You don’t have to be a Buddhist or a Hindu to practice meditation: it will have its beneficial effects on you, even if you perceive it as a kind of exercise that involves the mind and senses. The positive impact of meditation is due to the fact that it helps us to find a state of peace, get rid of stress, which relieves tension, normalizes the respiratory rhythm and blood pressure, the body is saturated with oxygen, and the immune system is strengthened. By allowing your mind to rest, you help it gain strength for new ideas and accomplishments: meditation has been proven to stimulate creativity. And, of course, meditation helps you become more balanced, calm and resistant to external influences.
Basic Principles of Meditation include the following terms. First, you need to find a secluded corner and make sure that you are not disturbed during the practice. Mute your phone, close the door, put your computer to sleep. Secondly, you need to take a comfortable position and relax your muscles: someone likes to sit in the lotus position, for someone it is best to sit on a soft sofa. The main thing – remember that the back must remain straight so that the air can circulate freely through the respiratory tract, saturating every cell of the body with oxygen. Breathe deeply, evenly, preferably not from the chest, but from the stomach. This type of breathing allows the body to get more oxygen and increases the vital capacity of the lungs; besides, it is more natural breathing – this is how babies breathe. Finally, try to free yourself from all thoughts – concentrate on your breath, on your feelings – or don’t think about anything. This is the most difficult element of meditation, which is its main essence. At first it will be difficult to get rid of thoughts – the inner voice will try to tell you about the past day, about the future, about disturbing problems and happy experiences. If you suddenly realize that after a few seconds the restless thought returns to you again – do not reproach yourself, do not criticize, but say “thank you” to your mind for noticing this and giving you one more chance to create “silence” in your head.
At the initial stage it is recommended to devote at least five minutes to meditation – gradually you can increase this interval. Give yourself time. Over and over again, it will be easier for you to calm your thoughts, you will be able to stay in a state of balance for longer, and the positive effects of meditation will be felt more clearly. Like any habit, meditation requires regularity and stability: you can do it twice a week, just try to do it at about the same time without missing another time. Below are different ways to meditate – experiment and you will find the one that is perfect for you. Remember that to create harmony in the soul, all means are good!
classical meditation
In fact, when we talked about the basic principles of meditation, we just relied on the classical approach to meditation. Create peace and quiet around, take a comfortable position, close your eyes. Breathe evenly, let the breaths be deep, and the exhalations as full as possible. Free yourself from thoughts, concentrate on the present moment. Feel how the air passes through the respiratory tract, catch the sensations after exhalation. You can try inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth – this helps to establish a rhythm and distract from extraneous thoughts.
Meditation-aromatherapy
Sometimes beginners find it easier to meditate using additional elements, such as smells. The scent of a candle or incense stick and a graceful wisp of smoke provide an additional point of concentration, along with breathing, and make it easier to think nothing. In addition, the aroma itself has a positive effect: the smell of lavender is considered to be the best calming, sage stimulates creativity, and peppermint helps to maintain concentration of the mind. No less beneficial effect is also the smell that you yourself like the most, so feel free to light candles with the smell of coffee or sticks with the smell of freshly cut grass and – contemplate your inner world.
chocolate meditation
This type of meditation is one of the most enjoyable, especially for those with a sweet tooth. At the same time, chocolate meditation, just like aroma meditation, is easy to learn and quite suitable for beginners. However, for people with many years of experience, experienced in meditation, it will help to bring a pleasant variety to daily practice. For meditation, a few slices of dark chocolate are perfect, but if you prefer milk or white, feel free to take it; in this case, chocolate may be a pleasant part of the practice, but not the main one. First, sit back, take a few deep breaths in and out, and relax. Close your eyes if that makes you feel more comfortable. Take a piece of chocolate and place it on your tongue. Do not try to swallow it right away: feel how it slowly melts, how its texture and taste change, what sensations arise in your body. After swallowing the first piece of chocolate, pause: try to catch the changed taste and tactile sensations. Do not clothe your perception in words and thoughts: concentrate solely on what you feel. As you take the second piece of chocolate, try to follow the movement of the hand and the work of the muscles, how the fingers hold the piece of chocolate and then put it in your mouth. After that, you can devote some time to classical meditation in order to consolidate the achieved state of peace. By the way, if for some reason you do not want or cannot use chocolate, you can always replace it with any other product that will not distract you from practice. Carrots are unlikely to be suitable for this purpose – they are too crunchy, but raisins or oatmeal cookies are a good choice.
Meditation in the bathroom
Meditation in the bath combines the benefits of classical meditation with the relaxing effect of water. Immersion in water provides an additional sense of security and allows you to isolate yourself from problems and stressors for a while, so that the body gets the necessary time to recover and renew itself. You can add aromatic oil or salt to the bath, and then you can also combine meditation with aromatherapy. With this method of meditation, you need to adhere to all the standard principles: sit comfortably, breathe with your stomach, free yourself from thoughts and focus on your sensations. And, most importantly, do not let your inner voice distract you from this pleasant work on yourself.
Meditation to music
Properly selected music helps to achieve a much deeper effect of meditation. The melody should be calm and joyful, ideally without words. Classical music fits this description well, but you can choose another option that suits you. Accompanying meditation with music can also serve another purpose – controlling time. You can choose compositions of a certain duration and not worry that the meditation will take longer than planned; at the same time, the exit from meditation will be smoother and softer.
Whatever meditation option you choose, focus on the process, not the result. Maybe not everything will work out for you right away, but even the very attempt to get out of the frantic pace of life and be alone for some time will be received by your body with gratitude.