Meditation is going beyond the mere pursuit of happiness. It is finding a balanced life through learning how not to be too tight or too loose with ourselves. And from that comes greater clarity and well being because we appreciate all the details of our existence and the whole panorama at the same time. That’s what I would call good mental health and meditation.

Meditation can play an integral part in mental health. Good mental health and meditation are the same thing. On this World Mental Health day let’s take a look at how the sitting practice of meditation can help you to find a more solid sense of mental health. Here you can discover a more solid and sane sense of well being, grounded in a simple practice that most anyone can bring into their daily life.

Not for happiness alone

Meditation goes way beyond searching for and finding mere personal happiness. In fact happiness, healthiness, less stress, calmness are side effects of placing your butt on a meditation cushion. That constant wanting something more and better, whether psychological, physical, emotional, spiritual, is suspended in the act of doing nothing. When the meditator begins to understand this point, it’s the beginning of letting go of the struggle for more and better. Meditation does not give you more nor does it make you happy (like many popular mindfulness based programs proclaim).

Don’t be so mindfull

So meditation is being aware of that struggle for more, the wantingness. It is not being hysterically mindful of your breath, trying to block all those thoughts that make you unhappy. In fact the meditation object plays a rather laid back role in that great adventure of meditation practice. Trying to be perfectly mindful is not good for our mental health. Putting the lid on our naturally creative process of mind is ultimately dangerous to our well being.

Don’t get so carried away

Nor is just doing nothing and joyfully following every impulse we have. Our thousands and millions of thoughts and emotions flow forth on and on endlessly. If we are to be carried away with them in every direction always and everywhere, isn’t this just getting lost? It’s equally as dangerous as trying to block them because we never know where we might end up. This is not a good mental health way to be. We want to create a safe environment for mental health.

Good mental health and meditation

Good mental health means taking responsibility for our lives in such a way that we create certain causes and conditions. That means balance. Balance for mental health is not suppressing and blocking ourselves, and it is not completely going with the flow. Finding a good middle ground can begin by learning balance through the sitting practice of meditation. It’s here that we practice and learn to not make ourselves too tight, or too loose. Not too tight or too loose in life is a healthy condition of balance.

Bird’s eye

Balance brings a strong sense of clarity about our life. As much as possible we try to see things from a panoramic perspective. We are not just blindly following every desire like a wild boar running through the forest following it’s nose, not looking right or left. Rather we are upright and surveying the landscape, sensing the change in weather, sensitive to the sounds of the forest, awake to the change in direction of wind.

Meditation, balance and good mental health

So meditation is going beyond the mere pursuit of happiness. It is finding a balanced life through learning how not to be too tight or too loose with ourselves. And from that comes greater clarity and well being because we appreciate all the details of our existence and the whole panorama at the same time. That’s what I would call good mental health and meditation.

Learn meditation in retreat

Why not join us in Morocco for a retreat where you gain confidence in the sitting practice of meditation. Of course we’re not just meditating all the time. It’s a perfect balance of yoga and sitting, sound healing, eating delicious food and plenty of relax time.