Meditation

Meditation is the process of focusing the mind to achieve purity and relaxation state of mind. It is the practice of improving self- confidence and inner relaxation. Through meditation ,one can observe his inner soul and can understand it easily.

Table of Contents

Types of meditation

There are many types, with their own uniqueness and properties. Each type is unique in its own style of performance and results. Let’s explore some of them.

1.Transcendental Meditation

It is a technique which involves continuously repeating a mantra assigned to individual based on its age, gender, and other characteristics. This mantra is chanted silently for about 15-20 minutes a day. This mantra usually consists of meaningless sound so as to not distract the chanters with thoughts of outside world as it is human tendency to think about a word which he /she is repeating. This helps to meditate without any distraction.

Benefits

Reduce stress
Reduce anxiety
Inprove sleep quality
Improve mind
Improve learning power

2.Vipassana Meditation

This technique is also known as insight meditation .As its name suggest ,it involves observing inner thoughts, emotions without judgement. It aims to understand inner soul, its positivity and its negativity. It aims to understand that all the things are constantly changing and nothing is permanent in life. It aims to cultivate peaceful state of mind.

Benefits

Improve mental focus
Keep awah from materialistic things
Improve emotional well being
Reduce stress

3.Chakra Meditation

It is a spiritual practice aims to focus on seven chakras located along the spine. Each chakra is unique in its properties and this technique help to concentrate on these chakras.

Seven chakras

Root chakra
Sacral chakra
Solar plexus chakra
Heart chakra
Throat chakra
Third eye chakra
Crown chakra

Benefits

Improve physical health
Boost creativity
Reduce stress
Reduce anxiety
Improve spiritual awareness

4.Yoga Nidra

This practice is also known as yogic sleep, it is the most powerful relaxation technique. It is the state at which you are awake yet slept in deeply relaxed state.

How to do yoga nidra
1.Focus on each part of body and release tension if present.
2.Observe your breath rythm and depth
3.Imagine positive visualization
4.repeat a mantra, and try to calm your mind.

Benefits

Reduce stress
Help in deep relaxation
Improve sleep
Improves emotional stability

5.Guided Meditation

In this technique, a trained instructor guides or helps you to meditate using a series of music and mantras. It is just like a teacher guides a student. This technique is for those who finds meditation difficult to do alone without any guidance.

How to perform this technique?

Find a quiet place which is comfortable to you.
Adjust your comfortable position so that you can sit for a long time.
Follow the instruction of your trainer and visualize the images they want you to see.
If your mind distracted ,focus on your breath again.

Benefits

Improve focus
Improve concentration
Reduce stress, anxiety
Improve sleep quality
Improve visual imagination

6.Breath Awareness

This is a simple technique yet very beneficial. It involves focusing on breath, slowly noticing it as it enters inside and outside the body. If mind distracted, focus on your breath again. It only involves breath in and out practice and don’t try to control the breath. This is a short time practice but if you become familiar, you can extend your time to longer period. This breathing exercise is also beneficial for pregnant ladies for normal delivery.

Benefits

Improve emotional health
Lower blood pressure
Improve concentration power
Increase energy level

7.Loving-Kindness Meditation

This technique is also known as Metta meditation, this involves creating a positive attitude and behavior towards self and others. It involves creating a happy and friendliness environment for peace and social well being. It helps to promote social connections with people around us. Positive environment always result in positivity mind. Spread love ,get love.

Benefits

Promote social connections
Spread positivity
Help in building happy relation
Increase self love

8.Mindfulness Meditation

It a technique which involves focusing on inner thoughts and feelings without being judged. It involves sitting in a comfortable position and begin observing thoughts to set realistic goals, feelings. It involves focusing on present day rather than stressing about future.

Benefits

Improve focus
Improve concentration
Increase self confidence
Helps to set realistic goals
Helps to live present moment at its fullest

9.Zen Meditation

This technique also known as Zazen which involves focusing on present time and its awareness. It involves sacrificing the thoughts and emotions for a while to meditate. It is popular in Buddhism and often performed in full-lotus or half-lotus position.

Benefits

Inprove focus
Improve concentration
Increase self-awareness
Helps to live a peaceful life

10.Body Scan Meditation

This technique involves scanning the whole body either sitting or laying down. Start from the toes and observe their sensation along with the sensation of breath.

Benefits

Reduce stress
Improve management
Improve sleep

How meditation can cure anxiety?

trains your mind to focus and strengthen your thoughts. It helps to focus on positive things and letting go away negative thoughts, attachment. It helps to cure anxiety in variety of ways.

1.Relaxing mind

Reduces overthinking: Overthinking leads to many mental problems and stress. An overthinker always needs a calmer. Meditation helps as a calmer to an overthinker. It helps to distract from the world and focus on inner self
Promote mindfulness: It helps to focus on present time rather than to rush for future comfort.

2.Controlling emotions

Emotional balance: It helps to create emotional balance with people around us as it helps to Focus on inner thoughts.
Emotional awareness: It helps to understand your own feelings without any judgement.

3.Stress reduction

Lower stress hormones: Continuous meditation helps to lower stress by boosting body positivity and lowering stress hormone such as cortisol.
Relaxation: It helps to relax in stressful condition by getting disconnected from the world for some time.

4.Improve concentration

Improve attention: It helps to improve attention and focus while meditating, reduce distractions.
Improve problem solving skills as it helps to understand thoroughly.

5.Increase self awareness

Self understanding: It helps you to deeply understand your thoughts, your positive and negative points, your feelings.
Self compassion: It helps you to treat yourself first ,focus on yourself first with kindness.

6.Reduces negative thinking

It helps to reduce negative thinking as it enables us to focus on positive behavior and distract ourselves from negative thoughts.

Meditation or Yoga. Which is better?

Somewhere ,question arises ,which is to be followed, Meditation or Yoga. Both offer different advantages and both have different rules to follow. So, which is better to be followed. Both have their own perspectives and results.

Yoga

Yoga is a technique which involves complete body wellness and it includes meditating, breathing, exercises, asanas and many more.

Asanas of yoga

Tadasana: It improves posture , stability. Stand tall with feet together and arms at your sides and lift your shoulders up and sideways.
Bhujangasana: It includes lying on stomach, placing hands under the shoulder and lifting up the chest. It strengthens the spine and back muscles.
Balasana: this asana helps to calm the mind by sitting on heels and pushing head forward ,resting it on the mat.
Savasana: this includes lying flat on the floor just like a dead body and relaxing. It restores relaxation.
Trikonasana: this asana is performed by legs wide open and one hand towards the knee and other hand towards upside. This all forms a triangle like shape hence named.
Setu Bandhasana: It helps to strengthen the back ,it involves lying on back ,pushing the hips with knees bent.
Paschimottanasana: It involves sitting with legs straight in forward direction and aims to touch the toes with hands.
Eka Pada Rajakpotasana: It helps to stretch the hips and thighs. Bring one knee forward and the other stretch back.
Vrksasana: It is a balancing posture that helps to improve focus ,it is performed by resting foot on opposite inner thigh while hands are overhead.
Adho Mukha Svanasana: It is an inverted V- shaped pose with hands touching the ground in forward direction and foot towards backward direction with the middle body in upper direction.

These are some of the asanas of yoga.

Benefits of yoga

Physical benefits

Increase flexibility: yoga helps to stretch the body and muscles, improving body posture and flexibility.
Improve strength: it helps to strengthen the muscles and improve their flexibility.
Balance : it helps to maintain balance in body posture helping in stability. Asanas helps to maintain a particular position for a time.
Pain relief: it helps to strengthen spine and back muscles which ultimately helps in pain relief such as of headache, back pain, arthritis.
Boost immunity: by focusing on asanas for stomach muscles, it helps to boost immunity power of body.
Better sleep quality: it helps to improve sleep and help people who suffer from insomnia(not able to sleep)
Weight management: yoga is not only for balance but it also help to lose weight and helps to maintain weight.

Mental benefits

Reduce stress and anxiety: yoga focus on breath and helps to calm the mind , allows us to focus on positivity.
Increase self- awareness: it helps to understand inner thoughts and feelings, leading to deeper understanding of self.
Change mood: yoga helps in mood transition from stress to relaxation, from sad to anxious to calm.
Improve focus: yoga helps to concentrate , improves concentrating power which results in increase in deeper understanding of facts.
Increase patience: yoga helps to develop patience towards life.

While Yoga focusses on whole body, meditation focus on mental well being. It helps to train the mind, it helps to strengthen the mind. It only aims to focus on mind. It can help to reduce stress, anxiety, depression ,improve sleep quality, and improves mind power.

So, which is better ?

Both these practices have their own value , it totally depends on what you want. If you want to focus on mind rather than body, go for meditation and if you want to focus on whole body then go for yoga. The best way to choose which is best for self is to experiment with both these practices and choosing the suitable out of these two.

When to do meditation?

Meditation time vary from person to person and it also depend upon different situations. Here are some preferred times to follow:

Morning: meditating in morning proves to be more effective as morning time usually filled with positivity and fresh environment. Morning meditating session helps a fresh start.
During breaks: adjust few minutes between your work to improve your focus on work and for relaxation.
Before bed: try to meditate before going to bed as it will help to sleep more quickly and mind will get enough rest
Stress condition: whenever you feel stressed , meditate as it will help you to distract your thought from stress to relaxation.
Post workout: after workout ,body is already in relaxation state of mind and meditating at this time helps to connect with body.

Relaxation music for meditation

Relaxation with music helps to experience a calm environment that promotes deeper focus.

Benefits

Improve relaxation: soft music helps to reduce stress and anxiety and creates a soothing environment.
Improve focus: music will help to block distractions and try to concentrate on a particular topic.
Sets the mood: music helps to change mood, whenever we feel distressed ,we listen to soft and calming music. Music triggers specific emotions based on its type.
More better experience: music helps to create a better experience with more enjoyment.

Types of music used

Mantras: these mantras are in sanskrit language and this helps to connect with ancient culture and also these mantras have spiritual power. Many devas and others ,chanted mantras for powers.
Binaural beats: this includes two different s for both the ears and the brain receives these two tones as a single tone. This tone is known as binaural beat.
Nature sounds: recordings of rain, ocean ,forest helps to mentally connect with these areas for peace of mind. Nature is the best healer.
Soft music: soft tone helps to create a calming atmosphere which is helpful to create a peaceful environment.

Tips for meditating with music

Choose the right music which suits you and your mood.
Keep the volume of music low so as to maintain a soothing environment.
Choose a comfortable place and your comfortable position.
Set a timer for your scheduled session.
Focus on your breathing and try not to distract from surrounding.

5 Best meditation apps

1.Headspace

It is best known for its user friendly behaviour. It offers many courses based on different needs, such as from lowering stress to sleep improvement.

2.Calm

This app is best known for its advantage of providing different varieties of soothing music, stories, calm environment. This app helps to create a peaceful and calming environment.

3.Insight Timer

This app is best known for genuine personal meditating practices. It offer chats with spiritual teachers and different courses based on different requirements.

4.Smiling Mind

This app is beneficial is someone is looking for a session for all family members including children. This app provides free training programs.

5.Breethe

This app is best known for its uniqueness in providing breathing exercise sessions. It also offers a personalized session.

5 Best You-tube channels for Relaxation

Yoga With Adriene
The Honest Guys
Soothing Relaxation
Jason Stephenson – Sleep Meditation Music
Meditative Mind

These you-tube channels offers a wide variety of courses and training programs for efficient relaxation practices.

How often should I meditate?

The proper time to meditate depends upon individual strength and capability. Daily practice is best ,to continue to meditate.

For Beginners

Start with small sessions of about 5-10 minutes.
Increase this timing session daily, so that it makes a significant difference in your session.

For Regular practitioners

Complete at least one session daily.
Do not break your consistency.
Practice for one or more sessions daily.

Tips

Focus on quality rather than quantity.
Prefer to not take any stress or burden of how will you complete the session ,there is no time left and so on.

How to overcome meditation obstacle/ problem?

Here, are some of the common problem faced during sessions:

Thoughts in mind: mind always rush towards new topic, new thoughts ,past thoughts and fail to meditate purely.
Lack of self confidence: practice doesn’t result in quick response and it leads to self doubt.
Anxiety: it makes hard to calm and relax.
Physical discomfort: this occurs due to discomfort in relaxation problem.
Sleepiness: feeling sleepy during session.
Muscle tension: difficulty in relaxing the body.
Frustration: feeling angry as not to get results as expected.

Solutions to the problems are:

Instead of getting frustrated , set goals and set your capacity to meditate.
Start with shorter session so as to build strength slowly.
Adjust your comfortable position to avoid discomfort.
Try different techniques to choose which is best for you. Don’t stick on one.
Before starting, set your goal of meditating.
Celebrate small achievement, it should be worth to yourself.
Create a regular routine and maintain your consistency.