WHAT IS MEDITATION & HOW TO PRACTICE THE SAME

Meditation has been practised across many cultures and religions throughout history, notably in Buddhism and Hinduism. In modern times, secular practitioners have recognised its benefits as a powerful aide for mental health. Mindfulness and meditation may mean different things for different people.

What exactly is meditation?

It is a simple practice that can be done anywhere, by anyone. Contemplation involves equal and complete use of the mind and the body to practice; this, in turn, benefits the mind and the body. The practise of mindfulness involves all or some combination of the following: 

• Keeping quiet in a silent and peaceful environment
• Repeating a word, phrase, or a prayer in your mind
• Sitting still in one position or maintaining other, more complex, positions
• Regular, mindful deep breathing, or even just focusing on your breathing
• Allowing the mind to monitor any and all thoughts that occur
• Focusing on only one particular idea, object, or concept
• Using aids such as music, videos, or imagery to enter a deep state of self-awareness and inner peace
• Receiving instruction through a trained instructor or from meditation music
• Meditating daily

What are the Benefits of Practicing Meditation?

Meditation has been thoroughly researched in the scientific community and continues to be studied for its potential benefits. Its therapeutic benefits in mental healthcare have been of particular interest. The benefits of mindfulness include a combination of the following, based on several factors such as meditative practice, regularity, psychological state, etc. 

• Reduced stress levels
• Increased self-awareness
• Emotional stability
• Better coping mechanisms and reactions
• Lower occurrences of asthma attacks
• Lower sensitivity to pain, higher tolerance to pain
• Better sleep and lowered strength of insomnia 
• Anger management
• Fewer negative thoughts
• Improved focus, concentration, and attention spans
• An enhanced sense of all-round well-being

This mind-body practice has also been studied for use as part of psychotherapy and in clinical situations, such as addiction treatment. It has also been explored as a complementary treatment for depression, anxiety, pain, cardiovascular disease, migraines, cognitive issues, dementia, and work stress.

Types of Meditation

Some of the most popular forms of contemplative meditation include:

• Vipassana:

A recently popular form of an ancient Buddhist practice, vipassana helps you observe your thoughts without dwelling on them.

• Mindfulness: 

A technique to be non-judgmentally aware of your present thoughts and feelings.

• Spiritual contemplation: 

A technique to enhance your understanding of yourself and out to a higher power such as God, the universe, or other divine forces.

• Focused Mind: 

A technique where the mind focuses on one object, thought or thing.

• Transcendental: 

A technique to help free yourself from distractions and transcend into a state of pure, relaxed consciousness 

• Progressive relaxation: 

A technique focused on tensing the relaxing muscles systematically to become more physically aware.

• Mantra repetition: 

A technique in which a word or phrase is repetitively uttered as an aid.

• Guided meditation: 

A technique of meditating through music, images or the sound of an instructor.

• Insight: 

Very similar to the mindfulness technique, this technique aims to provide insight into yourself and your present circumstances.

• Body scan: 

A technique that focuses on the physical self and its sensory perceptions.

• Zen: 

A technique from the Zen school of Buddhism that focuses on internal awareness.

• Yoga: 

A mindfulness technique that forms a natural part of practising yoga.

• Sound bath: 

A method that uses sound to provide an ambient, therapeutic environment to guide the meditative process.

How To Practice Meditation

The following tips, though general, are used across almost all forms of meditation. If you have a teacher or an app, you may follow the instructions from there. Contemplation and mindfulness are all about your comfort, so you may choose to follow what you like and discard the rest; there is no set rulebook.

Step 1: Find A Spot for Meditation

This can be a quiet room, a comfortable chair, a peaceful spot outside, or even the bus on your way to work. 

Tip: Initially, aim for somewhere without any distractions. With some practice, you will eventually be able to meditate in busy places despite the surrounding noise and disruptions.

Step 2: Position Yourself

Most modern meditators prefer to sit or stand. However, this does not always have to be the case. Other postures are also used in religious contexts, such as kneeling, prostrating, sitting on the floor, and yoga meditation poses such as siddhasana and padmasana. Other forms may also involve laying down, walking or standing.

Tip: If your posture is making you uncomfortable, it is probably not the right one for you at that moment. Discomfort and pain will only distract you from your goal. 

Step 3: Fix a Duration

Set a timer and stick to it, no more or no less. Initially, you may want to start small, such as a short 5-minute mindfulness session, and work your way up to 10 or 15 minutes. If you have an instructor, they will handle this part and choose a time to prevent you from getting distracted. 

Tip: Even if you cannot stay focused during your time limit, stay in the meditative position until you have set has run out. This will train your body and brain to get used to the habit of staying in one place for a fixed amount of time.  

Step 4: Focus On The Body

Start by focusing on your body, every part, every inch; make yourself pay attention to each area of your body. Then begin to concentrate on your breathing, feeling each breath go in and out.  

Step 5: Choose A Type

You can begin the mindfulness process and pay attention to everything crossing your mind in a controlled manner. Or, you can choose one thing to focus all your attention on. You can also use guided instructions, so this part depends on your choice of meditative technique. 

Tip: There is no such thing as the ‘right’ way to meditate or the ‘correct’ way to think. Meditation is not about being perfect. 

Step 6: If You Get Distracted, Return

Even regular practitioners experience their mind wandering once in a while. Although you can learn how to meditate properly and get better with practice, sometimes it is inevitable that your mind will wander. That is okay. Do your best to return to your meditative state every time your attention starts to wander. One of the most essential aspects of meditation is to keep trying. Do not judge yourself or feel bad; it is 100% normal.

Tip: Be kind to your mind and be patient with yourself. 

Step 7. Do It Regularly

Make mindfulness a daily habit if you want to see changes in your emotional and physical well being. The most pronounced health benefits of meditation can be seen in people who have been meditating for 2-3 years. Even if you feel like your technique is not good, don’t stress about how to do meditation perfectly. Consistency is more important. 

Tip: Find a partner or group to meditate with: this can help you fix a regular schedule and stick to it. 

Conclusion

Our simple guide can be used as it is or within the context of a structured plan. Mindfulness can be a tool that helps you be the best version of yourself or help you get through tough days without breaking down. It’s worth a try: you might like what you see in yourself after just one session. Visit Wellness Forever, and find the best products to help you on your journey to become healthier in mind and body!