Am I meditating successfully?

How can we tell if our meditation practice is bringing beneficial results?

Am I meditating properly? -

"If you are meditating properly, you will get spontaneous inner joy. Nobody has given you good news, nobody has brought you any gifts, nobody has appreciated or admired you, nobody has done anything for you, but you will have an inner feeling of delight.

If you are having a sublime meditation, then you are bound to feel peace within and without. If it is a soulful meditation, you will feel your eternal existence; you will feel that you are of Eternity and for Eternity.

There is also another way that you can know. If you are actually entering into a higher plane, you will feel that your body is becoming very light. You will almost feel that you can fly.

You can also know if you have had a good meditation by the way you feel afterwards. If peace, light, love and joy have come to the fore from within as a result of your meditation, then you will know that you have meditated well. If you have a good feeling for the world, if you see the world in a loving way inspite of its teeming imperfections, then you know that you meditation was good.

And if you have a dynamic feeling right after your meditation, if you feel that you have come into the world to do something and become something, this indicates that you have also had a good meditation."

Benefits -

Decreasing levels of stress, fear, insecurity, jealousy, ego and anxiety.

Increasing awareness, compassion and concern for others.

Awareness of how your actions and thoughts affect others.

Increased appreciation for the beauty and wonder of Nature.

Appreciation of the simple things in life that bring fulfilment and joy.

Identification with the blossoming spiritual qualities within your inner being.

Increasingly inspired by others' achievements.

Growing poise and contentment in your outer life.

Greater appreciation for inspirational music.

An increase in creative capacity.

Decreasing levels of judgement, greater acceptance of others.

Increased sense of personal well-being.

Recognition that human life has a higher purpose.

Increasing sincerity in your own life.

Appreciation and understanding of your life's unique qualities and role.

Remember -

Meditation is a natural unfoldment from within. This takes time, be patient!

Not every experience will necessarily be the same, or as high.

Constantly feel that you are a beginner.

Always remain determined, eager and enthusiastic.

Be sincere and practice every day: you will definitely make progress in your inner life.

Meditate daily, soulfully
And self-givingly.
No dream of yours
Will ever remain unfulfilled.

-Sri Chinmoy-