Meditation

Meditation refers to the practice of resorting to your personal space for the sole motive of focussing your thoughts on a particular thing in order to clear the cluttered up space of your mind and veer your thoughts for a better outcome.

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation originates from Buddhist teachings and is the most popular meditation technique in the West.

In mindfulness meditation, you pay attention to your thoughts as they pass through your mind. You don’t judge the thoughts or become involved with them. You simply observe and take note of any patterns. This practice combines concentration with awareness. You may find it helpful to focus on an object or your breath while you observe any bodily sensations, thoughts, or feelings.

This type of meditation is good for people who don’t have a teacher to guide them, as it can be easily practised alone.

In this form of meditation, you have to become a peaceful spectator of your thoughts to let them evolve, diving deeper into your thoughts, conversations or incidents with other people. The advantages are generally reaped later, after practising it a few times. It helps people to get rid of eating and sleeping disorders and head towards a healthier lifestyle.

Spiritual meditation

Spiritual meditation is used in Eastern religions, such as Hinduism and Daoism, and in Christian faith. It’s similar to prayer in that you reflect on the silence around you and seek a deeper connection with your God or Universe.

Essential oils are commonly used to heighten the spiritual experience. Popular options include:

• Frankincense
• Myrrh
• Sage
• Cedar
• Sandalwood
• Palo Santo

Spiritual meditation can be practised at home or in a place of worship. This practice is beneficial for those who thrive in silence and seek spiritual growth.

It’s apt for people who are spiritually inclined or give importance to such aspect in their lives. It involves connecting with an even larger force. Coming in contact with such spiritual enlightenment inculcates a sense of benefitting others as well. It doesn’t lead to the attainment of any rumoured “superpowers”, rather its basic objective lies in practising honesty, compassion, etc.

Focused Meditation

Focused meditation involves concentration using any of the five senses. For example, you can focus on something internal, like your breath, or you can bring in external influences to help focus your attention. Try counting mala beads, listening to a gong, or staring at a candle flame.

This practice may be simple in theory, but it can be difficult for beginners to hold their focus for longer than a few minutes at first. If your mind does wander, it’s important to come back to the practice and refocus.

As the name suggests, this practice is ideal for anyone who requires additional focus in their life.

In this sort of meditation, the person has to focus on a particular object in order to refrain from getting carried away with past thoughts or incidents and experience everything else. It doesn’t allow to think but to experience. This type of meditation leads to reduced stress, improved memory, etc.

Movement Meditation

Although most people think of yoga when they hear movement meditation, this practice may include walking through the woods, gardening, qigong, and other gentle forms of motion. It’s an active form of meditation where the movement guides you.

Movement meditation is good for people who find peace in action and prefer to let their minds wander.

As the name suggests, this sort of meditation involves practising very much in the present, letting your breathing pattern guide you by letting your mind follow your body’s comfort or responses, etc. It is more interested in the process rather than the objective of that process. Resorting to activities that one is trained at or more habitual with help in accentuating its benefits.

Mantra Meditation

Mantra meditation is prominent in many teachings, including Hindu and Buddhist traditions. This type of meditation uses a repetitive sound to clear the mind. It can be a word, phrase, or sound, such as the popular “Om.”

It doesn’t matter if your mantra is spoken loudly or quietly. After chanting the mantra for some time, you will be more alert and in tune with your environment. This allows you to experience deeper levels of awareness.

Some people enjoy mantra meditation because they find it easier to focus on a word than on their breath. This is also a good practice for people who don’t like silence and enjoy repetition.

There are various advantages to this form of meditation. It helps to facilitate concentration by chanting of mantras leading to cutting down of all the distractions that surround us or attainment of a more important spiritual purpose for some other people or for creation of more positive thoughts within ourselves.

Transcendental Meditation

Transcendental meditation is the most popular type of meditation around the world, and it’s the most scientifically studied. This practice is more customizable than mantra meditation, using a mantra or series of words that are specific to each practitioner.

This practice is for those who like structure and are serious about maintaining a meditation practice.