Why meditation is so good for us and the different types
Meditation is a very calming practice more people should partake in. Meditation is a practice that is used to lead to a better and healthier life, mentally and physically. Meditation is a great way to calm yourself and clear your cluttered mind full of wandering thoughts. Meditation was originally intended to develop awareness or spiritual understanding. It can take a while getting used to and mastering, but it makes you stronger mentally and physically. Meditation is beneficial because it helps people with stress or those struggling with overcoming a mental illness. Meditation can treat conditions like anxiety, asthma, chronic depression, heart disease, high blood pressure and more.
1.Mindfulness meditation
Mindfulness meditation is the practice of acknowledging your own feelings without judging yourself. This can support good mental health by giving you a way to manage negative thoughts and emotions. Find a quiet space and do it anywhere at any time. You can practice mindfulness by using guided breathing techniques, body scanning or walking meditation to reduce stress. Focus on sights, scents and sounds in your environment. Live in the moment, not in the past or the future. Be kind to yourself, speak kind to yourself and speak positively over your life. It is beneficial because you learn how to better regulate your emotions, improve your social life and handle conflict more effectively. You can use body scanning, when you lay on the floor and focus on your breathing or walking meditation where you take a slow walk in a quiet place and focus on your body and be aware of your movement. This form of meditation is for bringing all your attention back to the present moment. This meditation can cure chronic illnesses and improve your mental health if it is a dangerous or unhealthy state. The mindfulness meditation exercise can be implemented early in the morning before starting your day. This meditation practice can make you feel more gratitude, enhance your five senses, help you better focus on your breathing and better control your thoughts. In order to use this meditation it involves breathing techniques. Mindfulness meditation helps to reduce anxiety and depression while improving your sleep patterns and lowering your blood pressure.
2.Transcendental meditation
Transcendental meditation is used to achieve a state of calmness and consciousness. This was originally known to be religious. This meditation is typically used with a mantra. A mantra is a word or phrase that is repeated during your meditation. There are some physical effects of using this type of meditation, although not many have experienced headaches, dizziness and fatigue. Even though many people say this meditation practice is usually kept a secret, a lot of celebrities use this meditation like Katy perry, Tom hanks and Kendall Jenner. This meditation can be spiritual, positive or powerful. This is a simple and natural technique. You let your mind settle and experience a state of rest. Lower blood pressure, improves energy, focus and memory and reducEs stress, anxiety and depression. This meditation only takes about 20 minutes. This meditation practice is extremely helpful and promotes mental clarity, relaxation, and solving ability while reducing stress and better help connect to oneself. This meditation can be used twice a day, before breakfast and before dinner. It can take a few months before seeing the positive effects of this exercise. Once this is an everyday habit in your routine, you’ll see an improvement in your life.
3.Focused meditation
Focused meditation is the focus on a particular stimulus of any kind whether it’s sound, sensation, body or visual. Activates and stimulates the part of the brain that detects errors, overcomes impulses and problem solving. This form of meditation is known to improve all of these things. This helps you solve problems more effectively and sit still and focus on one thing. This meditation practice is often used when stressed and can be used in stressful situations or before starting your day. Focused meditation is a practice used to increase your awareness in the present moment. This is something people often find challenging when in a stressful situation. It is easy to get lost in your thoughts, this meditation calls you back to the moment you’re in. People often have this misconception that meditation is hard, which it can be when you don’t know how to properly control your own thoughts. Mistakes people often make when trying to use focused meditation is practicing in an environment that is too loud, being impatient, being inconsistent with how often you practice and not making yourself a priority. Focused meditation can reduce stress, anxiety and depression. This mental exercise promotes focus and is best helpful when implemented in times where immense focus is needed such as work or school.
4.Movement Meditation
Movement meditation is the practice that involves both physical and mental techniques to bring you a sense of calmness. A combination of slow flowing movements, deep breathing and meditative thoughts to keep you calm and focused. This form of meditation is helpful because it reduces your blood pressure and stress. This exercise is a meditative state used to shift your consciousness and negative thoughts while doing certain movements and motions to calm the kind. This can be used any hour of the day while you’re simply on a walk or during a workout. This form of meditation helps you build a deeper connection with your body and learn how to be in the present moment. The process of this meditation is to be mindful of the sensations that go through your body while you make movements. An example of movement meditation is the flowing water meditation. To begin this practice, you stand with your feet shoulder length apart and place your hands on your belly. You then take a deep breath. As you inhale, you feel your belly expand and then feel it decompress as you exhale. Next, put your hands up to the sky, then exhale and bring your hands back down in front of you.
5.Loving-kindness meditation
Loving-kindness meditation, also known as metta meditation, is used to visualize and send love to yourself and others by repeating positive mantras to yourself. You can also do this to others. Maitri means friendliness. Loving kindness meditation is the act of love and acting with positivity. This practice helps soften relationships with those in your life, whether they are loved ones or enemies. You can do this meditation sitting, standing or laying down. Let your breathing flow and either look in the mirror or a picture of someone you love and say positive mantras. It can increase your empathy and it’s known to reduce pain and negative emotions. It is also good for people who hold a lot of anger or hate within. This is a practice that focuses on self care to improve your social interactions and relationships with those around you. Loving-kindness meditation improves your sense of positivity and outlook on life even in difficult or stressful times. This meditation can be applied in the morning or during the day. This form of meditation can benefit your relationships and calm you in overwhelming situations. After using this meditation people often feel a decrease in negative thoughts and emotions, an incline in positive relationships and healthier communication.
6.Mantra meditation
Mantra meditation is a special form of meditation where you focus on repeating a phrase or word over and over. The best mantras are filled with positive words or affirmations. This meditation brings profound peace and develops your intuition or makes it stronger. This practice impacts the consciousness and makes your life change for the better. It can help the way you view yourself. This type of meditation is for people that have negative beliefs about themselves or about life that is holding them back. It allows you to pinpoint a specific problem you have and fix it. the focus of producing a relaxation response to your brain by repeating a positive mantra to yourself. This can increase your self awareness, significantly reduce stress and create a positive outlook on situations. This meditation practice can be used in the morning before starting your day. You can repeat these mantras from 3-30 minutes and see immediate results when done properly and with good intentions. This mental exercise is good to use when you need mental protection or have issues sleeping.
Meditation is an extremely beneficial practice to add into your lifestyle. Daily meditation can improve your mental state and physical health. It can help you better manage stress and anxiety. Meditation is essentially training your brain. Certain meditation practices help improve your social skills and self-awareness. Meditation practice can help increase your focus and attention span. Meditation is a practice that takes a while to grasp, but once it’s learned, it should be taken seriously because of the many benefits and how helpful it can be for you when it’s applied in your everyday life. Once you find a mantra that works for you, it’s important to sit in a secluded area that is comfortable and quiet. It’s important to focus on your breathing. Repeat these mantras while inhaling and exhaling. If your mind starts to wander, let the thoughts pass, call your attention back to the present moment and overtime this will become easier.
