Meditation: Beginner Techniques and Stress Management Methods

Chapter 1: Meditation Strategies to Get You Up and Going

Meditation is widely advised as a health-boosting practice-- and for great reason. It provides many positive benefits, from minimizing symptoms of tension to relieving physical complaints like headaches and even boosting resistance to disease.

Between the health benefits and the fact that it's free and requires as few as 5 minutes, it's easy to see why meditation has become a well-known enhance to standard medicine.

Fundamental Principles of Meditation

Though it can be practiced in different ways, some typical threads run through virtually all meditation methods:

Focuses Mind: It is a typical mistaken belief that meditation triggers the mind to end up being 'quiet.' In reality, your mind is typically in thought. Though your thoughts may not be as fast, it is very common for your mind to be active when you are practicing meditation. The key is to acknowledge this with compassion while bringing the focus back to the breath anytime you can. Meditation is a lot like training a puppy to sit; the mind being the puppy, the breath being the trainer.

Remaining in the Now: Rather than concentrating on the past or future, all meditative practices involve focusing on the present. Remaining in the now includes experiencing each moment, letting it go, and then experiencing the next. Concentrating on the here and now takes practice, as many of us live the majority of our lives thinking to the future or pondering on the past.

Modified State of Awareness: With time, keeping a peaceful mind and focusing on the present can result in an altered level of awareness that isn't a sleeping state but isn't rather your average wakeful state either. Meditation increases brain activity in a region of the brain connected with joy and positive thoughts and emotions, and some evidence shows that routine practice brings extended positive changes in these areas.

Meditation Strategies

Scientists typically classify meditation techniques into two different categories: concentrative and non-concentrative. Concentrative strategies involve focusing on a specific item that's usually beyond oneself like a candle light's flame, the sound of an instrument, or a mantra. Non-concentrative meditation, on the other hand, could include a broader focus such as the noises in your environment, internal body states, and even your own breathing. Bear in mind that there can be an overlap with these techniques-- meditation can non-focused or focused.

There are various ways to practice meditation. Think of the following categories of meditation techniques as a jumping-off point to comprehend the practices and distinctions among some of the main choices, rather than an extensive list.

Standard Meditation

This includes sitting in a comfortable position and using the breath as a point of focus. If you find yourself sidetracked by other thoughts or find your mind wandering, gently redirect your focus back to your breaths.

Focused Meditation

With focused meditation, you concentrate on something with intent without engaging your thoughts on it. You can zero in on something visual, like a statue; something auditory, like a metronome or recording of ocean waves; something constant, like your own breathing; or a simple concept, like genuine compassion.

Some people find it easier to do this than to focus on nothing, but the idea is the same-- remaining in the present moment, preventing the continuous stream of commentary from your conscious brain, and enabling yourself to slip into a transformed state of consciousness.

Activity-Oriented Meditation

Activity-oriented meditation integrates meditation with activities you might already enjoy, or with new activities that help you concentrate on the present. With this type of meditation, you engage in a repetitive activity or one where you can get in the zone and experience flow. Again, this silences the mind and enables your brain to make the transition.

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness can be a kind of meditation that, like activity-oriented meditation, does not actually seem like meditation. Mindfulness just includes staying in the present moment instead of thinking about the future or the past. Again, this can be more difficult than it appears! Concentrating on experiences you feel in your