What is meditation and types of meditation?

This ancient Buddhist tradition consists of sitting upright and following your breath, particularly the way it enters and exits the abdomen, and letting the mind “just be. Its purpose is to promote a sense of presence and alertness.

What is meditation and types of meditation?

This ancient Buddhist tradition consists of sitting upright and following your breath, particularly the way it enters and exits the abdomen, and letting the mind “just be. Its purpose is to promote a sense of presence and alertness. This technique is similar to focused attention meditation, although instead of focusing on your breathing to calm your mind, you focus on a mantra (which could be a syllable, a word, or a phrase). The idea here is that the subtle vibrations associated with the repeated mantra can foster positive change, perhaps an increase in self-confidence or greater compassion for others, and help you enter an even deeper state of meditation.

This meditation technique aims to keep the energy centers of the body's central chakras open, aligned and fluid. Blocked or unbalanced chakras can cause uncomfortable physical and mental symptoms, but meditation on the chakras can help bring everyone back into balance. This is an ancient and powerful Chinese practice that involves harnessing the body's energy by allowing energy pathways called “meridians” to be open and fluid. Sending this energy inside during meditation is believed to help the body heal and function; sending the energy outside can help heal another person.

In our modern and hectic world, meditation has gained ground in recent years as a way to manage stress. Scientific evidence has also emerged that shows that meditation can be a useful tool in combating chronic diseases, such as depression, heart disease and chronic pain.

Meditating

this way helps your body and mind to relax completely, so that you can feel a sense of peace and calm. Vipassana, an ancient Indian form of meditation, means seeing things as they really are.

It dates back more than 2,500 years and is credited with the mindfulness meditation movement in the United States. Traditionally, vipassana is taught over a 10-day course, during which students must abstain from a number of things, including intoxicating substances and sexual activity. This meditation technique, which has become very popular in the West, is based on the teachings of the Buddha. Mindfulness meditation can be essential in helping us understand how our mind works.

This self-knowledge serves as a basis for overcoming dissatisfaction, impatience, intolerance and many other habits that prevent us from living a fuller and happier life. Ideally, to be a complete meditation technique, mindfulness combines concentration with awareness. All that is required is a disciplined meditation posture, a straight back, and a willingness to be honest with yourself. The most well-known approach to mindfulness meditation is breathing; impartial observation of physical sensations is another common technique.

Every time you find that your thoughts wander, simply notice them without judgment and return your attention to your breathing. Practicing mindfulness has been shown to reduce depression, stress, and anxiety. In addition, it promotes resilience, a timely quality that helps you face difficult situations without losing your peace of mind. A traditional type of focused meditation involves drinking a cup of tea.

Here, you train yourself to stop all other forms of activity (without checking your mobile phone, not jumping to let the cat out, without adding anything to the shopping list) and you focus your attention exclusively on drinking your cup of tea. You may notice the feeling of warmth, the scent and the weight of the mug in your hands. Every time the mind wanders, you drink tea again.

Guided meditation

exercises that you can use anytime, anywhere.

In guided meditation, a teacher will guide you through practice, either in person or through an application or course. This type of meditation is perfect for beginners, as expert guidance from the teacher can help you get the most out of a new experience. The main thing here is to find a teacher you like and connect with. You can also customize your search based on the desired result and try guided meditations focused on sleep, stress relief or acceptance.

Spiritual meditation is the conscious practice of believing in and connecting with something that is larger, more vast, and deeper than the individual self. In this meditation, you trust that there is something greater out there and that everything happens for a reason. Loving kindness is a form of meditation aimed at cultivating compassion for oneself and for others. However, what does matter is that you choose a style that allows you to integrate the qualities you experience during meditation, the practice of calm, empathy and mindfulness into the rest of your day.

Meditation can significantly reduce stress, anxiety, depression and pain, and improve peace, perception, self-concept and well-being. During the kindness of love meditation, you can address phrases of goodwill and a positive intention to yourself, to your loved ones, to the difficult people in your life, and even to completely strangers. Finally, combining meditation with a daily habit, such as brushing your teeth or taking a shower, can help you keep up with your practice and incorporate it into your life. Similar to the kindness of love meditation technique, this involves focusing on a person you know or love and paying attention to the sensations that arise from the heart.

Taoist meditation has developed techniques that include concentration, visualization, qi cultivation, contemplation and mindfulness meditations throughout its long history. Transcendental meditation involves focusing on a specific mantra or phrase and repeating it during meditation. Western Christian meditation contrasts with most other approaches in that it does not involve the repetition of any phrase or action and does not require a specific stance. Its four formal steps, like a staircase, were defined by the monk Guido II in the 12th century with the Latin terms lectio, meditatio, oratio and contemplatio (i).

Sufism uses a meditative procedure, such as Buddhist concentration, which involves high-intensity and clearly focused introspection. Meditation is not about forcing the mind into stillness, but about redirecting focus and attention to give you a little rest. As you continue with meditation, you'll be able to remember other members of your family, friends, neighbors, or people in your life. Good places to practice spiritual meditation can be at home, in your favorite place of worship, or in nature.

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