picking a quiet space free from the disruption that allows you to be one with the earth. Those accessing a park can consider the elemental value of being among nature and experiencing the earth’s natural flow, space, and air. Outdoor Yoga is proposed to sustain the presence of free space, air, and distance from distractions.
Step 1: Self-Reflection
It is essential to develop purusa that invokes self-realization in Yogic terms. Eifring (2015) suggests that this is only achieved when we dispel the nine disturbances: “disease (vyādhi), idleness (styāna), doubt (saṁśaya), carelessness (pramāda), sloth (ālasya), lack of detachment (avirati), misapprehension (bhrānti-darśana), failure to attain a base [for concentration] (alabda-bhūmikatva), and instability (anavasthitatva)” (p.202).
Consequently, the first steps are considered a moment of self-reflection, allowing spontaneous thinking and daydreaming, identifying elements of life that are disturbances in life and those that need focus as positive iterations of being. Feruglio et al. (2020) revealed negative future thinking leads to depressive states and low satisfaction. By reflecting on them, I seek to induce an awareness of these potential thoughts and dispel them with an alternative state of mind. The mind is a powerful element of being, controlling our actions and perceptions of emotion and feelings. The first three minutes reflect our disturbing thoughts, which the plan seeks to dispel.
Step 2: Counteracting Negative Thoughts (2 minutes)
Then, after identifying these elements before dispelling them, I proposed the development of counteractive thinking against the negative thoughts that harass my inner peace and being. The connotation should not be mistaken as positive thinking or suppressing these disturbances. Instead, Eifring (2015) highlighted that cultivating counteractive thoughts constitutes reflecting on the repercussions of allowing the persistence of the thoughts. At this stage, the yoga plan is set out to actively counteract ongoing suffering and ignorance. Activating the mind to awareness is fundamental to relieving the disturbed flow of the mind to influence self-actualization.
Step 3: Meditation through Attention (10 Minutes)
In my plan, 10 minutes are secured in conformity to the yoga sutra. It argues meditation requires the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind (yogaś citta vṛtti nirodhaḥ) (Chapple, 2020). I embrace Eifring and Holen (2014) as they revealed that meditation is centered on continuity and repetition of techniques, enhancing attention and awareness. Then, for the next step, it is essential to identify a soothing rhythm and focus on its continuance and repetition.
Breathing is essential for this stage, functioning as a mediation object. During the meditation, an individual is expected to focus on breathing in a continuous frame and focus on the rhythm. Gradually, reduce breathing in a continuous flow to a level of calmness. Consequently, in a thought-free state, one takes deep breaths and frees oneself from thought, allowing the soul to connect and be without wandering.
Once you achieve calmness and a sense of concentration through external objects, being one with the surroundings, the next step is considering an internal meditation. Eifrig and Holen (2014) argued that external meditation is complex materiality that is mundane in its coarse nature. It is then more advisable to experience internal meditation, which is enhanced by closing one’s eyes, allowing the meditation to transition from physical concentration to mental attention and calming the mind. It allows for interiorizing the five elements of meditation (Chapple, 2020). Thus, the process is anticipated to enlighten awareness of the inner stillness of the mind.
Affective Meditation (5 minutes)
The last five minutes are essential to the state of mind and the intended outcome of self-actualization and stilling of the mind. Affective meditation is then a substantial approach to finishing the meditation session. Eifring and Holen (2014) described the act as concentrating on an internalized feeling of love and kindness that should begin with oneself. In this, focus on elements that complement who you are and your identity, consider the love you deserve, and reciprocate the feeling to yourself and progress to family and friends. Brandmeyer and Melmore (2020) revealed that meditation facilitates awareness of spontaneous wandering and thought as a metacognitive function. Meditation allows the repetitive reduction of these predispositions and is theorized to enhance focused attention.
Reflection and Conclusion
Prompted to apply my meditation plan to my daily routine, I continuously offered significant insights on the value of calming. I experienced significant changes in my daily routines and state of emotional and mental control; I felt relaxed throughout the day. Previously, distractions were detrimental, causing reduced productivity and unbalanced emotional states. It is remarkable that attention and internal meditation reveal nature’s soothing and therapeutic value and that my breathing is rhythmic enough as a point of reference as a mediation object. However, despite these positive impacts, the meditation has weaknesses as I had distractions and wandering of the mind. It is also hard to identify a location that does not have human activity.
References
Brandmeyer, T., & Delorme, A. (2020). Meditation and the wandering mind: A theoretical framework of underlying neurocognitive mechanisms. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 16(1). Web.
Chapple, C. K., Grim, J., & Mary Evelyn Tucker. (2020). Living landscapes: meditations on the five elements in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain yogas. Albany State University Of New York Press.
Eifring, H. (2015). Spontaneous thoughts in meditative traditions. In Meditation and Culture: The Interplay of Practice and Context. Bloomsbury Academic.
Eifring, H., & Holen, A. (2014). The uses of attention: Elements of meditative practice. In Hindu, Buddhist and Daoist Meditation: Cultural Histories. Hermes.
Feruglio, S., Matiz, A., Grecucci, A., Pascut, S., Fabbro, F., & Crescentini, C. (2020). Differential effects of mindfulness meditation conditions on repetitive negative thinking and subjective time perspective: a randomized active-controlled study. Psychology & Health, 36(11), 1–24. Web.
Han, B.-C., & Steuer, D. (2020). The disappearance of rituals: A topology of the present. Polity.