Today almost half a billion people in the world practice meditation on a daily basis. From prehistoric times and throughout history there is evidence of cultures that practiced meditation regularly, especially in religious contexts. Meditation is intended to allow a person to develop peaceful states of consciousness, to think clearly, to feel happiness and to blend easily with the energy that flows to us and through us. Beyond this, it helps reduce stress, anxiety, anger and negative emotions in general. There are lots of different types of meditation that can be practiced, each one comes to serve a different purpose or allow different types of people to find the way that suits them best.
Why should you practice meditation?
The life you will experience will be the same life, the people you will meet during the day will also be the same people, but the way you will experience your day, the things that will happen to you during that day and the way you will interpret them will be completely different. The things you want for yourself already exist, they are on the frequency of your joy, you can easily align with them through daily practice of meditation every morning.
(Read more about another tool that can be practiced daily that will allow you access to your joy frequency)
Imagine for a second that you want to vacuum your house. You run around with the vacuum cleaner in every corner of the house and do not miss even an inch, but your vacuum cleaner is not connected to the electricity. When you finish vacuuming, will the house be clean or will it be the same, only with vacuum marks everywhere? This is exactly the same principle. Would you give up plugging the cable in because the process requires you to invest basic effort?
You want to connect to your power, the power that creates worlds, that gives you the energy of life.
In the morning it is the optimal time to connect to this force. As we sleep the momentum we have accumulated resets and balances with the frequency of our higher-self. As soon as we wake up, we have the option to easily maintain that frequency (all our desires are on that frequency). One of the most effective ways to maintain that frequency for a longer period of time is to meditate.
In addition, when our consciousness is free of thoughts, we have more space to absorb particularly precise ideas and impulses from our broadest and intelligent consciousness. Practice allows us to flow easily with life and adjusts us to a better day. It’s like a preventative measure, before it becomes too late to stop the momentum that our negative thoughts are gaining. Similarly, it is easier to stop a car on the plain, than to stop it after it has already started rolling down the mountain.
Types of meditation and how to practice them.
- Guided Meditation / Guided Imagery:
I think this is the easiest way to practice meditation. It is suitable for beginners or for days when we are more preoccupied. You can find a large database of guided meditation on YouTube or in various apps like ‘Headspace’. In this case, it may take you a while to find the meditation, the style of instruction or the guide to which you will connect, but that is also fine. Every day you can try something new until you find what you are most connected to. During the practice you will be guided throughout the meditation process. Concentrating will be easier because there will be some guiding sound or sounds that you need to concentrate on during the time you have chosen to practice.
- NLP Meditation:
This meditation works in the same way as guided meditation, but its purpose is to instill positive belief in a particular subject and focused area or to improve our lives overwhelmingly through empowering messages while meditating. At this time when the mind is cleansed of thoughts it has more opportunity to absorb these messages and believe them more easily. You can find a lot of NLP meditation on YouTube as well.
* In fact, it is also possible to incorporate it into daily life if we take the empowering messages and deliberately think about them throughout the day. - Meditation In Motion:
Another way to practice meditation is while moving, in other words, to create a connection between movement, breathing and by concentrating on our body. Yoga is a great way because we concentrate on connecting our breaths to movements and focus only on the present moment. Anyone who has practiced yoga knows that when we are preoccupied with other thoughts, the practice becomes more difficult and we feel less stable. When we dedicate ourselves to the practice and concentrate only on movement and breathing, thoughts are simply released from our consciousness.
* We can adjust it and practice meditation in motion even while sitting and not just while practicing yoga.
If we connect a few simple hand movements to our breathing rhythm we can easily concentrate on that.
For example:
As we inhale – we spread our hands to the sides.
When we exhale – we bring our hands closer to the heart in a prayerful movement.
Breathe – move your hands behind your neck.
Exhale – raise your hands up.
Breathe – lower your arms to the sides. So coming full circle.
- Meditation For The Development Of Concentration:
The purpose of this meditation is to strengthen control and accessibility. Practice it by silencing thoughts. You can do this by focusing on one subject, that is to say focus on some constant sound in the room, such as an air conditioner or repeat a certain mantra, for example ‘everything I need is already inside me’. In this meditation you can also focus on the process of breathing, counting breaths (inhale-1, exhale-2, up to ten and repeat). Of course if the concentration is lost, it’s okay, all you have to do when you notice that your thoughts are wandering is to just go back to counting from the beginning. Or if you already have control over your thoughts, just be aware of every inhalation and exhalation.
* This meditation can be adjusted to or combined with your everyday routine. For example on a bus ride, take a few moments to calm your thoughts and concentrate on your breathing. While walking in the park, feel the push of your foot on the ground or concentrate on the birds chirping. For a few minutes let go of your thoughts and just be present. - Focus Expansion Meditation:
The goal of this meditation is to gain control of our power and merge with all of creation. This meditation is for the more advanced and it is practiced by detaching our point of view from our body and connecting to a wider angle of view. Imagine that above you there is some kind of point, through which everything that takes place around you is projected. That point is basically your source, which inhabits everything that exists in your reality. You actually let go of your thoughts and see yourself as one with all creation. Being aware of this and practicing broad vision allows you to easily blend in with creation and expand your point of ego into the power that creates worlds. Banthiano Masaro explains here more about this meditation.
* This meditation can be easily incorporated during the day, even if you are still in the early stages of meditation practice. It is achieved by taking a deep breath and releasing all your thoughts for 2-5 seconds. For this time, do not think about anything. This meditation can be amplified and in so doing, you can identify the stable state that remains behind your thoughts and connects to your broader point of view while understanding everything projected through you in your reality.
The goal is to be in an awake state and not in sleep relaxation. When practiced correctly, meditation helps us feel more alert and excited, but remember that it is okay to fall asleep as well and it happens to everyone. Tomorrow is a new day to practice again. The main goal is to practice controlling our consciousness. Once we take control of what is happening in our consciousness, we are actually taking control of what is happening in our lives.
Do not be too hard on yourself if at first it is difficult or if you fall asleep, everything is fine, the practice itself and your commitment to yourself will create positive ripples in your life. Like any muscle you work on, you will see that slowly the exercises will become easier. Choose the type that speaks to you, but remember that you can always diversify to experience different types of meditation. I personally re-select each day the type that is more appropriate for me for that day.
I have been practicing meditation for the last four years, I will not lie to you, there are still days when my thoughts are so messy that out of the 18 minutes I devote to meditation, I manage to remain silent for only five minutes in total. But even on days like this when my meditation is not completely quiet, I can still say with a full heart that there is a significant positive difference between the days when I practice, even without full control, compared to the days when I do not meditate at all. Meditation balances me, allows me to feel more present during the day and look at things from a broader perspective. The time I devote to it reminds me every day that there is always this peaceful place within me and that I have access to it whenever I want.
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