Meditation is a practice aimed at developing generality, inner peace and awareness. Now every second person practices it, and if you also want to start, but don’t know why, then this article is for you.
History
Meditation has ancient roots and originated over 2,500 years ago across different cultures and traditions.
The practice originated in India, where they were religious and philosophical teachings. Vedic texts and ancient Indian teachings of temporary meditation devices as a way to achieve spiritual enlightenment and self-knowledge.
Around the 6th century AD, the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha), developed and codified meditation techniques as part of his teachings. Buddhist meditation emphasizes mindfulness and meditating on objects (such as the breath) to achieve enlightenment.
In ancient China, meditation also played a major role in Taoism and Confucianism. Taoist focuses on inner harmony and unity with nature. Confucian practices focus on moral and ethical development.
In India, within the framework of yogic practices, meditation occupies an important place. Yoga describes its various methods aimed at harmonizing the body and mind.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, it began to attract the attention of the Western world. This design was associated with an interest in Eastern philosophies and religion. Meditation then became popular as a way to improve mental health and personal development.
This practice has come a long way and is now a tool for improving quality of life and mental health.
Goals of Meditation
These vary depending on the practitioner and the equipment used, but in general, the main goals include:
- Reduce stress. Meditation helps you relax and reduce stress levels. It reduces the production of cortisol.
- Improvement of condition. The practice promotes the development of attention and health. It improves the ability to concentrate on solving problems. The productivity and efficiency of their implementation also increase.
- Emotional balance. The practice is carried out to better understand and control activities. This, in turn, helps cope with anxiety, depression and other emotional problems.
- Self-awareness. Meditation helps develop self-awareness and understanding of your thoughts, emotions and internal events. This is hostel placement and self-discovery.
- Reaching the interior. Regular practice promotes peace and harmony. This helps to cope with conflicts and feelings of anxiety. The practice can provide overall psychological change, increased levels of happiness and life satisfaction.
- Spiritual development. For some people, meditation is a way to achieve spiritual enlightenment and a deeper understanding of life and their place in it.
- Physical health. The practice has a positive effect on health. It improves the cardiovascular system, lowers blood pressure and calls the immune system.
- Improved sleep. Regular meditation can help improve sleep quality and reduce insomnia. She fell into deeper and more restorative sleep.
- Reduction of pain. Research shows that it can help manage pain observations and perceptions.
These goals can be either independent or intertwined within the framework of one meditation practice. What are you aiming for? Everything depends on you.
Meditation Methods
- Meditation on attention (mindfulness). Focusing on the moment and being aware of current thoughts, feelings and sensations. It is widely used in modern psychology and psychotherapy as an effective method for managing stress, anxiety and improving psychological well-being. Often, mindfulness meditation includes breath control and physical practices to help strengthen the mind-body connection.
- Breathing meditation. Focusing on the breathing process to calm the mind and reduce stress. The practitioner pays attention to his breathing – its rhythm, depth, sensations in the nose, throat or stomach. Breathing meditation involves taking deep breaths in and out.
- Meditation with mantras. Repetition of sounds, words or phrases for executive achievement and peace. A mantra can be any sound, word or phrase that has a special meaning for the practitioner or that promotes peace of mind. This may be a traditional spiritual mantra (such as “Om”). While repeating a mantra, you need to pay attention to the sounds or vibrations of the mantra that are often felt in the body or mind. This helps deepen the meditative state.
- Preview. Using imagination to create calming or inspiring images. In visualization, the practitioner consciously and actively creates images or scenes in the mind using various sensory perceptions such as sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. These images can be concrete (for example, an image of a beach with turquoise water) or abstract (for example, a feeling of inner peace)
How to start meditating
Here are the steps to help you start meditating:
Step 1: Choose a suitable location. Find a quiet and comfortable place where you will not be distracted. This could be a separate room or a cozy corner in your home.
Step 2: Determine the time.
Continue to do meditation sessions, for example 5-10 minutes a day. Increase the time as you get used to it. Choose a time that suits you to stay in the morning, afternoon or evening.
Step 3: Comfortable position.
Sit comfortably. You can sit on a chair, a cushion, or on the floor. It is important to keep your back straight, but not restless. You can also meditate while lying down if that is more comfortable.
Step 5: Focus on your breathing. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Pay attention to the exhalation and exhalation, that is, how the air flows through the nose and is performed easily. If your mind begins to wander, gently bring your attention to the breath.
Step 6: Use meditation techniques.
Depending on your interest, you can use different techniques.
Step 7: Be patient.
In the beginning, it may be difficult to concentrate and your thoughts will become distracting. This is fine. The main thing is to return attention to your object of meditation (breath, mantra, etc.) without self-judgment.
Step 7: Regularity.
Try to make meditation part of your daily routine. Regular practice will bring better results.
Step 8: Use resources.
There are a variety of resources, mobile apps (such as Headspace or Calm), audio guides and books on meditation available to support beginners.
The practice takes time and practice to achieve the desired results, but with consistency and patience, you can develop this beneficial habit. During the initial stages, difficulties may arise, such as anxiety and problems concentrating. This is normal and may decrease with practice.
Conclusion
Thus, meditation is a way of self-knowledge, peace and harmony. Choose the technique that suits you and find a balance between body and mind.