As meditation becomes increasingly popular nowadays, people are finally beginning to experience not only the mental benefits of this ancient practice, but also the beneficial effects on their physical health. With so many different styles geared toward specific goals and outcomes, it is not always easy to identify where to start.
To help you choose a meditation suited to your unique body and consciousness, we have shared 3 simple methods below:
The first type involves concentrating or focusing your attention on a single object, which commonly is the breath, but it could be anything, such as an image, a sound, a mantra or phrase, a body part, etc. Most people start by focusing on the breath, because it is something we all do naturally, and once we have calmed down, it is quite easy to tune in.
The idea is to develop the ability to stay focused on that object consistently and for longer periods of time, regardless of what is happening "outside" during the session. Naturally, you become less and less distracted by external stimuli, and the more you can do this, the more it translates into other parts of your life, outside of your meditation routine.
Guided meditation can fall into this category, where the difference is that you are guided by a teacher or a recording of that person. As you get better at staying focused, you gradually become less and less dependent on the teacher or recording.
The best known type of focused meditation is Transcendental Meditation, which many people swear by.
Here, instead of focusing on a single object, the idea is to keep the mind open and allow our consciousness to be aware of everything that is happening without making superficial judgments. Think of how many things can float across a river or across the sky if you were an observer.
You can actually recognize what you see, hear, feel or otherwise perceive, and let it all register, but the idea is to allow each object, memory or sensation to continue on its trajectory, so you don't actually become attached to it. or fixated on it. As you improve this practice, you will develop the ability to NOT react to and be at peace with whatever happens both within the session and, more importantly, outside the session, in your daily life.
Examples include Vipassana and some types of Taoist meditation, along with the Zen session practice of Zazen.
Other types of meditation usually combine both open and focused meditation in different ways and with different techniques depending on the culture or tradition they come from and the desired goal or outcome of the practice.
Mindfulness is a great example where someone is focused on a single object, but at the same time they are also aware of their surroundings. The beauty here is that the mind and consciousness are both active but in a calm state, and the practitioner is not necessarily confined to a specific physical space, such as a meditation room, or confined to solitude. After a certain point, you can practice it at work, in the car, in the presence of others, or simply enjoying life outside the home.
There are many famous and successful people at the top of their respective fields who practice different types of meditation. Oprah Winfrey, Russell Simmons and Jerry Seinfeld swear by Transcendental Meditation, while Ford Motors CEO Bill Ford uses a loving-kindness meditation practice and Phil Jackson, the former coach of the Chicago Bulls and LA Lakers, practices Zen Buddhism. An important point is that everyone has been meditating for many years before becoming successful-and not vice versa.
It's just a matter of time, it's a matter of playing and testing things out on your own terms before you find a routine you swear by too.
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