What meditation is and how it helps you in everyday life
What Is Meditation?
The Meditation Concept
Meditation is a collective term that designates mental techniques in which attention is directed toward an object, often in order to achieve effects such as inner calm, better sleep quality, and reduced stress.
Meditation can also have more existential goals, such as increased awareness and presence, and, in the case of religious techniques, a strengthened connection with a metaphysical dimension of existence.
There is a wide range of meditation techniques. One important distinction is between directive and non-directive meditation.
See our introductory courses in Acem Meditation here.
Where Does Meditation Come From?
Archaeological findings suggest that meditation may have originated as early as 5000 BCE. Throughout recorded history, meditation has been associated with religions in both ancient Egypt and China. Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and especially Buddhism all have meditative traditions.
During the second half of the twentieth century, non-religious forms of meditation also emerged within Western culture. These often place greater emphasis on the psychological effects of meditation. In Norway, the nonprofit organization Acem has developed what could be called a Norwegian form of meditation. Acem Meditation is defined as non-directive meditation.
How Do You Learn Meditation?
Meditation for Beginners
By learning meditation from an experienced instructor within a strong professional environment, you will get the most out of your meditation practice.
You can also teach yourself meditation by reading books or using apps. In addition, there are podcasts and videos online. These often instruct you in directive meditation or guided meditation using specific exercises.
Some people create their own form of meditation by listening to relaxing music. Many people in Norway have a relationship with meditation through nature. Being out in nature can initiate mental processes that may be defined as meditation.
See our introductory meditation courses here.
Meditating in Everyday Life
Experience and research show that you get the greatest benefit from meditation if you establish it as a regular habit. Most meditation techniques provide relaxation when you practice them. However, for the more long-term effects of meditation—such as stress management, greater inner calm, and increased mental capacity—meditation as part of daily life is essential.
Research also shows that non-directive meditation produces a greater and deeper effect than directive meditation.
Meditation Techniques
A common feature of all meditation is that you direct your attention toward something. This may be a sound, an object, an image, a voice, your own breathing, or an area of the body. This is known as the meditation object.
An important distinction among different forms of meditation is how attention is used. In directive meditation, you try to keep your focus on the meditation object and will often experience thoughts as distracting. In non-directive meditation, the opposite is the case: thoughts, feelings, moods, images, and bodily sensations are allowed to arise freely.
Examples of Directive Meditation
- Autogenic training, “relaxation through concentration”
- Self-suggestion or self-hypnosis
- Many fantasy or visualization techniques
- Most forms of mindfulness meditation
Examples of Non-Directive Meditation
- Acem Meditation
- Transcendental Meditation (TM)
- Certain rare forms of mindfulness meditation
Getting Started with Meditation
It is strongly recommended that you learn meditation from a solid professional environment with experienced instructors and good follow-up support. An introductory meditation course gives you what you need to meditate for the rest of your life.
By choosing a high-quality meditation environment, you also have the opportunity to go deeper into meditation. This can be done through follow-up programs such as advanced courses and retreats.
In addition, you should think about where you will meditate in your daily life: a comfortable chair in a quiet room or sitting on your bed with a good pillow supporting your back. Other people in the household should be informed that you are meditating so they do not disturb you unnecessarily.
You should also decide when you will meditate. Morning before breakfast and afternoon before dinner are good times for meditation. At those times, both body and mind are receptive to meditation.
A fixed routine makes it easier to establish a meditation habit. If you happen to miss a meditation session, a few minutes is often better than nothing.
What Is the Purpose of Meditation?
The most common effects of meditation are greater calm, better sleep, stress management, increased creativity, and more energy.
The results depend both on how much you meditate and on the form of meditation you choose.
Directive Meditation Can Provide
- Help in managing a specific, limited problem. Example: resisting the urge to drink alcohol or use tobacco.
- Help in achieving a defined goal. Example: reducing pain.
Non-Directive Meditation Can Provide
- Stress management and the effects that follow from it. Example: better sleep, more energy, and greater inner calm.
- Processing of impressions and experiences.
- Personal development.
- Increased capacity for empathy.
- Greater inner grounding.
What Does Meditation Do to the Body?
Meditation helps you relax. The immediate effects of meditation are easy to measure: breathing rate and pulse decrease. Oxygen consumption also decreases.
When you meditate, the body is in a state of restful alertness.
Over time, non-directive meditation has been shown to affect levels of stress hormones in the body. For this reason, meditation has proven to be a good way to prevent health problems associated with stress and a demanding lifestyle over the long term.
Reduced blood pressure and increased heart-rate variability (a sign of good cardiovascular health) are examples of areas in which the effects of meditation have been measured.
Who Is Meditation For?
Anyone can practice meditation. Non-directive meditation techniques are easy to learn and require no prior experience.
You do not need to be in a particular state of mind in order to meditate. You can meditate whenever it suits you or whenever you feel the need. Meditation does not require any special level of physical fitness or health condition. The most important thing is that you are motivated to meditate.
During periods of greater life stress - for example, while raising young children, during a relationship breakup, or while grieving - meditation can help you process the burdens associated with these experiences.
In everyday life, meditation can increase resilience. You may be able to handle greater demands without being hindered by stress reactions. This is connected to the effective release of unprocessed psychological material that occurs through non-directive meditation techniques.
By relaxing, you give the mind an opportunity to finish working through things. In this way, mental resources are freed up.
Learning Acem Meditation presupposes a normally functioning nervous system. People with serious neurological or psychological illnesses should primarily seek professional help with their difficulties.
For some individuals, however, meditation can function as an inner support and contribute to a better quality of life. It is important to remember that meditation is not a form of treatment, but rather a supplement.
Over time, the deep relaxation that meditation provides can stimulate personal development through increased inner freedom and a greater existential repertoire for action. This is independent of who you are as a person and is instead related to the fact that you practice non-directive meditation regularly.
How Often and How Long Should You Meditate?
Different forms of meditation have different recommendations regarding duration and frequency.
For the non-directive meditation technique Acem Meditation, two thirty-minute meditation sessions per day are recommended, preferably in the morning before breakfast and in the afternoon before dinner.
One forty-five-minute session per day is a fully adequate alternative if your daily schedule makes it difficult to find time for two half-hour sessions.
Experience shows that maintaining daily contact with meditation supports the longer-term processes. In the same way that regular physical exercise is beneficial, regular meditation produces better results over time.
Many meditation organizations offer retreats for those who wish to deepen their meditation practice. Retreats are available in different lengths, and the program may vary depending on the technique and organization you choose.
At a typical Acem Meditation retreat, participants engage in daily meditation sessions lasting slightly more than three hours, followed by guidance sessions and seminars.
An intensive retreat is designed for even longer daily meditation sessions and generally requires previous retreat experience.
Meditation for Children
Simplified meditation techniques for children exist within several meditative traditions.
These are often practiced with the eyes open, either while the child sits quietly or moves around.
One recommendation is that such practices may begin from the age of six.
Meditation sessions for children are often shorter, for example five to ten minutes at a time.
What Does Research Say About Meditation?
During the past fifty years, a large amount of research has been published on the effects of meditation.
Meta-studies (analyses that summarize many studies) support the distinction between directive and non-directive techniques, particularly with regard to long-term results.
The short-term effects of meditation are very well documented:
- Physical relaxation through reduced oxygen consumption
- Slower breathing
- Reduced heart rate
Many studies have also examined the long-term effects of meditation.
Reduced levels of stress hormones have been associated with beneficial effects on stress-related conditions.
In addition, non-directive meditation has been linked to improved cardiovascular health and beneficial effects on respiratory and vascular diseases.
More recent research on non-directive meditation shows how the spontaneous stream of thought is important for rest, memory integration, and planning for the future.
Spontaneous thought processes are also essential for creativity, empathy, and social relationships.
Where Can I Learn to Meditate?
Acem Meditation is learned through courses, either over a weekend or during weekday evenings.
It is also possible to learn meditation at retreats.
Meditation Courses
Meditation is easy to learn.
An introductory course will generally provide everything you need to meditate for the rest of your life.
If you choose to learn from an established meditation organization, you will also receive help in establishing a meditation habit through follow-up courses and opportunities to explore meditation more deeply at retreats.
The basic instruction in meditation can be provided by an experienced instructor.
This may take place individually or in a group setting.
Afterward, a meditation course will often focus on providing the foundation you need to make practical use of meditation in everyday life.
Acem Meditation
Acem Meditation is a meditation technique originally developed in Norway, and now taught throughout the world.
The basic instruction is that you silently repeat a meditation sound in your mind while allowing feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations to come and go freely.
Acem Meditation is a non-directive technique.
The goal is not to achieve a special state but to give the mind an opportunity to allow unprocessed impressions to emerge.
This contributes to better sleep, reduced stress, and greater inner calm.
Acem Meditation is pleasant to practice.
You meditate while sitting, preferably without excessive noise around you.
You will gain the greatest benefit from meditation by establishing a daily habit.
Acem Meditation is taught through courses led by experienced instructors.
Acem is Norway's leading professional environment in the field of meditation.
Acem was founded by students at the University of Oslo in 1966 and has since developed into an international meditation organization.
Instruction in Acem is based on volunteer work; no one is paid for teaching Acem Meditation.
Other Questions About Meditation
What Is the Difference Between Meditation and Mindfulness?
Mindfulness refers to being aware of what you are experiencing in the present moment.
The goal is to be present in the here and now with an open attitude.
This presence can be trained through a wide range of meditation techniques, most often based on Zen Buddhist meditation.
Most mindfulness techniques differ from non-directive meditation in that mindfulness generally involves directing attention more actively.
The idea is to observe and then actively let go.
Spontaneous thoughts, or mind-wandering, are most often regarded as distractions.
Non-directive meditation aims to allow spontaneous thoughts to arise without directing them.
Research summarized from several different academic fields shows that mind-wandering, as it is practiced in non-directive meditation, serves a number of functions in the mind.
Spontaneous Thoughts Can
- Function as comforting thoughts
- Help process painful emotions
- Promote creativity
- Enable you to change perspective when you are stuck
- Process and interpret memories from the past
- Contribute to increased self-understanding
- Stimulate empathy
- Prepare you for possible future challenges
Mindfulness therefore differs from non-directive meditation primarily in its attitude toward mind-wandering.
What Is the Difference Between Yoga and Meditation?
Practicing yoga involves physical movements and postures, whereas meditation is generally performed in stillness.
The term yoga covers a broad range of techniques.
What most forms have in common is that they provide a physical pathway into the meditative.
Some yoga traditions include meditation as part of their practice.
In more recent times, yoga has also been practiced as a form of physical exercise, with less focus on mental processes.
As a result, the distinction between yoga and meditation has become even clearer: the meditative aspect has been removed from yoga.
What Equipment Do You Need to Get Started with Meditation?
To meditate, you should have access to a comfortable chair in a quiet room.
Alternatively, you can meditate while sitting up in bed with a good pillow supporting your back.
Some meditation techniques require more demanding physical postures.
Other techniques can be practiced lying down.
Acem Meditation is practiced while sitting.
The only thing required is a place in which to meditate.