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Meditation

At every moment, our brains are processing the stimuli around us. In our fast-paced society, our minds are often in overdrive, which can result in fatigue, depression, stress, and poor health. Being in a state of mental preoccupation in turn causes our bodies to send out hormonal signals disabling us from relaxing. Additionally, when we're under stress, the brain sends out fast "beta" waves in irregular patterns, whereas when you are relaxed, slower and more regularly occurring "alpha" waves are sent out.

In practicing meditation, we learn how to focus the mind on one sensation such as the body, breath, music, sounds, images, or mantras (repeated words or phrases) in order to obtain a state of relaxation. This kind of focused awareness grounds us in the present and relieves anxiety evoked by past or future events. By meditating on one object such as the breath, we can gain a sense of inner calm, peace, and focus, while strengthening the connection between body and mind.

Acupuncture is based on the concepts of yin and yang, which are believed to be opposing forces that flow throughout the universe. According to to Chinese medical theory, when the forces of yin and yang become unbalanced within the body, the result is a blockage of Qi manifesting in physical discomfort or disease. Therefore, in order to restore the proper current of Qi and, therefore, a balance of yin and yang, acupuncturists place needles into the relevant meridians.

The Origins of Meditation

While the time and place where meditation began is unknown, the act of deep contemplation and entering states of trance have been with us throughout history and throughout the globe. Examples include ancient shamans from many continents who are thought to have gone into trances in order to gain wisdom; the Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist practices of counting prayer beads; ancient campfire rituals involving the use of hallucinagenic plants to enter a trance-like state; and thousands-year-old Indian yogic traditions involving long period of meditation.

Eastern forms of meditation started booming in the United States shortly after the international 1893 World Parliament and Religious gathering in Chicago. This convention enabled people in the states to have genuine first-hand interactions with teachers from the East. Following the gathering, teachers such as Indian sage Swami Vivekanada and Japanese Zen teacher Soyen Shaku traveled around the country to lecture about their practice. Leading figures that aided in the spread of meditation around the states include Zen Monk Nyogen Senzaki and J. Kirishnamurti, as well as Swami Paramananda who established meditation centers around the country.

In the mid twentieth century meditation entered the college campus scene in such places as Columbia University where Japanese teacher D.T. Suzuki taught Zen to scholars such as J.D. Salinger and John Cage. The 60s and 70s also witnessed a growth of meditation when Britain's rock sensation, The Beatles, began to practice transcendental meditation. Following the popular trend, many fans began to use meditation rather than drugs in order to reach a state of inner tranquility. Today, meditation continues to aid people in relaxation, focus, and peace.

There are no licensing requirements for meditation teachers. But a meditation instructor may chose to become a certified meditation teacher through the American Institute of Health Care Professionals, which offers courses such as relaxation strategies, meditation theory and practice, meditative therapy, energy focused and spiritual meditation, and meditation and mind fitness

Another option is to become a certified teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at the University of Massachusetts, which requires students to have a graduate degree in a related field such as education or psychology. While, you do not need a certificate to teach Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction you are encouraged to take courses such as in the Oasis Foundational Training Programs as part of the Center for Mindfulness (CFM).