Contents
Type: Yoga and Meditation
Descriptipon: Meditation is a technique which helps is heightened state of awareness and focused attention. It involves focusing of mind for better attention and concentration. With meditation you can achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state of mind. The earliest records of meditation are found in the ancient Hindu texts known as the Vedas
Benefits of Meditation:
- Meditation helps us stay clam and physical relaxation.
- Improving psychological balance.
- Coping with illness, and enhancing overall health and well-being.
- It helps regulate Blood Pressure. It also helps ease anxiety and depression.
- Increases concentration.
Video: How to meditate
Description: Step by step guide to meditation
Duration: 51:33 minutes
Meditation requires a practice where an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness i.e. focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity. It requires to train your mind for and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state. Meditation helps in reducing stress levels, anxiety, depression and regulates Blood Pressure and Pulse rate.
How meditation Helps (A Scientific approach): Here I present some arguments which will help you understand the benefits of meditation scientifically and logically.
It has been scientifically proven that calm mind is more sharp and we can easily solve complex problems with a calm mind. Meditation trains your mind to stay calm. The practice of meditation involves slow and deep breathing by focusing on our breath as we inhale and exhale. The inhale and exhale process has to be slow and subtle. As we practice more, more refined the process becomes. It brings down our heart beats which may have resulted as a result of excitement or fear. This in turn trains our mind to stay calm balanced. As already said calm mind is more powerful and strong.
Now imagine a stream of flowing water. If the water is turbulent it is more dirty and muddy. But when the turbulence is stopped, the mud gradually settles down and water becomes more clear and transparent. Same thing applies to our mind. Calm mind is more clear, transparent and strong.
Another example I can think of is fear. Fear makes our mind stressful. It increases the heart beats and te blood circulation. If this stage is continued for a long time it may result in increased Blood Pressure. When you train your mind to stay calm it helps you to over come stress related issues.
Meditation is also about training your mind to stay focused by concentrating on your breath and also focusing on an object or a deity or some mantra which you repeat continuously during meditation. If you practice meditation regularly it certainly is helping you in your concentration levels and stay focused.
How to begin your meditation process: Here are some important tips to keep in mind before you start your meditation.
Begin Small: Begin with smaller sessions and as you practice more keep increasing the time. You may begin from 10 minutes and gradually increase your timing to 30 or 45 minutes over a period of time.
Set a schedule: You should begin the practice of meditation by setting a proper schedule for your self. Make it a practice at the same time daily. Morning (dawn) and evening (Dusk) are recommended for meditation.
Fix a Permanent Place: Set a permanent place for your meditation whether it is your room, anywhere in house or in an open space. It helps in focus and concentration.
Be comfortable: When you seat yourself for meditation. Try to leave any kind of stress or thoughts while you are meditating.
Have faith: Faith is very important factor in life. Psychologists have already proved that faith is very important to achieve better results. Have faith you can do it. Have faith in meditation and also have faith that it is for good and beneficial to your health over all.
How to Practice Meditation:
Choose a place that is calm and free from distractions. Choose a place where you can sit comfortably without any distractions. If you are doing indoor ensure ventilation is good so that you can breathe fresh air.
Seat yourself comfortably. You can sit cross-legged on the floor or in a chair as long as you feel that you can sit comfortably. It is recommended you sit on a raised platform or you may use a pillow or a mattress.
Back strait: Keep your back upright and straight and look straight with your eyes closed and focus on the point above your nose between your eyes.
Focus on your breathing. Close your eyes and take deep breaths that expand your belly and then slowly exhale. Follow your breath end to end every time and the gaps between each inhale and exhale. Also maintain your gaze on NASIGRAM (The point between your eyes and slightly above nose) and focus on any deity or object of your choice.
Concentrate: Keep your thoughts away and focus on your breathing and gaze on Nasikagram. Imagine an object or a deity or a source of light on your Nasigram and fully focus on the same.
Stay focused. Your mind is inevitably going to wander. As soon you notice that your thoughts drifting away bring back your focus and follow your breath.
Breathing Process: There are various ways of doing meditation or Pranayam. It differs in the timing of inhale and exhale and also the time you hold your breath. The ratio of the time for inhale, exhale and the time you hold your breath is different in different types of Pranayam. However most practised in 1:1 that means the timing for inhale and exhale is same. If you inhale for 20 seconds then you exhale in the same time ie 20 seconds.
Press your right nostril with the help of the thumb of your right hand and start inhaling slowly. Follow your breath as you inhale and fill your lungs full.
Now with the help of your two middle fingers close the left nostril and exhale through the right nostril. Take care the exhale as slow as you can. Exhale till your lungs are empty. Precaution should be taken not to press your lungs too hard or stress them.
Again inhale through the right nostril slowly filling your lungs full. Keep following your breath end to end.
Now close the right nostril with the help of your thumb and exhale slowly. Follow your breath end to end.
This entire cycle inhale (Left nostril)-exhale (Right Nostril)-inhale (Right nostril)-exhale (Left Nostril) constitutes one cycle of pranayam. Now repeat the cycle and continue the pracctice.
Keep following your breath end to end while each inhale and exhale and be aware of the gap between each inhale and exhale. They say God lies between the breaths.
While each inhale-exhale process keep your eyes closed with full focus on Nasikagram (The point above your nose and between your eyes). In Hindu mythology it is believed God resides here. It is one of the reasons Tilak is applied at the spot. You can imagine the image of the God you pray or any object or light on your Nasikagram.
Our mind they say travels very fast. Our thoughts jump and keep wandering and it is natural. As soon your thoughts start wandering bring back your mind and start following your breath and focus on your Nasikagram as explained above.
It is very easy even though it may sound difficult initially. This can be explained like this. Imagine your mind as a screen and your thoughts as a power point presentation running on the screen. Now your mind sees what is there on the slide. Change the slide and you start seeing something different. Now there is a power point presentation running and your mind is jumping places.
Now every time the slide changes you bring back the original slide, that is the slide about meditation. Keep practising and soon you will master the art and gradually increase the timing.
How long to do meditation: I would advise you to meditate for minimum twenty minutes and then increase the timing to 40-60 minutes on a daily basis.
What is good time to meditate: It is said that the best time to meditate is when there is neither day nor night. The time between the day and the night is the perfect time for meditation. You can practice the meditation at early morning at dawn or in the evening at dusk.
In the video above, I have discussed the whole process and benefits in detail explaining each and every step and the best practices that need to be followed. It will help you in understanding it better so that you can reap maximum benefits of meditation.
Still in case you need a detailed guidance which is actually advised for a beginner, you can mail it to us and I will be happy to guide you through the whole process.
Do watch the detailed video and share it with your friends and family.
Let me know in your comments below how helpful it was to you and in case you need any further information or help.
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