Are you wondering how to meditate? Are you confused amidst the several articles on the internet that describes various techniques of meditation? Well, you have arrived at the right place! This article will take you on a ride into the world of meditation- benefits and techniques of meditation practice at home and how you can begin your journey.
Why should one Meditate?
In this fast-paced lifestyle, where we humans have a lot on our plate to deal with so it gets difficult to address our own issues. We somehow, on a subconscious level, ignore what our body or mind tells us. We are so caught up in the vicious loop of the life cycle, hustling that even when we have everything that is needed for survival, we run for more.
However, it is not wrong to have desires and to work for fulfilling them. But it sure is important to take a moment every now and then, to acknowledge all that we have and be mindful of it. That is the only way one can attain peace.
Peace is a state of mind. If a person thinks, ‘Once I buy that car, I’ll be happy’, ‘I just need to get a bigger house’, ‘I just need to get a bonus this year, that would make me happy’. I say, go buy that car, build that bigger house, get that bonus. there is nothing wrong with that. But if you base your mental peace on achieving materialistic objects, then my friend, you will never find peace.
Hence, the only way one can attain mental peace is by aligning your mind, body, spirit into oneness, and flowing with its synchronicity. This can be achieved through meditation. There are profound benefits of meditation and one might be caught on what is the right technique to do meditation. Let us help you with that!
Read this article by the National Institute of Health here.
Where should I practice Meditation?
One very important thing I would put out there is that meditation is devoid of any rules and regulations. There are absolutely no rules for practicing it. No necessary set up, clothing, music, scents, or whatever you may have stumbled upon till now.
You can practice meditation wherever you want to- whether you are riding the bus, out for a walk, waiting in a queue, or after the workout session at home.
Whatever you connect with, is the answer to all your questions.
Various Benefits of Meditation
Meditation is an ancient art. Our ancestors have practiced it years immemorial. Meditating helps produce a deep state of relaxation and puts the mind and body in a state of tranquil. Whether you choose to sit in meditation for 5 minutes or 50 minutes, your body will respond to it in various ways. There are countless benefits of meditation and several techniques to practice meditation at home.
Mental Health Benefits
Researchers say that regular meditation can rewire your entire brain nerves and help them communicate with each other better to bring about inner peace and equilibrium. It improves the alpha brain waves and also paves the way for gamma waves generation.
Let us now discuss it’s numerous benefits for mental health well-being. Some of them are as follows:
- Helps cope anxiety
- Builds skills to manage stress
- Promotes creativity
- Brings peace of mind
- Increases self-awareness
- Relaxes the mind
- Eliminates negative emotions
- Boosts patience and tolerance
- Improves memory
- Helps alleviate pain
- Improves emotional stability
- Fosters intuition and clarity
- Improves work efficiency
- Helps fight addictions and reduces withdrawal symptoms
- Improves concentration and decision-making
- Helps overcome postpartum blues
- Makes the skin radiant
Physical Health Benefits
It is a wrong notion to believe that meditating only benefits the mental health and concerns only peace of mind. In addition to the various mental health benefits, meditating also invigorates the human body organs and brings about immense positive changes. Let’s see how!
Relieves Anxiety Disorders
Studies suggest that meditating every day gradually reduces symptoms of social anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, obsessive thoughts, paranoia, and depression.
Maintains Blood Pressure
Since meditation calms the mind and all the stressful thoughts of everyday life, it controls hypertension by maintaining the ‘fight or flight hormones.’ Hence, reducing the tension in the blood vessels that helps maintain the optimum blood pressure.
Manages Asthma
Research studies have shown how patients suffering from asthma can benefit from practicing meditation. It helps cope with the symptoms by strengthening the respiratory system.
Strengthens the Immune System
The immunity strength of the body is greatly influenced by meditation. Practicing it daily keeps the body aligned and ensures smooth functioning of the organs, therefore, strengthening immunity.
Resolves Sleep Problems
Improved sleep is one of the major benefits of meditation. Meditating helps stabilize the pineal gland that is responsible for maintaining the human sleep cycle. Meditation just before sleeping at night can greatly improve the lifestyle.
Copes Migraines and Headaches
Meditation helps reduce stress by inhibiting the production of the stress hormone called ‘cortisol’ This helps cope with severe headaches.
Various Techniques of Meditation
The subject of mental health has meditation as its top priority. Some might describe it as the process wherein your mind is thoughtless, and you maintain it for a certain period. Meditating is not forcibly subjecting your mind to being thoughtless but it is an art of freely flowing into the realms of your mind.
Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness is a psychological process wherein you become completely aware of the experiences that are occurring at the present moment. It involves being open to the moment without any resistance and judgement.
You can practice this form of meditation wherever and whenever. For example, having your lunch, in the middle of a meeting, exercising, brushing your teeth.
- Try to become aware and acknowledge the present situations, let your mind wander and pay attention.
- Notice your thoughts and emotions.
- If you have trouble communicating with your feelings, then start by focusing on your breath.
- Count your breath. Feel it’s flowing inside your body. This helps develop inner balance.
Rainbow Meditation
You can do this meditation wherever you are. All you need to do is close your eyes (preferably) and imagine a rainbow of colors. Keep focusing on that rainbow until one particular color stays back in your mind. Then just try looking for objects of the same color until you feel satisfied. Ultimately, open your eyes when you feel relaxed.
For instance, if the color yellow attracts you during that time, just imagine objects that have the color yellow like sunflowers, the sun, your favorite yellow mug.
Body Scan Meditation
This type of meditation involves putting your concentration over the various parts of your body.
- Become aware of how your boy feels when you inhale.
- Slowly shift your focus to where that oxygen travels in your body from your nose to your brain, lungs, arms, abdomen, kidneys, legs.
- Feel the sensation of your body collecting deoxygenated air and pushing it out your body, that is, exhale.
Although this kind of meditation would require a little conviction but do not stress the process. Feel free to improvise your own technique and let your body guide you.
Mantra Meditation
This kind of meditation involves chanting. Therefore, you can chant loudly while doing meditation at home or in your mind if you’re outside. You can chant any kind of mantra that you feel connected to. The repeated rehearsal of the mantra aligns the mind, body, and spirit in oneness. If you are a beginner, you can start by chanting ‘OM’- The Sound of the Universe.
Sound Meditation
Sound meditation is a very powerful form of technique that involves playing the music of certain frequencies. Research a little about the various healing sound frequencies, To get you started with, the most common frequencies that you can easily find over YouTube are listed here.
427 Hz To develop Positive energies | |||||
528 Hz Repairs DNA | |||||
741 Hz Awakens Intuitions |
FAQs Regarding Meditation at Home
As long as your body guides you to. There is no harm in meditating for even two hours. Once you start meditating, slowly your body will adapt to it and it will become easier for you to prolong it for a longer duration.
Absolutely not. What side-effects can there possibly be for you aligning with your mind? While meditating, you are subjected to feel all kinds of outbursts of emotions but trust the process. Above all, you are on a journey to heal from the inside.
It is okay. Do not try to force yourself into focusing. When your thoughts wander, acknowledge them, and slowly bring your attention to your breath again. It is bound to take time. But you will slowly get there with practice.
Editor’s Note | Techniques and Benefits of Meditation
COVID-19 times have made us really anxious. It has made us apprehensive of everything that’s going around in the world. The unceasing pandemic has made us mentally disturbed.
While we are slowly transitioning towards a holistic lifestyle- including nutritious food, physical workout, yoga. Let’s also inculcate meditation as a channel to keep our inner peace intact.
As we have understood in this article, meditation does not just bring about mental wellness but also aids in physical well-being. It strengthens our immune system and also keeps the respiratory tract healthy.
Therefore, let’s enrich our lives with the craft of meditation.