Few would have suspected this, but meditation is a great way to experience firsthand quantum physics at work. Especially in group meditations, the individual aspiration and expansion of consciousness grow exponentially compared to what it could have been had the individual meditated alone. Even better, this expansion takes place wirelessly, so to speak, without the meditators in the group having to speak to each other a single word!

In classical marketing, when 1+1 becomes 3 or more, this is referred to as the halo effect. A synergistic effect is created when marketers promote one product, with tangible marketing benefits also extending to other related products. On the internet a similar effect is achieved through social media when a message posted on Twitter or Facebook, for example, and addressed to only a few individuals goes viral and reaches an audience of thousands.

This is not to say that all meditations should be done in a group. Far from it. Most of the time one should meditate individually on a regular basis. This allows to create first a solid foundation from which one can later venture into farther and higher territory. Individual meditations are essential if one is to benefit from group meditations.

Group meditations are like a great feast for one’s inner being. They create variety but also reinforce ones inner strength. Individual meditations are like regular training sessions, while group meditations are like competitive events during which one discovers that he can go faster, farther, higher and deeper. One cannot have a feast every day nor can one afford to compete at maximum capacity daily.

Mantras are sacred, specially designed, sounds and incantations, which allow a meditator to transcend one’s own nature thus opening the way to fruitful meditations. For this reason and thanks to the mystical synergy thus created, chanting mantras or singing devotional songs in a group is a very beneficial thing to do.

In an old parable, a king following a dream asked his subjects to create a pond full of milk rather than water. A big area was thus dug up for the occasion and every subject had to bring milk and pour it into the pond. When the king looked at the pond, the pond was full of water rather than milk. It turned out that each subject of his thought that if he were to pour water instead of milk into the otherwise milky pond, no one would have noticed the difference!

While group meditations are true occasions for strength-building and self-transcendence, it is very important that each individual meditating in a group maintains a regular individual meditation practice at home. Otherwise, instead of drinking nourishing milk, one would trade water for water!

For more articles on integrating meditation into the present-day lifestyle and for more information on starting a meditation practice of your own, visit www.GenevaMeditation.ch.