Meditation

Meditation techniques and tips

Relaxation, more energy, enhanced creativity, brighter mood, better health and pain relief—all of these are benefits one derives from regular meditation. To step away momentarily from the buzz of everyday life and work on attaining concentrated serenity within is a path toward emotional and physical renewal.

Basic Meditation

Basic meditation is fairly simple. You sit or lie down in a tranquil location—many practitioners recline on meditation cushions, though this is by no means required—close your eyes, and slowly breathe in and out, Concentrate on your breathing. Allow other thoughts to enter your mind, and acknowledge them, but allow them to pass.

Those who are new to meditation will find it challenging. It is often advised to begin with 5 to 10 minutes of meditation a day and work up slowly to two 20-minute daily sessions. Many novices also benefit from guided meditation, i.e., meditating to live instruction or a recorded audio CD.

Advanced Meditation

That being said, meditation is an ancient practice and a nearly universal one—almost every culture on earth practices some form of it. So it should come as no surprise that there are many meditative disciplines. A person who wishes to practice meditation has a multitude of meditation techniques to choose from.

Yoga meditation, also known as kundalini, is a Sanskrit practice for controlling the mind and senses. Practitioners reduce the number of thoughts going through their minds and focus on their breaths, with the intent of transcending ego and experiencing the true self, leading to moksa, or oneness with the divine.

Vipassana, also born in India, is for purging mental impurities. Practitioners open their minds to the interconnectedness of all existence, and they make conscious efforts to exude kindness and goodwill toward all other forms of life.

Transcendental meditation is a form of meditation developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1955, based on the Indian Vedic tradition. It is a simple technique which involves sitting quietly and comfortable with eyes closed for 15–20 minutes twice per day. It must be learned in seven standardized steps from a certified instructor.

Acem meditation is a secular practice developed in Scandinavia in the 1960s. Practitioners repeat simple meditation sounds in order to help their minds and bodies relax and bring their unconscious levels of psyche closer to consciousness. This practice allows spontaneous thoughts to come and go during the meditative session.