First, you need to understand what meditation is. Meditation is a special tool for spiritual enlightenment and balance, originating from Buddhist teachings and practices.
What is meditation?
Meditation is an ancient method of mental training. Through meditation, you can clear your mind of unnecessary worries, distract yourself and adjust the emotional and physical balance of your body.
For me, meditation helps me deal with stress. Nothing gets rid of frightening thoughts so quickly as a couple of minutes in silence alone. In addition, this short break helps me analyze how I feel, identify weaknesses, and, if possible, strengthen them. I began to eat better, got rid of many bad habits, and began to devote time to physical activity.
Also, with the help of the main component of the meditation process — proper breathing-I learned how to react correctly to extreme life situations. After all, just by changing my breathing, I can change my feelings and attitude to the present moment.
Contemplation, today this word is heard… Many of us have found out about it, seen that there are various classes and procedures for showing reflection, a few of us go to them, and a few of us are as of now pondering or feel that they are thinking.
Breathe in this rhythm for a few minutes. How do you feel? Have your muscles relaxed? Did you manage to escape from your routine worries?
When I first tried to breathe from this picture, I was almost suffocated by such rhythms — they were very unusual. But as soon as I got the hang of it and this is literally in two or three minutes — I began to understand the full power of breathing. If you like the effect, you can search the Internet and books for other breathing techniques that will help you relax better or, conversely, concentrate.
Why is it necessary to meditate?
You have probably heard that there is a huge amount of research that proves the benefits of meditation. This practice helps you relax, live more consciously, calm down quickly, find original solutions to problems, and just take a breath.
For example, more recently, researchers from the University of Oregon asked students to maintain a state of “calm concentration”, that is, to avoid such thoughts that can capture a person’s consciousness and distract him. The experiments continued for thirty minutes a day for a month. The entire course lasted eleven hours. At the end of the program, the students underwent another MRI brain scan.
Scientists have found that meditation has improved the condition of the so-called white matter, which connects the anterior cingulate cortex with other parts of the brain. As a result, students have improved their ability to control their thoughts, behavior, and emotions and respond better to stressful situations.
I made it a rule a couple of years ago to conduct tests on myself, which I advise you to do. Moreover, for the first step, you almost do not need anything…
MEDITATION is a mental action aimed at bringing the human psyche into a state of deep concentration.
Your first meditation
Try to allocate a few minutes immediately after waking up or during the working day. Just 5-7 minutes will be enough to start with. Sit on a chair, straighten up, and close your eyes. Concentrate on the movement of the inhaled and exhaled air-listen to the sensations that arise with each inhales and exhales.
Perhaps after a while, you will notice that you are distracted. When you find this, don’t scold yourself and try to focus on your breathing again. Eventually, your mind may calm down and become as smooth as the mirror surface of a lake, but it may not. Even if you manage to capture a sense of absolute calm, it can be fleeting. Whatever happens, just take it for granted.
When is it better to meditate?
What is meditation? The main rule of meditation is to perform the practices correctly and efficiently. After all, they affect your soul, and therefore make it, your mind and body stronger, more resilient, more flexible. The ideal option is to perform meditation daily. Home practices should be performed three times a day – in the morning at sunrise, at lunch, and in the evening. Evening and morning practices should be the longest, 15 minutes each, while at lunch, meditation is allowed for no more than five minutes to reset the mind and consciousness.
In the case when it is not possible to clear your “I” so often, we recommend that you do it once a day in the early morning, but with high quality. Each practice done should bring joy, awareness, and change something in you for the better. As soon as you feel that inspiration has appeared, a vision has opened up to solve certain issues that have tormented you for a long time, remaining unresolved, then the practice has been performed correctly and carefully.
Is it possible to meditate on music?
Yes, but there are some nuances. For meditation, you should find quiet, calm music, with a rhythm of no more than 80 beats per minute in a small number of musical instruments used, without loud, sharp sounds. The ideal option will be the sounds of rain, forest, water noise, or waves. Practitioners of meditation and yoga also use various mantras, ethnic music of African peoples. Very well suited compositions in the style of ambient, chillout. The main task of music is not to be a key element in meditation, but to become a complementary link that will help you turn off your consciousness without being distracted by annoying factors from the outside.
Reflection is referred to us as a component of the otherworldly act of the Vedic culture. It is said that the primary writings were portrayed before our time. In China, where the Buddha was revered, later contemplation procedures changed, and they additionally prompted the agreement of the soul. We have known about priests who have accomplished Zen (edification), and they had the option to uncover antiquated plans for otherworldly congruity to their adepts. Because of this, reflection as a method of self-information, recuperating, harmonization, and otherworldly development has gotten open and famous.
Likely, there is no contemplation for amateurs, since it is identified with Dhyana – the seventh phase of yoga. This implies we should not just watch restraint comparable to ourselves, our sentiments, feelings, and living creatures around us. We should know the solidarity of the spirit, brain, and body in yoga. This is an OBSERVATION. Perception of musings, words, feelings, activities, activities.
We can watch resting, sitting, moving, just by modifying our brain, that is, by changing our state of mind. The least demanding, best, and moderate approach to impact your own mindset is music. Choosing music for thoughtful practices is one of the segments of accomplishing results. The song, when it is “yours”, makes certain to contact the strings of the spirit. Generally, a quiet, altruistic, delicate, agreeable arrangement without words has a constructive outcome. Its impact will start to force breathing on the musicality and loosen up tense muscles, you will need to delicately close your eyes and focus on the sensations. Positive vibrations of reflective tunes will start to reverberate and interact with the body and mind.
It is truly sensible to utilize the hints of nature, particularly the “breath of the sea”, which make a positive environment for unwinding. The primary concern is that the sound doesn’t inspire trouble, discouragement, aggravation, dread, however is related to wonderful recollections or affiliations.
There are numerous reflection methods for apprentices around here. Maybe the least difficult, generally lovely, and the best route is to focus on your breathing cycle. Without developing anything, you should continually restore your thoughtfulness regarding the breathe-in breathe-out, know about how the air enters the nostrils and fills the lungs. We present in detail the procedure of life: as the whole body is soaked, oxygen takes care of each cell of the body.
Additionally, sitting in an agreeable situation with an even spine, you can watch approaching contemplations without building up an inward exchange, see them off like mists cruising by.
To ease yourself from distressing indications, strain, the amateur specialist utilizes material unwinding. Rosary dabs are typically utilized. Getting to know the object of unwinding, we grasp it and intellectually track its shape, temperature, and surface. At that point we experience the globules of the rosary in our fingers or another item from hand to hand, all our consideration is centered around this procedure, we do it gradually, at a similar pace. What’s more, we state or serenade a mantra or supplication to ourselves.
One of the activities of reflection is to concentrate on an article or wonder. Thought of the fire in the fire, the fire of light, the moving of waves, the development of mists, the presence of a rainbow after a downpour, nightfall or dawn not too far off. It is important to exploit the heavenly magnificence and appreciate it intentionally. Contemplation classes the reflection to reestablish passionate parity, quiet, and support the imperative vitality.
Obviously, everybody picks the spot and technique for reflection, yet there are a few fundamental standards of contemplation that ought to be followed.
- The right stance is the reason for contemplation. It is important to keep the spine and neck straight and straight, sitting on the floor or on a seat. Do whatever it takes not to slump! Hands are set on your lap, palms up, or use powder. The tongue is coordinated to the upper sense of taste. We close our eyes or spread them marginally. This is the reason for quieting the psyche.
- In order to calm our minds and not fall asleep quickly and safely, we must hold the object of meditation. The most accessible is our breath.
- The hour of reflection ought to slowly build, an accomplished professional can rapidly alter the mind and get into the procedure, and learners or passionate individuals will require additional time. Accordingly, you should begin from 10-15 minutes to a 45-an hour – these are General proposals. Step by step, we will figure out how to contemplate without a unique time. This will be a cautious perception of target reality, of any procedure or individual entering our life.
- You can meditate anywhere and at any time. You don’t have to sit alone with your eyes closed. It can be a walk, a trip, a job, or a practice.
- During contemplation, the brain gets mindful. It might appear that this influences significantly more feelings, tumult, touchiness. The primary concern isn’t to stop and proceed onward, investigating the snares of the psyche, that is, yourself. It will require some investment to determine significant issues, musings, and encounters. In this way, show restraint!
Relaxation techniques
At the moment, there are three main relaxation techniques – breathing, visualization, and muscle relaxation. To achieve relaxation, remove or reduce the existing level of stress, in addition to the above information, you need to work out your breathing, learn how to manage it. To do this, you should take a comfortable position and start breathing through your nose. Then close your eyes and concentrate on something pleasant. The next step is to take a slow, deep breath.
While performing this step, you should feel the full force of the air entering you, feel its cool breath, as it passes through your nasopharynx. Next, we recommend holding your breath for a few seconds, then calmly, without sudden jerks, exhale it. At this step, you will feel that the exhaled air has become warm, and your thoughts are collected and clear. This practice should be repeated throughout the entire relaxation process to make the Mind free from passions.
Myths about meditation
Common myths and misconceptions about meditation:
- “This is for spiritual and religious people” – not necessarily because anyone can mediate, regardless of their views and beliefs.
- “It will take years to get some benefit out of it” – after a few practices, you will feel the effect.
- “meditation is an escape from reality” – in fact, mediation, on the contrary, helps to get rid of thoughts that tend to escape from reality.
- “Meditation is just relaxation” is more than that, although relaxation is an important part of meditation.
- “meditation is like self-hypnosis” – nothing like this happens in the process of meditation, because you remain conscious.
- “meditation requires no effort” — at the very least, you need to make an effort to find time for daily practice.
- “I can’t meditate because my mind is restless” — it’s perfectly normal for you to be distracted by different thoughts while meditating.
- “meditation is boring” – it all depends on your mood and the chosen technique.
- “I need to sit back to meditate” – this is a stereotype, the main thing is that the pose is comfortable, and the back is smooth.
Where did meditation come from?
Although meditation is associated with yoga, there is no such word in Sanskrit. It came from philosophy, translated from Latin meditated means “to reflect”. Today, for simplicity, meditation is called all yoga techniques that calm the mind, such as contemplation of an object and breathing exercises.
Initially, the goal of yoga is not to sit on the splits or stand on your head, but to immerse yourself in a meditative state. All exercises — asanas-are needed only to strengthen the back, open the hip joints and learn to sit comfortably in the lotus position. It is what her yogis consider the most suitable for meditation. They say that it is closed, and the energy that we receive during practice does not flow away but accumulates.
All this is said in the ancient Indian religious and philosophical texts under the general name of the Upanishads. According to historians, the sages composed them from the XV to the V century BC. Thus, in order for meditation to be effective, it makes sense to train both the body and the mind. Over time, it will become easy to keep your back straight, your breathing will slow down and deepen, and extraneous thoughts will no longer interfere with the process.
Concentration on an object for beginners: meditating with a candle
— Sit on a chair.” Straighten your back. Place the candle so that it is at eye level.
– Light a candle and concentrate on the flame. How does it move? What color is it at the base and at the edges? Do you feel the warmth that comes from it?
— Whenever thoughts come to mind, let them go and return your attention to the candle flame.
— When you feel that it is time to finish the meditation, close your eyes and sit there for a few minutes. Imagine the flame of a candle and try to remember this image, so that later, in moments of stress and anxiety, you can mentally return to it and remember how easy and calm it was during meditation.
It may not work the first time, but after five or ten practices, you will learn.
Conclusion
A meditating person begins to focus on the good and calmly treats the bad, learns to live not in the past or future, but in the present, to enjoy what is happening right now. This works if you practice regularly: every day or at least twice a week.
Yes, it requires discipline, but try to think of meditation not as an obligation, but as a self-care tool that helps you to be less nervous and criticize yourself, teaches you to rest from anxious thoughts, and reboot.
The result in the form of mental balance and a large reserve of vitality is worth it.
