At this busy time of year it’s time to look at the benefits of stepping
back and benefitting from meditation. Karen Northshield looks at
different approaches, so hopefully you can find one that works for
you.
I believe we are all spiritual beings by nature and that we are all
little buddhas in soul. Meditation has been around for centuries,
more precisely since humans became conscious of their breath. First
off, there is no good or bad way to meditate. It really depends on
what works for you. Meditation practitioners from all walks of life
would agree with the countless benefits on physical and mental
health, such as stress reduction, happiness, improved focus, mental
clarity and much more. These benefits are also backed by science.
With repetition, meditation can build into a good habit and a healthy
lifestyle. Who wouldn’t want a happier and healthier life?
Here is a list of ten different forms of meditation practices, their
benefits and degree of difficulty, in no specific order.
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1 : Guided meditation
A narrator guides the practitioner through the meditation process.
You simply follow the narrator’s guidelines. The meditation sessions
can vary greatly depending on the theme. This form of meditation is
recognized as being one of the easiest due to the fact that you don’t
have to deal with complete silence which can create anxiety and
worry to the beginner and the doubts that come when practicing
meditation by yourself. For the beginner, this is the best way to
start. However, with practice it is good to move on to different types
of meditation for the other benefits.
2 : Mindfulness breathing meditation
The idea is to focus on the sensation of breathing – not just imaging
but actually feeling the air going in and out of your nose. Should a
thought appear, simply notice it and let it go; and then bring your
attention back to your breathing.
The key here is to follow the breath and become aware and simply
notice what happens with the mind and feelings which by nature
tend to fluctuate. Other than calm breathing, mindfulness breathing
meditation cultivates the ability to observe our thoughts without
judgment. In any meditation, focusing on and staying with the
breath is essential and central. This type of meditation is in theory
simple, in practice it can be challenging.
3: Metta meditation also known as ‘Loving Kindness Meditation’
When practicing Metta Meditation, the goal is to send out love
without restraint. There are several steps to metta meditation:
Step 1 is to send love, warmth and light to oneself unconditionally.
Step 2 is to do the same thing to a friend or a loved one;
Step 3 is to repeat with a stranger;
Step 4 is to repeat with someone we may feel adversity;
Step 5 is to repeat the process with the universe as a whole.
Loving Kindness meditation is known for increasing empathy
towards other people and happiness for yourself. What you give is
what you get in return. By sending out love and good vibes, the
universe sends these back to you in one way or another. In theory,
this kind of meditation, practiced with sincerity, could improve one’s
social skills. When practicing metta meditation, you are essentially
training yourself to be more loving. This type of meditation can be
amusing and different than the ‘typical’ kind of meditation practice.
4: Focused attention meditation
Focused attention meditation involves any sort of meditation where
you focus on a stimulus. It can be an object, a part of your body, or
a mental image. Focused attention meditation activates and
strengthens a part of the brain called the anterior cingulate cortex.
This is the part of our brain used for detecting errors, overcoming
impulses, and solving problems.This is a great form of meditation to
enhance your focus, to channel your thoughts and for impulse
control. Focused attention meditation is known to be an advanced
form of meditation as it requires attention and concentration.
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5: Candle meditation
Is a type of focused attention meditation and personally one of my
favorites. The idea is to focus on the flame of a candle – real or LED
– and watch the candle flame do its dance. This type of meditation
is very appeasing and calming to the mind.
The candle flame is thought to mirror our thoughts which by staring
into the flame come to a halt. When our eyes divert away, the idea
is to recenter our gaze into the flame. Just like our thoughts which
are passing and our mind which is wandering, we are reminded to
re-center ourselves time and time again. With candle meditation,
we are reminded of our gentleness by nature, just like the candle
flame.
6 : Body scan meditation
Is a type of focused attention meditation with movement going up
or down the body. The idea is to remain present within one part of
the body usually starting from the head to toe, or inversely from toe
to head. Each time we center our attention to a body part, that part
of the body becomes present and appeased. By the end of this
meditation practice, the whole body should be at rest. This type of
meditation best works with a guided narrator and is recommended
before sleep.
7: Mantra Meditation
Mantra meditation requires one to repeat a phrase or a series of
words over and over again. Choose a positively phrased mantra and
repeat with positive emotions. When repeating a phrase to yourself
and focus on it with such intensity you reinforce the neurons
associated with the thought until it manifests. This can be a positive
or a negative pattern or mental reinforcement. In life, we often
repeat negative mantras or beliefs that we currently have about
ourselves and life in general which become our reality. Mantra
meditation can reprogramme the way you think and view yourself.
For example if you use a mantra like “My life is full of joy” you will
actually start to
become more grateful for the little things throughout the day. If you
use a mantra like
“I can achieve anything I put my mind to” you will start feeling
more confident in your
abilities which can cause you to take more action. This is a great
type of meditation if you are seeking to change your thought habits
and beliefs.
Just like mindfulness breathing meditation, mantra meditation is in
theory simple, in practice can be a challenge but very beneficial to
reinforce a positive thought pattern.
8 : Pranayama Meditation. Also known as breath control meditation.
This technique is very similar to breathing meditation with adding a
timer to your breathing. Often the form of the 4-4-4-4 box method
is utilized. The idea is to breathe in through the nose for 4 seconds.
Hold the breath for 4 seconds. Exhale slowly for 4 seconds. And
then hold for 4 seconds and then repeat the process over again.
This form of meditation is most widely known for its calming
benefits. Studies have shown that it lowers your blood pressure,
reduces stress, and even helps you fall asleep. It is also
acknowledged as one of the easier forms of meditation to practice.
There are great apps out there for box breathing. When using a
guided app, this practice is easy and comforting to follow.
9 : Moving Meditation
Whether it’s walking, doing the dishes, yoga, tai chi, chi gong or
even dancing, the idea is to incorporate mindfulness into the
movement of your body. While you move you focus on the physical
changes and sensations that occur. For example if you chose to
practice moving meditation while walking your focus should be on
feeling the ground beneath your feet. This form of meditation
teaches you how to enter the flow state. For people who find it hard
to sit still, this type of meditation is recommended. However this
meditation can become a double edged sword because moving often
makes it easier to forget that your goal is to meditate. This form of
meditation is close to mindfulness meditation which requires one to
become aware of what we are doing at each passing and present
moment.
10: Visualization
By far my favorite meditation type. With this meditation, you create
a mental image or a film of yourself, of the best version of yourself
or of how you would like to be. In all cases, you visualize a positive
and healthy image of yourself. This can be a past, present or future
version of yourself. First you visualize the mental image of yourself
then feel the sensations related to that image. The idea is to
manifest your thoughts and to live them in the moment and
duration of the meditation practice. This can be for example winning
a race, winning a medal, feeling free and healthy, dancing and
letting your hair loose, or whatever else suits your desire.
Some of the meditation types may carry different names depending
on the custom or culture. More meditation techniques exist out
there. Some can be combined such as the candle meditation with
the focused attention meditation or body scan meditation and
guided meditation and all can be set to a gentle background music.
Try out each one and experiment for yourself which one(s) work the
best for you. To give you a quickstart try out youtube channels and
apps on the meditation type and start reaping the benefits today!
