Meditation is a simple practice that everyone can do. It can reduce stress, increase calmness, promote clarity of the mind, and increase happiness. There are 24 hours in a day, and just 5 minutes of meditation can truly be beneficial to your mental health. In this post, you will learn about the most popular types of meditation styles right now, along with 3 easy beginner meditation exercises.
The word meditation stems from meditatum, a Latin term that means “to ponder“.
He who lives in harmony with himself, lives in harmony with the universe
HOW MANY WAYS ARE THERE TO MEDITATE?
There are many types of meditation practices. Here is a list of the most popular.
10 Types of Meditation Practices
Mindfulness Meditation | A mental training practice that teaches you to slow down racing thoughts, let go of negativity, and calm both your mind and body.
Chakra Meditation | A type of meditation that seeks to clear blockages in the chakras and harness the power of these energy centers located throughout the body.
Kundalini Meditation | A form of yoga that is said to awaken the kundalini force, or energy, in the body. This energy is said to be dormant within most people, and can be released through meditation and practice.
Tantric Meditation | A practice that combines movement, breath, meditation and sound, to assist the chakras within us to open. Once the chakras are open, they allow energy to flow freely through the seven chakra system.
Spiritual Meditation | A meditation practice you partake in with the desire to connect with a higher power, the Universe, God, your Highest Self
Focused Meditation | Focusing on something intently as a way of staying in the present moment and slowing down the inner dialogue. Unlike classic meditation, where you focus on nothing to quiet your mind, with focused meditation, you still remain in the present, but focus wholly on one thing.
Movement Meditation | a meditative state โ a shift of consciousness โ while doing simple movements. It is a way of calming the mind and creating awareness.
Mantra Meditation | A mantra is a syllable, word, or phrase that is repeated during meditation. Mantras can be spoken, chanted, whispered, or repeated in the mind. Most mantra meditation techniques have two essential components, mindfulness meditation and mantra chanting.
Transcendental Meditation | a meditation technique where you mentally repeat a word or phrase until you reach a state of inner peace.
Guided Meditation | A meditative practice that uses a teacher or experienced practitioner to walk you through a meditation.
Learning How to Meditate
Setting aside time to meditate is an important way to establish a routine and get comfortable with the practice.
Learning to meditate is like learning any other skill. Think of it like exercising a muscle that youโve never really worked out before. It takes consistent practice to get comfortable. It is sometimes easier if you have a teacher at the beginning to show you the ropes.
There is no such thing as perfect meditation. Sometimes your focus will wander or youโll forget to follow your breath. Thatโs OK. Itโs part of the journey. Whatโs most important is to meditate consistently. Itโs one of those things where the journey is more important than the destination.
We can’t always change what’s happening around us, but we can change what’s happens within us
The Benefits of Meditation
- Helps prevent stress and anxiety.
- Improves your concentration and focus
- Calms your mind
- Improves Productivity
- Reduces feelings of depression.
- Increases energy
- Helps you appreciate life more.
- Improves your brain function
- Makes you happier
Easy Meditation Exercises for BEGINNERS
These beginner meditation exercises are an excellent introduction to meditation.
Focused Breathing
- Sit or lie comfortably
- Close your eyes
- Breathe naturally
- Focus your attention on the breath and on how the body moves with each inhalation and exhalation.
- Notice the movement of your body as you breathe
- Observe your chest, shoulders, rib cage, and belly
- Focus your attention on your breath without controlling its pace or intensity
- If your mind wanders, return your focus back to your breath.
SET TIMER FOR 5 MINUTE MEDITATION
Deep breathing
- Push all the air out of your lungs.
- Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds.
- Hold your breath for 7 seconds.
- Exhale firmly through your mouth, pursing the lips, for 8 seconds
- You may repeat this breathing cycle up to 4 times.
This type of simple technique is rejuvenating for the nervous system
Once you’ve partially mastered the first two exercises, give this visualization technique a try.
Visualization Meditation Exercise
Zoom Out Into Space
Practice this outside to aid in the visualization of your surroundings. Take your shoes off, have the soles of you feet touching the Earth. Before closing your eyes, look around and take in your surroundings.
- Close your eyes
- Breathe naturally
- Focus your attention on the breath and on how the body moves with each inhalation and exhalation.
- Notice the movement of your body as you breathe
- Observe your chest, shoulders, rib cage, and belly
- Focus your attention on your breath without controlling its pace or intensity
- With your eyes closed, visualize your surroundings.
- Shift your perspective and imagine you are looking down on yourself and your immediate surroundings.
- Zoom out until you can visualize where you are standing from above.
- Zoom out further until you can see your neighborhood or city.
- Zoom out until you see is the land and maybe lights from cities.
- Zoom out until you are floating above the clouds
- Zooming out further and further until youโre above the planet floating in the emptiness of space.
- (Think about all the people, animals, and plants spread across countries, races, cultures, etc. See just how small our place and problems are in the universe. We are just a moment in time in the vastness of space. Notice how small you are in the bigger picture, consider what you can and canโt control.)
- Take a few deep breaths
- When you are ready, slowly begin to zoom your perspective back down to earth. observe your surroundings until eventually, youโre back in your mind.
- Take a few deep breaths and slowly open your eyes to the world around you.
It is completely normal when we start to meditate for the mind to jump all over the place. Meditation is not about stopping thoughts. We sit and practice to observe our thinking without getting caught up in our thoughts and emotions. We learn to tame this restlessness by developing an awareness for those moments when our attention has wandered off. Each time we notice weโre distracted, we build our awareness, and we bring our attention back to the breath. Through the process of meditation, the mind becomes more comfortable with this idea of sitting still, and we can begin to learn how to integrate the qualities experienced during meditation practice.
When is the best time to meditate?
The best time to meditate is first thing in the morning. Making time to meditate in the morning is going to help you develop a strong practice. Meditating everyday is going to truly help your mental health. Meditating in the morning will also stop you from making excuses that you donโt have time later in the day.
Peace begins with a simple breath.
Where did meditation originate?
Meditation originated in India a very long time ago. The oldest documented evidence of the practice of meditation is in wall art found in the Indian subcontinent from approximately 5,000 to 3,500 BCE, showing people seated in meditative postures with half-closed eyes.
