6 of the Best Meditation Techniques for Beginners to Learn
Meditation
Meditation is often defined as a group of techniques that are intended to encourage a heightened state of awareness and focused attention. Meditation is another consciousness-altering technique that has been shown to have numerous benefits for psychological well-being. While meditation has recently grown in popularity, but the practice is coming from back thousands of years. The practice has been related to religious traditions, particularly Buddhism. Meditation was used throughout Asia but finally began to form its path to other parts of the globe during the 20th century.
Over the last couple of decades, meditation has also been integrated into different treatment methods including mindfulness-based stress reduction, an approach that integrates mindfulness and meditation to help an individual deal with stress, anxiety, depression and other mental conditions.
Nowadays, with the large need to decrease stress during our busy timetables and demanding lives, meditation is increasing in popularity.
Since there is a different ways to meditate, it’s important to seek out a practice that complements your personality and fulfils your necessities.
There are few popular varieties of meditation practice.
• mindfulness meditation
• spiritual meditation
• focused meditation
• mantra meditation
• progressive relaxation
• visualization meditation
Meditation can be an excellent tool for relaxation and healing, but this style is not always suitable for everyone.
Keep reading to acquire more knowledge about the different types of meditation.
Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation originates from Buddhist teachings and is the most preferred meditation method within the West.
In mindfulness meditation, you need to pay attention to your thoughts as they pass through your mind. You don’t judge the thoughts or become engaged with them. You just observe and note down any patterns.
This practice incorporates concentration with awareness. This will also help you to focus on an object or your breath while you notice any bodily sensations, thoughts, or feelings.
This type of meditation is mainly for those people who don’t have a teacher to guide them, as it can be easily practiced alone.
Spiritual Meditation
Spiritual meditation is employed in Eastern religions, like Hinduism and Daoism, and within the Christian faith.
It’s the same as prayer in this you reflect on the silence around you and seek a deeper reference to your God or Universe.
Essential oils are commonly applied to heighten the spiritual experience.
Spiritual meditation can be performed in a place of worship or at home. This practice is useful for people who thrive in silence and seek spiritual growth.
Focused Meditation
By using any of the five senses focused meditation includes concentration. For example, you can emphasize something internal, like your breath, or you can bring in external impacts to help focus your attention. Try counting mala beads, taking note of a gong, or looking at visible radiation.
This practice could also be simple in theory, but it is often difficult for beginners to carry their focus for extended than some minutes initially. If your mind does wander, it’s necessary to return back to the practice and refocus.
As the name suggests, this practice is essential for anyone who needs additional focus in their life.
Mantra Meditation
Mantra meditation is influential in many teachings, including Hindu and Buddhist culture. This kind of meditation uses a constant sound to clear the mind. It may be a word, phrase, or sound, like the favored “Om.”
It doesn’t matter if your mantra is spoken aloud or softly. After chanting the mantra a few times, you’ll be more alert and in tune together with your environment. This permits you to experience deeper levels of awareness.
Some people enjoy mantra meditation because they find it easier to target a word than on their breath. This can be also an honest practice for those people who don’t like silence and prefer repetition.
Progressive Relaxation
Progressive relaxation is an exercise that is aimed to promote relaxation and reduce tension in the body, it’s also known as body scan meditation. Sometimes, this type of meditation involves slowly tightening and relaxing one muscle group at a time throughout the body.
In a few cases, it should also encourage you to imagine a delicate wave flowing through your body to assist release any tension. This form of meditation is commonly useful to relieve stress and unwind before bedtime.
Visualization Meditation
Visualization meditation is a method that concentrates on enhancing feelings of relaxation, peace, and calmness by visualizing positive scenes or images. With this practice, it’s important to visualize the scene and use all five senses to feature the maximum amount of detail possible.
Another variety of visualization meditation methods is imagining yourself succeeding at specific goals, which is meant to extend focus and motivation. Many folk use visualization meditation to reduce stress levels, promote inner peace and boost their mood.
Benefits of Meditation
There are numerous benefits of meditation.
Meditation can help to control lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety, decrease pain, ease symptoms of depression and improve sleep.
Whether the advantages are anecdotal or scientifically proven, those people who follow a daily meditation practice are convinced of the advantages in their lives.
The bottom line
When you’re focusing to reduce stress or find spiritual awareness, find calmness, or flow-through movement, there’s a meditation practice for you.
To try various types of meditation, you need to step out of your comfort zone, it usually takes a little trial and error until you find the correct one that fits.
If we’re forcing it, then it becomes a chore and meditation isn’t meant to be a forced thing. The regular practice eventually becomes supportive, enjoyable and sustaining.
