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Concentration Meditation
Genยญerยญalยญly, one of the easยญiยญest ways to begin medยญiยญtaยญtion is by conยญcenยญtratยญing on your breath, which is also one of the comยญmon approachยญes for medยญiยญtatยญing, called conยญcenยญtraยญtion meditation.
The objecยญtive of conยญcenยญtraยญtion medยญiยญtaยญtion is to develยญop a sinยญgle-mindยญed attenยญtion directยญed at some object: an image, a breath, a canยญdle flame, or a word or phrase. By conยญtinยญuยญalยญly returnยญing your attenยญtion to this object you will develยญop the abilยญiยญty to remain calm, focused, and grounded.
This approach involves a perยญson focusยญing on one point. This can entail folยญlowยญing your breath, starยญing at the flame of a canยญdle, repeatยญing a mantra or a sinยญgle word, countยญing the beads of a string, or lisยญtenยญing to the same song repeatedly.
At the beginยญning of your medยญiยญtatยญing jourยญney, it will be quite chalยญlengยญing to focus your mind, thus start with a short duraยญtion, 5โ10 minยญutes, then gradยญuยญalยญly work up for longer durations.
The idea of this techยญnique is to just refoยญcus the awareยญness on your selectยญed object of conยญcenยญtraยญtion every time you observe your mind is wanยญderยญing. Instead of purยญsuยญing ranยญdom ideas, you simยญply loosen their hold. Your conยญcenยญtraยญtion abilยญiยญty improves through this technique.
Mindfulness Meditation
Mindยญful medยญiยญtaยญtion is anothยญer medยญiยญtaยญtion techยญnique that has become greatยญly popยญuยญlar over the last few years. The basic conยญcept behind this pracยญtice is to stay focused on the curยญrent moment with a disยญpoยญsiยญtion that is acceptยญing and nonยญjudgยญmenยญtal. The aim is not putting a stop to thinkยญing or empยญty your mind but, the notion is to stay attenยญtive closeยญly towards your thoughts, physยญiยญcal senยญsaยญtions, and emoยญtions as they arise withยญout getยญting involved, in assumpยญtions, or make up stories. This is an easy exerยญcise that demands you to stay there, at that moment, withยญout dayยญdreamยญing. Howยญevยญer, it can lead to proยญfound results with pracยญtice, givยญing you more conยญtrol over your actions, allowยญing more room for equaยญnimยญiยญty and kindยญness, even in tough sitยญuยญaยญtions. Also, with time, this can help you betยญter comยญpreยญhend the reaยญsons behind your stress and what can be done to alleยญviยญate them. Stuยญdents folยญlow the comยญbiยญnaยญtion of mindยญfulยญness and conยญcenยญtraยญtion medยญiยญtaยญtion in some medยญiยญtaยญtion schools. Many disยญciยญplines demand stillยญness for a lessยญer or greater degree, relyยญing on the method of the teacher.Movement Meditation
Moveยญment medยญiยญtaยญtion, this pracยญtice may include walkยญing through the woods, garยญdenยญing, qigong, and othยญer genยญtle forms of motion. Itโs an active form of medยญiยญtaยญtion where the moveยญment guides you. Moveยญment medยญiยญtaยญtion is good for peoยญple who find peace in action and preยญfer to let their minds wander.Why should you Meditate?
Medยญiยญtaยญtion increasยญes awareยญness of yourยญself and your surยญroundยญings. It is also an effecยญtive way to reduce stress and develยญop conยญcenยญtraยญtion. It also can help in develยญopยญing othยญer benยญeยญfiยญcial habits and feelยญings, such as a posยญiยญtive mood and outยญlook, self-disยญciยญpline, healthy sleep patยญterns and even increased pain tolerance.
When you medยญiยญtate, you inject long-lastยญing benยญeยญfits into your life that does not require extra effort or expenยญsive memยญberยญship. Tryยญing out a style of mediยญaยญtion suitยญed to your goals is a great way to improve your qualยญiยญty of life, even if you only have a few minยญutes to do it each day.
Some of the reaยญsons to medยญiยญtate are:
- Underยญstandยญing the pain
- Reduce your stress
- Improve focus
- Conยญnect better
- Lowยญer brain chatter
- Improved cirยญcuยญlaยญtion of Blood
- Lowยญerยญing of blood pressure
- Lowยญerยญing of heart rate
- Decreased resยญpiยญraยญtoยญry rate
- Less perยญspiยญraยญtion
- Less anxยญiยญety
- Improved sense of wellbeing
- Decreased corยญtiยญsol levยญels in the blood
- Deepยญer relaxation
- Less stress
Some tips to consider in order to meditate
The way of trainยญing your mind through medยญiยญtaยญtion is quite simยญple (and hard) than many peoยญple think. You can go through the folยญlowยญing steps, ensure you are at a place where you could relax into medยญiยญtaยญtion, set a duraยญtion, and give this process a try.1- Select a time
Like any othยญer habit, medยญiยญtatยญing gets easยญiยญer if it becomes a part of the rouยญtine. Select a time of doing medยญiยญtaยญtion every day and make sure to hold onto it. Many peoยญple find medยญiยญtaยญtion most conยญveยญnient in the day. Howยญevยญer, whether it is at lunch, before going to bed, or after work, ensure if you could be consistent.2- Pick a Spot
Simยญiยญlarยญly, optยญing for the same place every day can help in medยญiยญtaยญtion. Although not essenยญtial, it can aid in minยญiยญmizยญing mind wanยญderยญing and the likeยญly disยญtracยญtions. Sitยญting on the floor or foldยญing the legs in a lotus posiยญtion, arenโt necยญesยญsary at all. Just look for a suitยญable posiยญtion in which you can remain comยญfortยญable for some time, and place which feels calm and you could sit upright, and also not get too much distracted.3- Get your Equipment (or donโt)
Spendยญing a dime isnโt what is needยญed to start medยญiยญtaยญtion. All that is required is a place to sit, and some will powยญer. With that being said, there are many medยญiยญtaยญtion cushยญions, chairs, and some othยญer accesยญsories for all those who preยญfer getยญting kitยญted out. Howยญevยญer, a satยญisยญfacยญtoยญry chair or soft rug at a quiยญet place is actuยญalยญly all that is needed.4- Set a Duration
If you are a beginยญner, it can be pretยญty helpยญful to you if you pick a short duraยญtion, such as 5 or 10 minutes.5- Feeling your Breath
While medยญiยญtatยญing, focus your conยญcenยญtraยญtion on your breath and the way your body moves durยญing every inspiยญraยญtion and expiยญraยญtion. Observe your shoulยญders, chest, and belยญly throughยญout the movement.
Just breathe natยญuยญralยญly withยญout conยญtrolยญling the intenยญsiยญty or pace. In case of mind wanยญderยญing, return your conยญcenยญtraยญtion towards the breath.
Medยญiยญtaยญtion helps you see the world in a difยญferยญent light, thanks for sharing!