The need for meditation is immense and regular practice is needed to keep the body and mind healthy.

The word ‘meditation’ has different synonyms in different parts of the world. In India, the word used is ‘Dhyana’, then you have the word ‘contemplation’ from the West. The latest fad is to use the word ‘meditation’ for each attempt to calm or silence the mind. Yogis use the word to mean discover, go beyond, experience the transcendental, etc. 

There are different methods advised for meditation like chanting of holy mantras, Zen methods, mindfulness methods, etc. Whatever you do in routine, every day, at a certain hour, cross-legged, or in bed, or walking, whatever you do, if you repeat it day after day, your mind becomes mechanical. When you see the truth of it, you try to find a different method. You need to see the conflicts, suppression, and control involved in the implication of all methods, which are mechanical, traditional, and repetitive.

Meditation is a means of transforming the mind. Meditation exercises are a technique that develops concentration, clarity, sensitive positivity to establish constant communication and encourages a calm view of the nature of things inside. By engaging in a specific meditation practice you can learn patterns and habits of your mind and the practice provides a way to create new, more positive ways.

  

Meditation Myths:

Sadly there is a lot of myths and stereotypes surrounding meditation that prevents most people from ever giving meditation a chance and thus missing out on its incredible benefits.

Here are some of the most common Meditation Myths:

Myth 1: Meditation Means Stopping all Thoughts in the Mind

This is the most common misunderstanding surrounding meditation and is the reason that so many people never try it out or give up very quickly. The truth is that you can’t stop all thoughts in your mind in fact we need thoughts and emotions.

It is what makes us human. But what you can do is give your mind something else to focus on such as they breathe, and by doing this your thoughts will naturally begin to reduce.

Myth 2: Meditation is Solely a Spiritual or Religious Practice

Now while many people do practice meditation for spiritual or religious reasons. Even if you’re not a spiritual or religious person doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t meditate. It doesn’t matter whether you’re Catholic, Christian, Buddhist, or Atheist. You will still benefit from meditation.

Myth 3: Meditation simply means sitting cross-legged.

The best ways to practice meditation:-

Meditation is the most important exercise to calm the mind. A calm mind helps in many ways to lead a healthy, happy, and successful life. It can cure diseases and speed up the healing process. It is the most basic work of life that starts from birth and lasts till death. But generally, we are not aware of the breath until our attention is drawn close to it. The method is as described below:

Posture: Any posture is fine as long as you are comfortable with it. Make sure to keep your spine erect.

The whole procedure can be broken down into 4 stages :

1. Preparing Stage:

Physical Preparation: The best time to practice meditation is in the morning on an empty stomach, but any other time is also fine. Avoid wearing restrictive clothes. Do not meditate while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Mental Preparation: It is helpful to meditate before preparing yourself. A simple act of breathing slowly and attentively may help you achieve some mental calmness which is a good pre-requisite for you to start the practice.

Environmental Preparation: Try practicing meditation in a quiet environment where you won’t be disturbed by the calls, doorbell, or other interruptions. Some background meditation music may be really helpful for setting up the mood.

2. The Repetition Stage: Repetition is simply the focusing of your mind on a single point. It is an essential part of meditation. It clears away the mental cobwebs and stills your active conscious mind.

3. The Receptive Stage: After the second stage, a good amount of vibrations are created inside the body which is absorbed in this stage. Keep your body erect and relaxed. Do not exert any conscious effort to think about anything. Thoughts and mental images may cross your consciousness. Examine them placidly as they come and go. It takes a while to develop this level of calmness, but the rewards of peace, calm, and insight are well worth the effort.

4. The Closure Stage: At the end of your meditation, close both hands into fists and imagine a luminous white light surrounding you, filling you and protecting you. As you become aware of your surroundings, gently open your eyes. Once you finish your practice, try to remain silent and calm as long as you can.

Your completely positive attitude should be comfortable, steady and relaxed. You should not feel tension in any part of your body. Now start developing breathing awareness. The airflow should be uniform, slow and smooth. Never hold your breath. Do not utter a word or look at an image. It will calm your mind and help you achieve peace.

 

What Happens During Meditation?

The whole act of Meditation is about making the practitioner unaware of all the distractions and make him/her focus on one single thing.

When you first start to meditate, you’ll realize that your mind begins to baffle with your random thoughts. If you sit silently with your eyes closed and try not to think a thought, you’ll probably end up pretty frustrated, because your mind will tend to wander around those thoughts and you may find yourself uncomfortable or lost in those thoughts. But that is completely normal.

It’s better to have a proper guidance and a pleasant environment if you’re a beginner. It becomes easy to practice when someone’s voice is guiding you through the steps.

With ample practice, your mind doesn't wander as much, and it's much easier to follow along and not get lost in all the stories and the to-do lists and the thinking about the past and worrying about the future that we normally do.

To begin with, meditation is an exercise in which a person uses a technique - such as a mental attitude or concentration on a particular subject, thought or activity - to train attention and awareness and to achieve a state of mental clarity and calmness and stability. In short, it is an activity of training your brain to focus better and work more efficiently with the help of a different set of practices.

Regular and sincere meditation can be really beneficial for you. Some of the benefits of meditation are:

Reduces stress - One of the best advantages to regularly meditate is that it helps a lot to cope up with your stress and get over it. Stress can arise in cases of work or studies. Meditation also reduces symptoms in people with stress-triggered mental health problems.

 

Enhances Self-Awareness - Meditation plays a very important role in understanding yourself, helping you to find out your best aspect, and develop into an all-rounded personality. It helps yourself to enquire yourself, remove all the negativity from yourself, and start being positive all over again.

Lengthens attention span - Focused-meditation is like lifting weights for the duration of your meditation. It helps to increase your concentration and endurance. It enables you to sit for long hours in your work with the same amount of enthusiasm and thus increases your overall productivity.

Helps fight addictions - Meditation develops mental discipline and willpower and can help you avoid triggers for unwanted emotions. It can help you recover from addiction, lose weight, and redirect other unwanted habits.

Promotes emotional health - Some proper forms of meditation can improve depression and create a more positive outlook on life, as well as help to understand the value of life. Research shows that maintaining an ongoing practice of meditation can help you maintain these benefits in the long run. Being a strong-minded person will always keep you ready to face any kind of problem in your life and overcome them easily.

Hence, the lar practice of meditation is very much important for the overall development of our body and personality.

Meditation Guide to Beginner

A good introduction to meditation for newcomers is the “body scan” technique, which we want to bring back to meditation is a great thank you for building a mild curiosity. What is a body scan? A photocopier-style scanner slowly moves over you, detecting any physical sensations in the body without analyzing and without trying to change what you are feeling.

With your eyes closed and starting at the highest of the top, mentally scan down your body, from head to toe. As soon as you can, notice which part feels comfortable or tense, comfortable or uncomfortable, light or heavy, then after that. You are simply creating an image of how the body feels instantly.

Each scan should take about 20 seconds. Thoughts could arise and distract you. If so, simply return to the world of the body where you last left off. When scanning the body around your meditation, you are introducing yourself to bring awareness to your thoughts and feelings.

HOW TO MEDITATE

Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed and calm down you can easily prepare yourself for meditation. Sit or lie down with your hands relaxed on your back, eyes closed. Then slowly bring your consciousness through your body, which relaxes all the muscles except the ones that support your head, neck, and back. Take your time and enjoy the process to avoid tension in your body.

Meditation is the art and science of letting go, and this letting go begins with the body and then progresses to thoughts. 

• Once the body is back to comfort and peace, bring your consciousness to your breath.
• Your breathing comes mainly through the movement of the diaphragm.
• Continue monitoring your breathing without trying to control it.
• At first, breathing may be irregular but gradually it will become smooth and even without breaks and shaking.
• Allow Yourself to open your breath and enjoy it in an acceptable way. Do not judge or attempt to control or change it. At this point, if you simply remain aware of this process instead of reacting to the thought, you will become aware of how restless your mind is.

• Open yourself up so completely that there is finally no difference between you and the breath.
• After this, you will start experiencing different types of sensations in some parts, particular parts or whole of the body.
• The sensation could be kind of tingling, cold or warm sensation, ticking, etc.
• Remain aware of the sensations, how they vary, how their frequency vary, how they come and go.
• This shows your focus and concentration has now started moving to your body from your breathing. Soon there comes a time when you experience the sensation in whichever part of your body, you move your focus to.
• At times it could be difficult to feel the sensations in some parts of your body but with experience and concentration, it becomes easy
• This process allows you to be subtle and relaxed.
• The last stage is when you can feel when the feelings are felt all over your body but the body does not remain your only existence, you go out of it, your body becomes like ashes and you feel the ultimate joy.

Meditation is your own practice. We need to drop the idea that there are specific and technical meditation techniques. We need to realize that we can meditate on anything, and our meditation is our own choice.

 Oh, and I made this infographic to help everyone get started. It’s my gift to you. Share it. Print it. Stick it on your fridge. I hope you find it useful.