What Are The Types of Meditation?

There are a lot of different types of meditation. You will discover that there are the ancient meditation methods that have been practiced for thousands of years, and there are also simpler modern methods that can be used.

Ancient types of meditation are generally used to achieve enlightenment and each a high level of spirituality.

If you plan to take the path to true enlightenment, you will probably want to learn one of those ancient methods.
If you just want to use meditation to improve your physiological and/or psychological health, you can learn some of the simpler modern methods.

1. Concentrative Meditation:

Concentrative meditation focuses on controlled breathing. In this method, you focus on your breathing while you also focus on a specific item, image, or sound.
In this type of meditation, you may use mantras, or chants. This is the type of meditation you may have seen on television or in movies where people chant “O-mmmm”.
By concentrating on your breathing, you accomplish two important things:

First: you learn to control your breathing. You can learn to adjust your respiration rate on the fly, which can really help you if you are prone to panic attacks.

Second: you learn to focus heavily. By concentrating on controlling your breathing, your mind is forced to focus on that one, rhythmic thing – your breathing. As you focus heavily on it, your mind will relax further and further into a meditative state.

To practice this type of meditation, you will sit somewhere very quiet and comfortable and close your eyes. Focus carefully on the movement of their air in and out of your lungs. Think of nothing but your breathing.

You may want to stare at a candle or hum or chant while you do this, especially if you have trouble concentrating. Sometimes the monotone sound or the gentle flicker of the candle can really help you concentrate as fully as you need to.

You will soon notice that your breathing will slow down and become much more regular than before. Your mind will start to ease, and you’ll start to notice a feeling of calmness and serenity.

This is one of the best methods for controlling stress, calming anger, and aiding focus in people who have memory or concentration issues.

2. Mindfulness Meditation:

Mindfulness meditation is very different from concentrative. You won’t focus on a single picture or sound, you’ll instead focus on a broader picture.

This one is a bit more difficult to perform, because it’s a little harder to bring yourself to a meditative state while focusing on so much at once. It will be easy once you’ve practiced it for a while, but at first it may be quite difficult.

As you sit in a quiet place, you’ll take notice of the serene and beautiful things around you. Try to make this a place where you are happiest. Don’t attempt this in any place that many evoke negative emotions.

You should be sitting as erect as possible so energy can flow through you as much as possible. Keep your back straight, and don’t rotate your hips. Keep your head held high, but make sure your neck or back aren’t so rigid that you become uncomfortable.

Gaze downward, but don’t close your eyes. Don’t stare at any one single object, but instead let everything go out of focus.

Your breath should be natural and relaxed, and you should strive to breathe as naturally as possible. Just let the breath flow in an out, relaxing you as it does.

If your mind starts to wander to negative thoughts, simply think in your head that you are meditating right now and you will not allow these negative thoughts to interrupt your tranquility.

For as long as you feel comfortable, simply sit and absorb your surroundings. Listen to those pleasant sounds you hear around you, but try to block out any that may bother you. If you need help blocking out sounds, you can play nature CDs like waterfalls, thunderstorms, or beaches.

What Happens When You Meditate?

During meditation, you will probably experience all or most of the following:

Regulated breathing. Your breathing will become more regular and refreshing.
Your heart and pulse rates will decrease.
Your brain waves will change as you enter a relaxed state of mind.
The production of the stress hormone cortisol will be decreased, which can help you get rid of belly fat.
Your metabolic rate will decrease by about 20%, which may prolong your life.
Your mind and body will enter a state of rest that may even be more important and restful than sleep.
You may become more creative than ever before.
Your blood pressure may fall a bit, especially if you normally have high blood pressure.
Your muscles will relax and release their tension.
Oxygen will get to your muscles and brain more efficiently.
You will be in a state somewhat like sleep or hypnosis, yet you will be fully alert.

If you want to find out more about meditation, there are some excellent books on the subject. DVDs may also be very helpful, and there are a number of CDs that are designed to be used in meditation.

Guided meditation CDs may be especially helpful in the beginning. They play special tones that eliminate your need to chant a mantra, and they also tell you step-by-step how to enter the correct state.

You may have to try a number of these CDs before you find one that works well for you. Although all or most of them will probably work, different people will respond in different ways to different voices, tones, sounds, and methods.

Meditation should be a part of your yoga practice. It will help your mind and body in many ways, and you will experience more of the beneficial effects of yoga than you would without meditation.

Toning the entire body!

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