There are many other types of
mediation that can easily be used just like that of the simple meditation. Here, we’ll talk about several other options
that may fill your needs. Should you
choose one?
After you have learned the basics
of meditation you can begin to experiment with other sometimes more complicated
methods.
One other type of meditation that
you can easily incorporate into your daily lifestyle is that of Walking
Meditation. The process seems much
simpler than it is, but it’s worth the try because it can allow you to enter
into a new enlightenment no matter where you are.
Walking meditation does take practice so plan on giving it a few chances before
you write it off as something that’s not working for you.
Here’s how walking meditation
works.
Start by paying attention to your
body as you walk. You should take note
of the way it feels, not just walking but how it affects each part of your
body. You should feel the ground hitting
the bottom of your foot. You should feel
the muscles in your legs and back tighten with each step that you take. Pay attention to these things.
Focus your attention, now on each
of your feet. Start with just one
foot. As it hits the ground, take notice
of it. Feel the next foot come up and go
down, notice how it feels too. Continue
to do this over and over again until it almost becomes a mantra that you are
saying to yourself.
If your mind begins to wander off,
force yourself to focus on your movements again. Your eyes should be watching in front of you,
without really looking at anything in particular. Don’t focus on anything else. This will help you to take your meditation to
the next level of meditation.
Why should you use walking
meditation? Its simple. When was the last time that you paid
attention to the actually walking part of your movements?
You think about the countless
things you have to do, where you are going and who’s talking to you, but not
the movements of walking itself, which can offer a high level of relaxation
when focused on.
By concentrating on walking itself,
you can better experience relaxation and the movements of walking itself.
Through this, you can enter into a new awareness of the world around you and of
your physical self.
If you have come to learn
meditation, it is likely that you want to learn transcendental meditation or TM
for short. There are many people that
have set their sights on this type of meditation and with good reason.
First, it’s easy to learn. Second, you can actually find countless
benefits from this type of meditation.
Once you learn to practice
Transcendental Meditation, you’ll find results and benefits right away. Through a bit of practice, you could be doing
this within a week or so, especially if you have practiced the other types of
meditations prior to this.
During Transcendental Meditation,
you will work closely with an instructor.
This instructor not only will walk you through the process of entering
into this type of meditation, but he or she will also provide you with a unique
mantra to use during the process.
Remember that a mantra is a word or
a few syllables of a word that you will say over and over again. In this type of meditation, your instructor
will give you a specific mantra to say that is chosen specifically for
you. This type of selection is based on
your body’s needs and your nervous system specifically.
Once you have been given this type
of meditation mantra, you can then begin the process of meditation. You must promise not to tell anyone what your
mantra is as that’s part of the process.
From this point, you will sit down quietly and clear your mind of anything that
is going through it. Then, you’ll close
your eyes gently and relax your muscles throughout your body, much like that of
a simple meditation. From here, you’ll
begin repeating your mantra over and over again. The goal is to completely focus on those
words.
When you do this, over and over
again, you’ll want to dispel any other thoughts that come into your mind. Clearing your mind and bring it back to the
mantra is going to allow you to find benefits in meditation.
You should practice this type of
meditation at least two times per day, every day.
In this type of meditation, your
goal is to find an “oneness” with the universe.
By repeating this one word or idea over and over again, you enter into a
state of consciousness that is elevated.
You are creating a one between you and the universe.
During the process, you’ll use your passive attitude to easily dispel any
distractions that come into your mind.
Remember, when your mind wanders, a simple, “oh well” will allow you to
come back to your mantra and therefore refocus your meditation exercises.
If you remember correctly from our
earlier chapters, there are many benefits to Transcendental Meditation. If you will be practicing this type of
meditation for any purpose, you should still clear your mind of all of those
thoughts prior to getting started otherwise it may not actually work well for
you.
You should also remember our
information about Transcendental Meditation in how it relates to your
health. This type of mediation is the
most profound type of meditation in the way of relaxation and health and mental
benefits.
There is another type of meditation
that should be mentioned because of its many benefits on your lifestyle as well
as just how unique it is.
In the other meditations that we’ve
selected to tell you about, your goal will be to use a mantra or a breathing
focus to help you enter into a state of meditation. But, that’s not necessarily the only method
to do so. In Mindfulness Meditation,
which is also known as Vipassana, you don’t focus on something around you but
rather on inside meditation.
In Mindfulness Meditation, you are
not paying attention to the physical aspects of what is happening around
you. Instead, you are focusing on what
is happening in the present moment, not the future or the past. You will learn how to focus on what is
happening right now, at this very second.
You’ll find that the Mindfulness
Meditation is one that can help to turn the brain down to low. If you are one that has constant thoughts
racing through your head and often finds that there’s just too much noise happening
in your brain at any time, then this type of meditation may be one of the best
types for you.
In Mindfulness Meditation, you will
not focus on any one thing. You are not
even going to look at this factor yet.
Instead, you are going to concentrate on the quality of your awareness.
You will be what is called a
“silent witness” which simply means that you need to be aware of what is
happening around you at that very moment silently. You are witnessing what’s happening around
you.
Don’t mistake this type of meditation for a mediation that allows you to be
passive in what happens in your daily life.
Rather, Mindfulness Meditation helps you to stop and make decisions
based on reality rather than making impulse decisions.
So, how do you do Mindfulness
Meditation? You may have heard of it
before, actually. There are two ways to
do it. One is informal. The other is formal and a good example of
this is through Yoga.
Yoga works as a method of
meditation because of the concentration that is paid to the here and now. You are mindful of the movements and
positions of your body. Each movement is
done slowly and carefully as planned.
You are fully aware of each move you are making and thus you are
mindful. When you practice in this
manner, you are mindfully aware of your feelings, your physical movements and
what’s happening in your mind.
You are taught through this type of
meditation to allow breathing to enter into your body and then to leave your
body taking with it your stress, your anxiety and other elements. Through methods like yoga, you can focus your
attention on removing these toxins from your body and live a more mindful
lifestyle.
The other type of Mindfulness
Meditation is that of informal means. In
the informal meditation, you take in the world around you through just each
thing that you do. Each thing that you
do or encounter is fully experienced in a very unique way.
For example, if you are hungry and
grab an apple for a snack, you bite it, chew and swallow while probably
watching television or even sitting on the web.
But, when you use Mindfulness Meditation when you are consuming that
apple, things change considerably.
Now, you are not just taking a
bite. You are observing the apple in all
ways. What does it feel like in your
hand? What does the apple smell
like? Take in its color and its
weight. As you take a bite, hear the
crunch of the apple’s skin, the texture of the apple’s inside and the way that
the juices come out of the apple as you chew.
As you can see, with Mindfulness
Meditation, you are fully aware of everything to do with the task at hand. It doesn’t just have to do with your foods,
either. The same goes for everything
that you are doing.
Your hand on the mouse of your
computer, the putting on of your shoes, and the movement of your pen on the
paper are all activities that you can use Mindfulness Meditation on.
Why do this type of meditation in an informal way? When you do this type of activity, over and
over again, you gain benefits of meditation at a basic level over and over
again throughout your day. That means
that you’ll enter into a relaxed state often, probably dozens of times each
day.
One thing to take away from this
book is the fact that there are many ways to enter into a state of
meditation. Here are a few more examples
of meditation methods that you can learn and practice for benefits.
In this type of meditation, you
will take yourself to a new location through meditation. You gain meditation by taking yourself to a
different location where peace is the focus of the trip.
To do this type of meditation, sit
up in a proper posture yet comfortably.
Keep some paper and pen near you so that you can write down anything
that you worry about during this type of meditation. Breathe in slowly and deeply for about five
counts to cleanse your mind and thoughts.
Then, find your peaceful place.
It’s generally a location that helps you to feel relaxed and at
peace. Keep distractions out of your
mind and enjoy the peace that’s offered to you.
Sound Meditation
In this type of meditation, also
known as vibrating meditation, you’ll use the sound of your mantra to move
you. Stand up while doing this type of
meditation and allow deep breathing to cleanse your thoughts. Then, pick a word that sounds good and
showcases peace for you. Repeat it over
and over again, in a chant like method.
Relax your muscles and enjoy what this method has to offer to you.
Even thought we’ve covered many of
the best types of meditation, especially for the beginner, there are plenty
more. Make it your experience to learn
more of them.
