Why is Meditation a good thing to do?
According to Buddhism, a person can reach Nirvana or the highest state of enlightenment through participating in a regular meditation practice. Over time, many people have benefited from the practice of meditation. You may have heard the term, Mindfulness Meditation before, but did you know there was another main type?
Meditation, as practiced by Buddhist monks and practitioners, has become a spiritual tool and health enhancer. More than just chanting and lotus posture, meditation is about proper breathing and focusing one’s thoughts. As a health and spiritual practice, meditation came into prominence centuries ago.
How do we know if we are already in a state of meditation or just wasting away time with our eyes closed? Meditation is a state of mind that leads to inner peace, an improved sense of self, and the development of a positive outlook in life.
The two main types of Meditation
There are two main types of meditation; the concentrative and the mindfulness type. Concentrative Meditation is focused on the person’s concentration abilities where they sit quietly and calmly with a good knowledge of breath work. It is said that one’s mind is somewhat connected to one’s breath of air and it is true that slowing down our breathing can make us feel much less stressed.
A continuous rhythm of inhales and exhales of breath will make the person feel more calm and relaxed, focusing on the steady flow of air in and out of their bodies. This will result in the mind being more aware and tranquil at the same time. A popular meditative practice involves thinking or saying the number 1 with each in breath and 2 with each out breath or breathing love in and breathing love out. You can also use colour breathing where you breath in a nice tranquil healing colour, like blue and exhale all negativity which can be black or grey. This is just one way we can concentrate or focus the mind and the purpose of this type of meditation is to focus our mind on something so we can eliminate the negative thought chatter that is a constant in most people’s mind.
Mindfulness Meditation, on the other hand, involves attention and awareness on passing waves of sensations, images, feelings, thoughts, sounds, smell, anything that your body can interact with. This in turn will give the person a more non-reactive mind state, much like looking at a television, without any feeling or thoughts that can bother you.
Meditation and relaxation often go hand in hand. In scientific studies, it has been proven that there are health benefits in regularly practicing meditation. By being in a relaxed state of mind, the person is also regarded as being in an alpha state, which is a level of consciousness that promotes good healing. This is the same state that you enter when you have hypnotherapy and this is why guided meditation tracks can feel like hypnosis tracks and vice versa,
Since people are constantly moving, so being in a state of relaxation and stillness can enhance our overall well-being. Knowing all this, one can see the connection of both scientific and spiritual factors that are brought together by meditation. When practicing meditation, a person can see their innermost self at its fullest. This can help a person dealing with external difficulties to see past all the challenges and become humbler and calmer in dealing with situations.
Which form of meditation is best?
Based on what we’ve said so far, it doesn’t matter which type of meditation you do as everyone is different and has different preferences and abilities. If you enjoy focusing on your breath then concentrated may be best for you but if you prefer to relax and let go and just observe without concentrated focus then mindfulness may be a better fit for you. As long as you’re taking your mind off the daily grind and negative or stressful thoughts then meditation will be a valuable tool in your wellbeing routine.
This relaxed state of meditating can also help take away simple headaches, stress, or even mild anxiety. There are no known ways that meditation can be harmful, so why not give it a try?