Meditation, Everything you want to know

“Meditation” refers to a mental state in which a person attempts to focus his thoughts and mind. Meditation has been practised in various religious groups and beliefs since ancient times.

“Meditation” is a mental state in and of itself, but it is also a general practise. There is no harm in doing so. Regular practise can help you retain your mental equilibrium even in stressful times, as well as provide many other benefits.

“Meditation” is a state of thoughtless awareness that is not sleep or trance, in which the individual is entirely in charge, except that he does not use his thoughts to analyse someone, that is, to talk about someone else. There are no cosmic concepts in your head in this condition, but you are fully conscious.

Meditation can be practised in a variety of ways. These techniques help to strengthen the inner energy known as prana (life force) and the spirit of compassion, love, patience, generosity, and forgiveness. It also offers several health benefits, including as lowering stress and blood pressure.

Rishikesh Yoga - Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh

This article will teach you everything you need to know about meditation, including its advantages, guidelines, and techniques.

What exactly is meditation?
Types of Meditation Rules of Meditation Meditation Method Right Time to Meditate
Meditation’s Advantages
How does meditation feel?
Meditation’s Drawbacks
Meditation Video

What exactly is meditation?

Everyone has heard of meditation these days. You can hear or read about it on TV, the internet, or your phone. Despite its popularity, many individuals are unaware of what meditation is. Some people believe that meditation is a mental concentration, that is, it is to concentrate one’s mind and mind, while others believe that meditation is done by those who want peace or contentment, that is, those who remain away from the noise of the world. want.

These are not meditation activities. These are all alternatives to meditation because it is quite difficult for the average person to completely relax his mind or block many thoughts from entering his mind. In truth, meditation is a condition of calm that occurs without any prior thought or planning. Of course, you don’t have to do anything extra for this. It is felt automatically by being pleased, receiving love from others, and so on.

Nothing or anyone is envisioned during meditation, but tranquilly is felt mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Thoughtless Awareness will greatly benefit you if you can slow down the thoughts that come into your head.

There is no thoughtless awareness, slumber, or trance; the person is entirely in charge, but he does not utilise his mind to analyse anyone, that is, to speak about someone else.

You can meditate at any time, whether or not you are in a contemplative state. It is not required to sit on the mountains in the Lotus posture to meditate while going about one’s everyday business.

When you read numerous meditation explanations and articles, you will notice that they frequently request a few seconds to sit silently or meditate. Meditation, however, is much more than that. When the mind is peaceful from inside, it produces such a deep sense of tranquilly. True meditation is one in which the attention is on the present moment rather than the unchangeable past and uncertain future. It’s only a matter of knowing how to accomplish it. This will be explained in this article.

Meditation Styles

There is no right or wrong method to meditate; all that is required is that you engage in a practise that is meaningful to you and develops your personality. There are several styles of meditation, six of which are listed below:

1. Vipassana meditative practise

The most important meditation approach is vipassana. Its objective is to concentrate in order to achieve mental serenity. This procedure makes use of breathing. Regular practise will help you understand your thoughts, and understanding your thoughts will help you understand yourself.

This sort of meditation is beneficial for persons who do not have somebody to lead them because it can be done alone and easily.

2. Spiritual contemplation

Many religions, including Hinduism, practise spiritual meditation. It is analogous to praying. As soon as you experience serenity around you when worshipping in this way, you feel linked to God or the universe.

Spiritual meditation can be done at home or in a religious setting. This practise is beneficial for individuals who want a tranquil environment and simply require a small amount of spiritual progress.

3. Concentrated meditation

Concentrated meditation attempts to achieve concentration by employing any of the five senses. You can, for example, focus on something internal, like breathing, or something external, like counting the beads of a rosary or looking at the light of a candle.

This exercise may appear straightforward, but beginners may struggle to hold this meditation for more than a few minutes. If your thoughts wander, practise again.

As the name implies, this exercise might benefit anyone who needs to focus more in their life.

4. Meditation through movement

The majority of people associate yoga with dynamic meditation. Walking in the woods, gardening, qigong (breathing control in China), and other dynamic activities may be part of this practise. It is an active sort of meditation in which you are guided by these actions.

Dynamic meditation is beneficial for people who find peace in doing something and like to keep doing it to keep their mind at ease.

5. Mantra chanting

Mantra meditation is prominent among meditation practises, including Hindu and Buddhist traditions. This style of meditation involves repeatedly repeating a word, statement, or sound to clear and relax the mind, with ” Om ” being the most widely utilised in this process.

You will feel more nimble and strong after chanting the mantra for a while. You will gain a deeper sense of calm and purity of mind by practising this meditation.

Some people prefer mantra meditation because it is easier to say a single syllable than it is to focus on the breath. It is also a fantastic practise for those who despise peace.

Transcendental meditation (TM)

Transcendental meditation is the most widely practised style of meditation worldwide. And this has received the greatest scientific attention. Mantra is better suited to this practise than meditation, which is also done with mantras or phrases required for meditation.

This exercise is beneficial for individuals who are serious about continuing their meditation practise, i.e. those who truly want to meditate.

Rishikesh Yoga - Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh

Meditation Guidelines

Some meditation or meditation methods or principles are as follows:

Choose an appropriate moment to meditate. The optimum time is between 4:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. It is claimed that the angle between the Sun and the Earth at this time is 60 degrees, and that sitting and meditating at this time benefits the pituitary and pineal glands.
Practice in a quiet area with no one to disturb you. Place yourself in a comfortable position. Your sitting position is also important. Feel at ease, relaxed, and still.
Maintain a straight spine and sit up straight. Do not overstretch or relax your shoulders and neck. Maintain its natural position.
Make sure your stomach is empty during the exercise. Before meals is the greatest time to meditate at home or at work. After eating, there is a sluggishness in meditating. When you are extremely hungry, though, it is not required to meditate. You should eat first because your focus will be drawn to food even in this situation.
Dress comfortably in loose-fitting clothing.
If you’re cold, get some activity first. Before meditation, do a short body heat exercise or yoga practise to enhance blood circulation. It eliminates restlessness and physical lethargy.
Take a long, deep breath. Along with deep breathing, it is always beneficial to practise nadishodhana pranayama, which is yoga that promotes blood flow in blood vessels.
While meditating, keep a tiny smile on your face. It aids in meditation relaxation, tranquilly, and focus.
Keep your eyes closed when sitting and meditating. This keeps the mind from wandering when concentrating.
When the workout is finished, slowly open your eyes. Try to sense the energy within you now. You will feel revitalised.

Meditation technique

Try the following meditation techniques.

Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. You can also use a chair or a pillow if necessary.
Shut your eyes. If desired, apply an eye-cooling mask.
Do not try to regulate your breathing; instead, breathe naturally.
Concentrate on your breathing and pay attention to your chest, shoulders, ribs, and belly, as well as your body movements as you inhale and exhale. Simply concentrate on your breathing without trying to manipulate its speed or intensity. If your thoughts wander, try to refocus.
This process will take two to three minutes to begin and will then attempt to be sustained for a longer amount of time.

Keep in mind that this is a fairly easy meditation technique. There are other additional sorts of meditation practises, each with its own set of techniques. You should seek the advice of an experienced teacher if you want to study a certain meditation technique.

When is the best time to meditate?

Meditation is something that may be done at any moment. However, the best times to meditate are early morning or late at night when the world is still tranquil, i.e. there is less noise outside. The benefit of meditating during this time is that you don’t have to worry about it interfering with everyday tasks, and you don’t have to deal with phone calls or other domestic responsibilities. You can also set aside time for yourself, for example, if you have children, you can meditate after they go to bed.

It is better to meditate every day at the same time. This promotes equilibrium and helps you include meditation into your daily routine. The advantage of meditating in the morning is that your stomach is empty. Yoga and meditation should be done four hours after eating.

Meditation’s Advantages

Scientific research have demonstrated the following health benefits of meditation:

1. It alleviates stress.

Most people attempt to meditate in order to relieve stress. Meditation was found to lessen stress levels in a research of over 3,500 participants.
Meditation has also been found in studies to relieve stress-related disorders such as irritation caused by irregular bowel movements, stress caused by an injury or accident, and fibromyalgia (muscle and bone pain).

2. Worrying about the situation lessens.

The less tension there is, the less anxiety there is. Meditation also aids in the treatment of anxiety-related ailments such as phobias (fear of anything), social anxiety (what society will say), paranoid thoughts, compulsive behaviour, and mental problems, among other things. Many studies have found that using a range of meditation practises can help reduce anxiety. Meditation can also help with anxiety produced by high work pressure in the office.

3. Improves emotional wellbeing.

When you practise certain types of meditation, your attitude toward yourself changes, as does your attitude toward life.

Vipassana meditation has been shown in two studies to lower stress in 4,600 adults.

Another study found that persons who practise Vipassana meditation have more control over their brain activity than those who do not. Those who used to meditate have a shift in their mindset; they are now more optimistic than before.

4. Improves self-awareness

Certain styles of meditation can assist you in better understanding yourself. Which allows you to maintain control over yourself in the face of adversity.

Self-assessment meditation, for example, is intended to help you better understand yourself and connect with those around you.

5. It improves focus.

Concentration can be improved by meditating with focused attention. It improves the concentration and patience required.

One study, for example, examined the benefits of Vipassana meditation after eight weeks and discovered that individuals had improved their capacity to meditate. Even a brief period of meditation can help them right now. Another study discovered that practising meditation four days a week now provides the benefits of meditation.

6. It alleviates the difficulty of forgetfulness.

To enhance attention, you must meditate on a regular basis and with a clear mind. This aids in the treatment of forgetfulness and dementia in old age.

Many types of meditation techniques have been shown in tests to improve focus, memory, and brain speed in elderly persons.

7. Meditation makes you a better person.

Certain styles of meditation are expressly designed to improve good thoughts and reactions to oneself and others. Metta, also known as loving-kindness meditation, is a style of meditation that cultivates compassion in you. It cultivates compassion and forgiveness for others through practise.

8. Aids in the cessation of harmful behaviours.

Meditation improves your mental discipline. As a result, your self-control improves, and it becomes easier to determine the source of the problem. As a result, your reliance on other people and things ends.
The psychic you can learn from can help you overcome the cycle of addiction by boosting your self-control and awareness of addictive behaviour triggers.

Meditation assists in regaining attention, increasing willpower, controlling emotions and desires, and comprehending the roots of undesirable habits.

9. Enhances sleep.

In India, about half of the population suffers from sleeplessness. According to studies, those who meditate obtain more sleep at the proper time and deep sleep, whereas more people than them suffer from sleep disorders or take multiple sleep breaks in the middle of the night.

10. It alleviates all types of bodily discomfort.

Your pain is linked to your brain, and it worsens in stressful conditions.

According to one study, participants who experienced similar forms of pain, some of whom meditated and others who did not, had a stronger ability to tolerate discomfort and even had less pain. Those who did not would suffer far more. What you think actually happens. If you think about an issue more, it will feel more, and if you remove your ‘attention’ from it, then forgetting about it for a few moments, it will not be felt at all. Control over the’meditation’ itself is gained through meditation.

11. Aids in the reduction of blood pressure.

Rishikesh Yoga - Yoga Teacher Training rafting
Meditation relieves stress on the heart. This benefits physical health.

Experiments with 996 participants revealed that focusing on a “silent mantra” and repeating it frequently reduced blood pressure by an average of 5%.

Because the nervous system is intimately tied to the blood vessels and the heart, meditation can lower blood pressure in some situations by modulating nervous system signals.

How does meditation feel?

Did you know you meditate on a regular basis?

Because of the rapidity with which people learn to meditate, it is difficult to relate the sensation to them. Because each person has a unique affect based on his or her mind. Meditators first became aware of it, and hundreds, if not thousands, of meditation practitioners have since proven it.

The “9 Stages of Meditation” offers a very beautiful and illustrative explanation of what a meditator feels; in this picture, it is taught how to feel after meditation by “Educating the Elephant” (as shown in the picture). Many Tibetan monasteries throughout the world use this strategy. The following are the nine phases of meditation:

Phase 1

As soon as you begin meditating and diverting all of your attention from the world around you to your thoughts, you will notice that you are busy in the opposite way that you are when doing other chores. Because in meditation, your thoughts, feelings, some memories, usually fears and a lot of past, some pleasant times, and so on all come together in the inner world.

Phase 2

It isn’t as long as it appears. In between, you settle down for a time, that is, take a break in meditation, when your mind is peaceful for a brief moment, and then return your attention to the concentrated topic. Your mind will stray from time to time, but you must bring it back to the object. It is critical to learn this technique before beginning to meditate, as well as how to bring the mind back, how long it takes, and how to focus on the object you are focusing on, among other things.

step 3

If you practise meditation for a few weeks or months, you will eventually be able to sustain your mind on the item constantly for roughly half the time. Then your attention will not be diverted by outward attractions or things, because you would have realised that the mind wanders from within, not from elsewhere. In reality, the most significant difference at this point is that you will begin to take it seriously.

This is a key component of remaining calm. What is true peace? If you don’t mind seeing, hearing, or experiencing terrible things, you’ve learnt to be internally peaceful.

step 4

By the fourth stage, you will be feeling things on a whole new level. You will be able to identify the things that your thoughts roamed about before they even occurred to you. As a result, your reactions to negative sentiments and thoughts will become intense and positive in a short period of time. After that, make an effort to relax. You’ll feel a little lethargic and a little excited right now. This euphoria is the polar opposite of depression, although it is still diminished at increasing levels of concentration.

5th, 6th, and 7th steps

You virtually learn to manage your mind by the fifth level. You can now meditate without having to focus on an object. All you have to do now is learn to manage your mind, which causes all sorts of distracting thoughts to arise. Through meditation, you must perceive the calm inside yourself. You will gradually learn that everything that happens is the result of your inner experience. If you think positively, everything will be OK; if you think negatively, troubles will appear everywhere. This is all your mental game, but you’ll start having fun with it now. By the seventh level, your meditation will be so powerful that you will see the effects of meditation in 24 hours rather than the time spent meditating alone.

8th and 9th steps

These are the ultimate stages of meditation, in which you must learn to focus your concentration like ocean waves. During their meditation practise, most people describe the following feelings:

deep tranquillity
Body and mind rebirth
Contentment, well-being, and physical pleasure
I’m feeling complete and concentrated.

However, the genuine sense of meditation can only be felt, and words cannot completely convey it.

Meditation’s Drawbacks

Although meditation has numerous benefits, there are some negatives to be aware of that may develop during practise.

This is especially crucial for beginners who may be confronted with one of the issues described below. Meditation and yoga teachers should be aware of these significant disadvantages, as their pupils may suffer comparable difficulties and require assistance.

1. Discovering the “best” meditation practise for you.

Some gurus or books feel that their approach of meditation is the greatest. They dismiss alternative strategies as ineffective. This is completely incorrect; exercise caution. The best thing about meditation is that there are numerous methods and approaches for practising it. There are numerous techniques to meditation; all you need to do is discover one that works for you.

2. Dealing with your buried emotions

The most profound experience you may have in meditation is the recognition of yourself. Is. You are confronted with buried and repressed feelings during the same procedure. The primary goal of meditation is to eliminate deep-seated sensations of wrath, anxiety, or jealousy that cause you discomfort. This is a normal and healthy reaction to meditation, and these feelings will fade over time. If the meditator is ignorant of this deficit and confronted with those repressed emotions, he may get dissatisfied and cease meditating.

3. Attempting to be a total meditator.

You may have expectations of yourself as well. After meditating for a lengthy period of time, you feel peaceful and your wrath is under control, etc. We are human, and it is difficult to sit peacefully and concentrate in today’s atmosphere, so be pleased with what you have and don’t strive to become a complete meditator.

4. To comprehend meditation as a form of therapy.

Meditation is a long-term practise that promotes physical and mental well-being. However, if a person is experiencing issues and is in in need of treatment. So meditation isn’t the answer. Perhaps they do require the services of a therapist.

5. The danger of escaping illusion.

Meditation has the unique ability to remove oneself from illusion. However, it can be harmful in India. However, it is critical to avoid delusion because it has no effect on the tragedies in your life and helps you feel at ease.

Turning away from illusion, on the other hand, does not imply disregarding, possessing, or neglecting something. You should not be cut off from the people and things going on around you. Because they all adore you, and you must not become passive or ineffective.