Ajit Karn
Meditation Techniques to Get You Started: Meditation is widely recommended as a method for improving health, and with good reason. It reduces tension symptoms, alleviates physical complaints such as migraines, and even boosts the immune system. It’s simple to see why meditation has become a popular complement to conventional medicine, given the health benefits, the fact that it’s free, and that it takes as little as five minutes. Here are 5 Meditation Techniques to Get You Started.
Basic Concepts of Meditation
Though it can be practiced in different ways, a few common threads run through virtually all meditation techniques:
- Focuses Mind: It is a widespread fallacy that meditation causes the mind to become ‘calm.’ In reality, you are constantly pondering. Although your thoughts may not be as brisk during meditation, it is perfectly normal for your mind to be active. The key is to acknowledge this with compassion while refocusing whenever possible on the breath. Meditation is comparable to training a puppy to sit, with the mind representing the puppy and the breath representing the trainer.
- Being in the Now: All meditative practices involve concentrating on the present rather than the past or future. Being in the present requires experiencing each moment, allowing it go, and then experiencing the subsequent instant. Many of us spend the majority of our lives focused on the future or the past, making it difficult to concentrate on the present moment.
- Altered State of Consciousness: Over time, sustaining a calm state of mind and focusing on the present can lead to an altered state of consciousness that is neither asleep nor typical wakefulness. Meditation increases brain activity in a region of the brain associated with contentment and positive thoughts and emotions, and there is some evidence that regular practice produces long-lasting positive changes in these regions.
Meditation Techniques to Get You Started
In general, researchers divide meditation practices into two distinct categories: concentrative and non-concentrative. Concentrative techniques involve concentrating on an object that is typically external to oneself, such as the flame of a candle, the sound of an instrument, or a mantra. Non-concentrative meditation, on the other hand, can include a broader focus, including environmental stimuli, internal body states, and even one’s own respiration. Note that these techniques can overlap; meditation can be both concentrative and non-concentrative.
There are numerous methods of meditation. Consider the following categories of meditation techniques as a starting point for understanding the practices and distinctions between some of the most prominent options, rather than as an exhaustive list.
Basic Meditation
This involves sitting in a comfortable position and using the breath as a point of focus. If you find yourself distracted by other thoughts or find your mind wandering, gently redirect your focus back toward your breaths.
Focused Meditation
With focused meditation, you focus on something with intention without engaging your thoughts on it. You can zero in on something visual, like a statue; something auditory, like a metronome or recording of ocean waves; something constant, like your own breathing; or a simple concept, like “unconditional compassion.”
Some people find it easier to do this than to focus on nothing, but the idea is the same—staying in the present moment, circumventing the constant stream of commentary from your conscious mind, and allowing yourself to slip into an altered state of consciousness.
Activity-Oriented Meditation
Activity-oriented meditation combines meditation with activities you may already enjoy, or with new activities that help you focus on the present. With this type of meditation, you engage in a repetitive activity or one where you can get “in the zone” and experience “flow.” Again, this quiets the mind and allows your brain to shift.
Also read: The Benefits of Meditation
Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness can be a form of meditation that, like activity-oriented meditation, doesn’t really look like meditation. Mindfulness simply involves staying in the present moment rather than thinking about the future or the past. Again, this can be more difficult than it seems! Focusing on sensations you feel in your body is one way to stay “in the now.” Focusing on emotions and where you feel them in your body—not examining why you feel them, but just experiencing them as sensations—is another.
Spiritual Meditation
Meditation is not exclusive to any particular religion, but it can be a spiritual practice. You can meditate on a single query until you receive an answer, or you can clear your mind and embrace whatever the day brings. Additionally, many individuals practice kundalini meditation for mind-body connection.
