What is meditation? Why does it need to be done daily? What are the benefits of meditation? How to do meditation properly? These all are the questions that arise when one thinks of meditation. Here in this article, you will get all your answers related to meditation that has thoroughly been researched from ancient India to the modern west.
What is Mediation?
Go and ask any sage in India about what meditation is and what are its benefits and he will counteract with the question, “Do you bath daily” or “What are the benefits of bathing daily?”
Bath is taken to keep your body clean from germs and viruses. This is supposed to be done on daily basis to keep a healthy hygienic lifestyle. The same is true with meditation. The technique to keep your soul clean is called meditation. According to Veda, Dhyana (Meditation) means deep thought, consideration, enlightenment, transcendental concentration.
In the shortest term Meditation is a process for training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts.
Meditation involves focusing on a single point. This includes observing the breath, thoughts (Mindfulness), or body (Vipassana), repeating a single word or mantra, staring at a candle flame, or counting beads on a mala. Each time you notice your mind wandering, you simply refocus your attention on the chosen object (candle flame, breath or mantra). You simply let your thoughts go rather than indulging in them.
What are the benefits of meditation doing daily?
People think of meditation as a way to reduce anxiety and improve concentration. Some people do this practice for positivity, self-discipline, better health, better sleep etc.
Let’s see what are the benefits of meditation;
· Reduce Stress
· Control Anxiety
· Improve Sleep Pattern
· Improve concentration
· Help with avoiding addiction
· Lower blood pressure
· Improved blood circulation
· Lower heart rate
· Less perspiration
· Slower respiratory rate
· Lower blood cortisol levels
· Deeper relaxation
Go to the source
Rigveda ( Ancient Veda of Hinduism) sees meditation by connecting it to spirituality. According to Veda, meditation helps in long term goals like;
Knowing yourself better
Observing your thoughts and feelings while meditation helps you to understand your thought patterns, feelings and emotions at a deeper level. Read the article ‘How can you know yourself through your thoughts and feelings?”
Improve Relationship
When you know yourself at a deeper level you try to understand others too more deeply and that creates a better connection of you with others.
Increase Kindness
Knowing your thoughts helps you to understand not only yours but also others inner struggle and that ultimately enhances the compassion towards you and others.
Extend Life span
Do you know the ancient sages have been meditating for hundreds of years in the Himalayan ranges? That’s only because of meditation they can live for so long by controlling their breath at a very low rate.
How many Styles are there of Meditation?
There’s a variety of meditation styles, each with different strengths and benefits. Some are;
Third eye meditation is used to put the attention on the spot between the eyebrows.
Kundalini meditation is practised with the goal of awakening the Kundalini energy that lies at the base of the spine.
Gazing meditation is done with open eyes, putting the focus on external objects for concentration and visualization.
Chakra meditation is practised by focusing on seven chakras of the body.
Kriya yoga is a collection of breathing, energy and meditation exercises.
Sound meditation where the practitioner starts the meditation by focusing on sound by listening to ambient music and at a time including chants of “Om”.
Try out a style of mediation that suits your goals is the best way to improve your quality of life, even if you only have a few minutes to do it each day.
If you are a beginner, don’t get confused. Let me help you with this. There are two major styles of meditation;
Concentration Meditation
This style involves focusing your attention on a single object, thought, mantra, sound, or visualization, candle flame or beads of a mala. It emphasizes preventing your mind to distract.
Mindfulness Meditation
This style promotes broadened awareness of all aspects of your surroundings, thought, emotions and sense of self. It includes observation of thoughts, feelings, or impulses that generates during meditating without any judgement.
However, the easiest way to begin meditating is by focusing on the breath.
How to do Meditation?
Meditation is something that everyone can do. You can do it anywhere, any time without special tools or memberships. You can start by finding out the best-suited style for you.
1. Choose the style - As a beginner, it may be difficult to choose one out of many options. Meditation means relaxation not struggle, so, choose the style that you are comfortable with, the style that you find easy to work with.
2. Take a seat - Find a place to sit or lie (whichever is comfortable) that feels calm and quiet to you. You can sit on the ground, or a mat or a chair.
3. Close your eyes and breath naturally
4. Follow your breath and feel the coldness of air going inside your body while inhaling and the warmth of air that is going out into the atmosphere through your nostrils while exhaling.
5. Notice when your mind wanders and bring it back to breathing gently without involving in the thoughts.
That’s it! That’s the meditation. You go away, you come back, and you try to do it as kindly as possible.
At what time of day and for how much time should meditation be done?
There is no particular time to meditate. Though it is suggested that the time should be right after waking up in the morning or right before going to bed yet you can do this any time of day. Neither there is any limit of time to do it. The key is to commit to sitting every day, even if it’s for five minutes.
Read
Quotation of the Day
Meditation is simpler than you think and difficult than you can imagine.
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