thMeditating is something that anyone can do, and it can bring many benefits to your life. Not only does it reduce anxiety and depression, but it also boosts energy and increases clarity. It can help you lose weight, overcome addiction, sharpen your thinking, master your emotions and improve communication and relationships. For anyone who’s never meditated before it can be a little daunting. If you want to harness the power of your mind, improve your life, and see life’s challenges as opportunities to grow, here are some of the ways you can do it.
Basic Beginner’s Meditation
There are dozens of different meditation techniques, but if you’re new to meditating, it’s better to start with the basics before moving on to more difficult techniques. It will help you focus on breathing, the noting of sensations and the lack of judgment. Find somewhere quiet and comfortable where you can sit or lie down. Close your eyes and breathe, but don’t try to regulate your breathing. Just let your breaths come and go while at the same time concentrating on the sensations of breathing. Pay attention to the rise and fall of the abdomen, the chest, the shoulders, and the in-and-out of air through your nostrils. If your mind starts to wander, return your thoughts to your breath. Start by doing this for a few minutes every day and gradually increase the time.
Yoga Meditation
Yoga is an ancient Indian practice, and there are a wide variety of classes and styles. They all involve a series of postures and controlled breathing exercises meant to promote flexibility and calm the mind. Add Sun Salutation, practiced at centers such as The Chopra Center, to the mix and you can include cardiovascular conditioning to the list of benefits.
Chakra Meditation
Chakra meditation is a series of relaxation techniques that focus on bringing balance and well-being to your chakras. Chakras are centers of energy and spiritual power in the body and it is thought that there are seven of them located at a different part of the body. Each chakra has a corresponding color.
Metta Meditation
This technique is also called loving kindness meditation and is the practice of directing well wishes toward others. You start by directing your loving kindness toward yourself by reciting a mantra. You can then open up the mantra and include others, finishing up with the universal mantra “May all beings everywhere be happy”.
Guided Meditation
This technique is also called guided imagery or visualization. It is generally led by a guide who will help you form mental pictures or situations you find relaxing. The idea is to use as many senses as possible to evoke calmness in your relaxing space.
Transcendental Meditation
This is a simple technique using a personal mantra that gets repeated in a specific way. It might be a word, a sound, or a small phrase. You should practice this technique twice a day for 20 minutes each time.
Mindfulness Meditation
Mindful meditation can be done anywhere and being mindful means being aware of where you are and what you’re doing, but not be overly reactive to what’s going on around you. If you want to practice mindful meditation, you have to be able to observe your thoughts and emotions but let them pass without judgment.
