The basics of Meditation

What is Meditation?

Like previously said, Meditation is used to increase awareness of yourself and your surroundings. You can use it to decrease stress and anxiety. It can give you a sense of calmness, peace and balance.

Meditation can be used to increase your mood and it can give you a more positive outlook on life. It enhances self-discipline and healthy sleep patterns.

Meditation helps emotional health as well as physical health.

Helps to increase your attention span.

Mediation can even reverse patterns in the brain that contribute to mind-wandering , worrying and poor attention.

Meditation can help those that suffer from ADHD ( Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder )

Some types of Meditation can generate kindness by increasing positive feelings and actions toward yourself and others.

Meditation is something that you can do anywhere with out special equipment or memberships.

Mindfulness breathing is a simple, but very powerful Meditation practice. The idea is to simply focus on your breath while meditating.

Using the breath in Meditation can increase happiness, relieve insomnia, boost creativity, decrease depression, anxiety and stress, increase your focus, strengthen intuition, and can help us reach subconscious mind mastery.

The purpose of using the breath in Meditation is to anchor yourself in the present moment so that you can let go of worrying about the past or the future.

It provides certain types of pain relief.

Decreases negative thinking.

Using the breath can bring your mind back to the essence of living.

Brings you inner awareness.

Behavioral and psychological studies have shown that we can only truly focus on one thing at a time. Once our focus is split, performance and quality immediately start to drop.

Take 3 deep breaths, inhale slowly through your nose and slowly exhale through the mouth. Take note of how each inhale feels. Feel your chest and the way it moves when breathing.

Mindfulness is to practice the non-resistance to what is happening now. Not clinging to the moment either , just simply letting them come and go.

If a thought happens during this time, you don't try to get rid of it or hold onto it either. The thought is not a bad thing or a good thing either, it just is living in the present moment.

Self-control breath counting:

1. Set a goal. How many breaths do you want to take. It can be 5, 10, 15, 20 or even more.

2. Inhale through your nose and count "one" on the exhale you can just let the breath go or count "one" again.

3. Say your goal was to breathe 20 times. On breath 13-20 , inhale and say "nine" and exhale and say "teen".

-This is just a quick breathing technique you can use while Meditating.

There are many health benefits of Meditation :

Some research suggest that Meditation may help people manage symptoms of conditions such as;

1. Anxiety

2. Depression

3. Cancer

4. Chronic pain

5. Depression

6. Heart Disease

7. High blood pressure

8. Irritable bowel syndrome

9. Sleep problems

10. Tension headaches

• Reduces stress and anxiety

• Lowers blood sugar

• Promotes emotional health and improves symptoms of depression

• Fewer negative thoughts

• May reduce any age related memory loss

• Can help fight addictions

• Helps to overcome postpartum blues

• The effects of Meditation can be similar to taking an anti-depressant drug

• Regulates mood disorders like: anxiety disorders, phobias, panic attacks, obsession, and bipolar mood swings

• Helps to regulate the unreasonable emotional ups and downs

• Builds resilience to pain

• Helps with ADHD

• Boost immune functions

• Levels out blood circulation

• Improves sleep quality

I personally recommend to not lay down while meditating. The chances of you falling asleep are pretty high, if that is what you're looking for they do make guided night Meditations. But if you plan to do a morning meditation , I suggest to not lay down.

Proper posture during meditation is very important because it can be both distracting and uncomfortable to Meditate while your body is slouching and hunched over.

Here are a few ways you can try sitting:

Chair sitting: Sit in a chair with your feet firmly on the ground beneath you. Spine straight- the back of the chair will help to support you.

Lotus position:  One foot placed over the other leg -repeated for both legs.

Half lotus position: One of your feet is under your bodies knee while sitting cross legged on a cushion or pillow.

Kneeling position : On all fours, with spine straight, hand below shoulders and knees below hips.

Benefits of good posture during Meditation:

-More comfortable and relaxed muscles won't feel tense, back won't ache, less neck or shoulder pain.

-If you Meditate with better posture you will be able to focus better on your own thoughts and emotions.

-Your pain won't distract you from reaching that stillness.

-Someone who has good posture during Meditation will take less time reaching that state of stillness.

Types of Meditation:

• Guided Meditation

• Mantra Meditation

• Mindfulness Meditation

• Yoga

Meditation techniques:

Body scan meditation

• This practice includes observing your body and relaxing each body part.

• Move your attention to different body parts and mentally order the body parts to release the physical tension and to relax

• Find a quiet place and disconnect

• Sit comfortably on the floor or on the chair with spine straight

• Slowly take 5-6 deep breaths

• Bring your attention at the top of your head and imagine it becoming free from stress and worries

• Now slowly move your awareness on different body parts and visualize that they are becoming relaxed. Do this for 5-10 minutes

If your mind wanders, then just bring it back to awareness.

Benefits of Body Scan Meditation

• Improves concentration

• Lengthens attention span

• Reduce mental and physical stress

• Make you relaxed and rejuvenated

People who often feel mental and physical stress and can't sleep well at night should practice this body scan meditation.

Loving-kindness Meditation:

In Loving-kindness meditation we transfer positive emotions towards our loved ones. When we transfer emotions of love, kindness, devotion, compassion, or gratitude are transmitted to someone else, it brings about happiness and positive feelings in our hearts. It clears the negative thoughts and feelings and replaces them with positive ones.

Steps to meditate

• Sit in a crossed-legged meditation posture with back straight and close your eyes

• Take 5-6 deep breaths

• Visualize the image of a person of whom you want to meditate on

• Now send your loving your loving-kindness or positive feelings of love, gratitude or devotion to that being

• Do it for 5-10 minutes

Benefits

• Cultivate positive thoughts and emotions in you

• Decrease negative impressions from your mind

• Balance your body, mind and emotions along with your life's purpose

People who struggle with negative thoughts and emotions, this meditation will be good for you.

Mindfulness Meditation:

Mindfulness is the quality of your mind to be fully present, observing your body sensations, thoughts emotions, or behaviors as a witness.

Mindfulness - the practice of bringing awareness to what you're doing.

Steps:

• Find a quiet place and disconnect distractions

• Sit down and keep your back straight

• Bring awareness to your natural breathing and notice how your breath come in and out

• Take deep breaths, slowly through your nose and out your mouth

• Do it for 10-15 minutes

Benefits of Mindful Meditation:

• Improve self-awareness and self-control

• Fight against addiction

• Reduce mental stress and control anxiety

• Reduce the symptoms of depression

• Enhance ability to focus and lengthen the attention span

• Reduce symptoms of insomnia and improve sleep

Generates kindness and positive emotions .

Breath Awareness Meditation:

Developing breath awareness or learning proper breathing may improve your physical and mental health.

Steps to practice breathing Meditation:

• Find a quiet place and disconnect all distractions

• Sit in a cross legged position with eyes closed and spine straight

• Focus your attention on the natural breathing or a controlled deep breath, be aware and notice inhalation and exhalation process, and your belly movement

Benefits of Mindful breathing Meditation:

• Control negative emotions

• provide relaxation and calmness to the mind

• Increase the quality of sleep

• Enhance self-awareness

People who have a sleep problem, overthinking issues or work stress can practice mindful breathing.