Meditation is an incredible way to rest and relax your mind. It is the process that takes you into a mystic world of rejuvenation and calmness!
Meditation has numerous benefits backed by science and the best thing about meditation is that one can do it at any time and any place. The only thing concerning meditation is the state of mind. It is a way to discipline the mind and bring it under control.
Most people are controlled by their minds that causes many troubles. When you know how to control your mind you become your absolute master and you can make your mind do what you want it to.
Another interesting thing about meditation is that there are many different methods so you should try all of them and choose the one which suits you the best. All these methods are comparatively simple. The type that you may choose will depend on your personal wish.
Many times people try meditation once and give up the next day. However, most people do not master it the first time they try it. The best way to obtain the benefits of meditation is to practice different techniques and try them multiple times before deciding if it is for you.
So, here are some of the best meditation techniques with their benefits.
Best Meditation Techniques To Follow:
1. Breathing Meditation Technique
Breathing meditation techniques are known to improve your mental capacity according to recent research studies. Breathing meditation can do it by increasing focus, decreasing distraction, improving motivation and awareness, less emotional vulnerability, and bringing more positive thoughts and emotions.
Breathing meditation is a type of meditation that brings all your focus to a single point of space and time in which you only focus on the breath that you are taking at the present moment.
Breathing meditation can help you to breathe deeply, increase oxygen levels in the body and reduce stress.
To perform breathing meditation,
- Breath out slowly through your nose
- Then breathe in slowly through your nose for about four seconds
- Hold your breath for approximately seven seconds.
- Exhale slowly for about 8 seconds through your mouth.
Recommended Story – Benefits of ‘Bhastrika Pranyama’- Breathing fire
2. Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation is one of the best meditation methods which help people to focus on the present moment. It is a method which can help you get rid of obsessive thoughts and negative emotions.
This meditation can also help people with different types of mental illnesses like OCD and anxiety. When you are aware only of your surroundings and your inner self then you become free from all of your past and future.
You are able to completely own and control the present moment. There are different ways to practice mindfulness meditation with guided imagery, mindful breathing, or body scan meditation.
To perform mindful breathing you have to do breathing meditation while focusing on your breathing patterns. This places your attention in the present moment.
For guided imagery meditation you can listen to some podcasts or audio where a narrator takes you on an imaginary journey. Follow the narrator’s words and focus your mind while breathing rhythmically.
In body scan meditation, you need to focus on each part of your body from top to bottom while breathing rhythmically.
3. Focus Meditation
In focus meditation, you need to completely focus on a specific object like a candle or a flower and examine it carefully. The object can be anything that appears to be interesting enough to be stared at for a long time.
Just look at that object, feel it, imagine holding that object, notice any imperfections that object has, just observing it in as many details as possible.
While doing this you need to breathe in and out slowly and rhythmically while taking in all information about your object of interest. This kind of meditation can help to increase your focus and attention span and improve your memory.
4. Mindful Walking Meditation
If you think meditation is boring then think again because meditation can be done while walking as well. As already mentioned, meditation is not about what position, place, or time you are in. It is more about what’s in your mind.
The walking meditation practice was derived from Zen Buddhism and it was also called kinhin. The practitioners slowly take a walk in a room while maintaining the shashu position with their hands.
Generally, walking meditation involves taking one step after each breath. However, the exact method of this practice varies and many more forms have arisen. Doing this meditation you are allowed to observe everything around you as you walk.
Recommended Story – Best Meditation Apps Indians Are Using To Tide Over
5. Mantra Meditation
Chanting is not a new practice. It has been one of the most common ways of meditation practiced in ancient India. It was also used in other great ancient religions like Buddhism and Jainism.
Mantra Meditation uses the same technique. In Mantra Meditation, a single word or phrase is repeated over and over again.
Practicing this meditation technique can improve clarity and focus. The words that you choose to repeat can be some holy words like “ohm” or even some non-religious simple words like ‘peace’ and ‘calm’.
Usually, people prefer to use some holy words or chants to get positive energy from them. Some common words of mantra meditation include “ohm” and “aham prem“.
For practicing mantra meditation, you have to sit in a quiet place and chant a mantra 108 times. You might want to use a bead thread for counting the chants.
Conclusion:
These were some of the best meditation techniques. Most of them are highly effective and easy for a beginner to start. Through these techniques, one can learn to focus their mind in many different ways, whether it’s by breathing, walking, or counting beads.
Often people stop trying meditation after a few failed attempts but it takes time to develop the patience, focus, and dedication required to perform meditation which comes from practicing meditation itself.
So, practice meditation regularly in order to achieve inner peace and freedom from negative thoughts.
Also Read – Top 6 Spiritual Apps For Indians To Practice Mindfulness
