Meditation Techniques

Techniques of Meditation

As we discussed yesterday, meditation helps us to relieve our stress & tension.

Meditation is widely recommended as a healthy way to manage stress, and for good reason. It helps to reduce stress and anxiety, relieves complaints like headaches and enhances your immunity.

Meditation helps to make you lighter & face the entire day with a new vigour & challenge. Today, we shall discuss on various techniques of meditation.

You may try any or all types of meditation & finally use / practice the technique that suits you best.

Majorly herein below are some of the Types or Techniques of Meditation:

• Breathing Meditation / Watching your Breath: Relax in a straight seated position or whatever position works best for you, close your eyes and start to pay attention to your breathing. Breathing through your nose gets your diaphragm involved and gets oxygen all the way to the bottom of your lungs. Just focus your attention on the air going in and out of your nose, even if your mind wanders here & there, just bring it back to your breath. Doing this for 5-10 minutes initially & gradually increase the time limit as and how you get used to it.
• Empty Mind Meditation: Meditating can create a kind of "awareness without object," an emptying of all thoughts from your mind. The techniques for doing this involve sitting still, often in a "full lotus" (padmasana) or cross-legged position (simple sitting position), and letting the mind go silent on its own. Try it, it may seem to be simple, however as you start doing it, you may find it difficult to empty your mind from thoughts & wandering.. but slowly you would get used to doing it.
• Walking Meditation: In this type of meditation, your entire body is working out. You may want to practice this meditation with your daily morning walk, or if not, you may simply want to practice this in-house, by walking back & forth in your room. Just pay attention to the movement of your legs, concentrate on your breathing and body as you walk, and to the feeling of your feet contacting the ground. When your mind wanders, just keep bringing it back to the process of walking and breathing.
• Mindfulness Meditation: Mindfulness is a form of meditation that, like activity-oriented meditation, doesn’t really look like meditation. It simply involves staying in the present moment rather than thinking about the future or the past. This is more difficult than it seems! Focusing on sensations you feel in your body is one way to stay, focusing on emotions and where you feel them in your body. This type of meditation is also known as vipassana. You can start by watching your breath, and then move your attention to the thoughts going through your mind, the feelings in your body, and even the sounds and sights around you. The key is to watch without judging or analyzing.
• Mantra Meditation: This is a very common type of meditation practiced by many. People find it easier to keep their mind from wandering if they concentrate on something specific. A mantra can help in thi. This is a word or phrase you repeat as you sit in meditation. For eg. the recitation of "Om" repetitively and aloud, can help you concentrate. You can also use any word or phrase that works for you, and can choose to either repeat it aloud or in your head as you meditate.
• Meditating on a Concept: Some meditation techniques involve contemplation of an idea or scenario. An example is the "meditation on impermanence" in which you focus on the impermanent nature of all things, starting with your thoughts and feelings as they come and go. In the Buddhist "meditation on the corpse," you think about a body in the ground, as it slowly rots away and is fed on by worms. The technique is used to guide you to an understanding that your rationalizing mind might not bring you to.
• Spiritual Meditation: Meditation can also be a spiritual practice. (It does not have to be, and certainly isn't specific to any one religion, but can be used as a spiritual experience.) Many people experience meditation as a form of prayer -- the form where God 'speaks,' rather than just listening. Many people experience ‘guidance’ or inner wisdom once the mind is quiet, and meditate for this purpose. You can meditate on a singular question until an answer comes.

Whichever meditative techniques you use, the potential benefits are clear and numerous, making it one of the more commonly recommended stress management practices.

Meditation

Meditation is a mental discipline by which one attempts to get beyond the reflexive, "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness. Meditation involves turning attention to a single point of reference. Different meditative disciplines encompass a wide range of spiritual or psychophysical practices that may emphasize different goals—from achievement of a higher state of consciousness, to greater focus, creativity or self-awareness, or simply a more relaxed and peaceful frame of mind.


Spirituality, Religion & Meditation
Meditation can be said to be self regulation of attention. The various techniques of meditation can be classified according to their focus. Some focus on the field or background perception and experience, often referred to as mindfulness.

Meditation helps improve concentration & will power. It relieves tension, trauma & rejuvenates the body to face a hectic day ahead.

According to Osho, meditation does not mean a conscious implementation; it means an effortless jump into oneself into the unconscious of the infinite possibilities. Meditation helps to raise the level of one's energy. Meditation brings in a rhythm to the day. Right from the morning you will become attuned, and you will see that the whole day has a different quality. You are more loving, more caring, more compassionate, caring and more friendly, less violent, less angry, ambitious, egoistic.

When to Meditate: Though their is no fixed timing for meditation, it is best done early morning before sunrise, for atleast 15-30 minutes.

Method of Meditation: Hum, moan, groan, sing and sway at the same time. Start feeling that the sound is arising upwards from your throat existential, not meaningful. Enjoy this, that's all. Let it be praise for the rising sun, and stop only when the sun has come up. Dont worry about the external world, who is listening to you & who is not. Just relax & enjoy yourself.

Yoga & Pregnancy

In my earlier post on prenatal yoga & yoga for getting pregnant, i have discussed how important a role, yoga & meditation play in a healthy pregnancy. Smooth pregnancy & a natural childbirth are the natural outcomes of successful yoga routine. More importantly it works wonders for the young one inside you. It helps in the physical & mental development of the foetus.

Some of the yoga exercises that we may practice, to ensure a healthy pregnancy include:

Stretching Exercises:
Pregnancy Yoga Stretching Exercises help relieve aches and pains. The practice also helps to improve overall posture and this can help alleviate back problems, common in pregnant women. Pregnancy Yoga also helps to prepare expectant mums for childbirth. It encourages breath and body awareness, lowers levels of worry and helps pregnant women adapt to their situation.

Breathing or Pranayama
These powerful techniques of breathing & pranayama, ensures an abundant supply of oxygen and a better life force for you and your little one. These breathing exercises work on your fitness during pregnancy.

Meditation & Deep Relaxation:
Meditation helps to resolve the fears & conflicts, that go on within ones mind, during this period. It helps the mother to connect with her child.

Yoga Nidra or relaxation is particularly effective during this period for mental as well as physical relaxation and helps the mother to prepare for coming challenges.

Importance of a Good Sleep

Restful sleep is very important to relax the body & mind after a hectic day. Each of us enjoy a personal sleeping cycle. The time we spend asleep varies widely from individual to individual . The key to good quality sleep is to identify our natural sleeping pattern and then adhering to the required quota as much as possible.

In the past, sleep was often ignored by doctors and surrounded by myths, but now we are beginning to understand the importance of sleep to overall health and well-being. In fact, when people get less than 6 or 7 hours of sleep each night, their risk for developing diseases begins to increase.

Benefits of a Good Night Sleep:
Without good sleep we force our bodies and minds to work against nature. This can lead to fatigue and stress.
Following are the major benefits:
1. Keeps Your Heart Healthy
2. Helps Prevent Cancer
3. Works as a stress buster
4. Reduces inflammation
5. boosts memory
6. Reduces risk of Depression
7. Helps the Body Make necessary Repairs
8. Helps to regain lost energy
9. Revitalizes your body & mind

Improving your Sleep Habits:
Sleep habits are the key to getting a good night’s sleep. We can either train ourselves to fall asleep quickly every night, or we can train ourselves to lie awake in bed through bad habits. Exercise, caffeine, stress and other factors can influence the quantity and quality of our sleep.

Have a Good Night SLEEP to Live Longer & Healthier !

Yoga for a Healthy Pregnancy - Prenatal Yoga

Yoga can be a great way to make your way thru a healthy pregnancy. Helping yourself & and growing baby (within you). It is also a good way to spend time with yourself & to show your baby, U Care !!

Generally very gentle postures are practiced for yoga, so as not to make things difficult in the future. You must also take special care for a healthy and enjoyable yoga practice.

Here are a few tools that can be practiced during your initial pregnancy i.e. 1st 3 months:

1. Pranayama / Breathing Exercises
Practicing breathing exercises help & ensure a healthy supply of oxygen for you and your unborn.

2. Mudras for Meditation

Gyan Mudra
This is done by joining the tips of the index finger and thumb and keep the other 3 fingers stretched and joined.


Shoonya Mudra
This is done by Pressing the middle finger on the base of the thumb and keep the thumb on middle finger, keeping the other three fingers straight.


Apaan Mudra
This is done by joining the tip of the thumb with the tip of middle and ring finger, keeping the other fingers straight.


Prana Mudra
This is done by joining the tip of the thumb with tip of little and ring finger and keeping the other two fingers straight.


Vayu Mudra
This is done by pressing the index finger on the base of thumb and keep the thumb on the index finger and letting the other fingers be straight.


Prithvi Mudra
Do this by joining the tip of the thumb and ring finger.


Varun Mudra
Do this by join the tip of the thumb and little finger.


Surya Mudra
Do this by putting the tip of ring finger at the base of thumb and thumb pressing finger gently.


Ling Mudra
Do this by Interlocking the fingers of both hands together, keep the left thumb up (encircled by right thumb and index finger).


Note: You must always exercise these asanas, by keeping your basic health in check; Incase your health practitioner has warned you not to do any exercise / asana, you must always abide by the same. We would not be responsible for any physical injury caused due to your not following your doctor's advise.