In today’s busy and demanding lives, the popularity of meditation is increasing rapidly to reduce stress caused by Anxiety, Pandemic crisis, busy schedules, and events. Meditation is an ancient technique and is still practiced by many cultures around the globe. Even though meditation has many connections with different religious teachings, meditation is all about self-awareness, achieving inner peace and harmony, and improving consciousness and emotional capacity and ability. Different techniques are used by different people to discover their inner core strength and adapt suitable styles for their personalities.
Some of the most remarkably used techniques are mindfulness meditation, breath awareness meditation, spiritual meditation, focused meditation, transcendental meditation, and mantra meditation.
Mindfulness meditation technique:
This technique is very simple and good for a beginner without a teacher to guide him/her into his/her meditation. It can be practiced alone and is very popular in the West. It can be practiced anywhere and anytime.
In mindfulness meditation style, a meditator focuses on his/her thoughts and pays attention to purify his/her thoughts, only by observing the thoughts, not judging them. The meditator concentrates on one thing, which can be his/ her thought, breath, or anything and observes his/her body changes and responses as a result.
Its main purpose is to motivate meditators to remain aware of themselves and be present in the moment. Studies have found that mindfulness meditation improves memory and attention span, reduces negative self-talk and negative emotions, strengthens relationships, and emotional stability.
Breath awareness meditation:
It is like a form of mindfulness meditation, but it differs slightly from mindfulness meditation because it focuses on breathing only and ignores other thoughts coming or generating in the brain.
In this style, the practitioners breathe deeply and slowly, focusing or counting their breaths and ignore all other chaotic things happening inside their minds. Just like mindfulness meditation, it also helps in the reduction of stress and anxiety and the improvement of concentration and emotional flexibility.
Spiritual meditation:
Spiritual meditation is used widely in the East and many of its followers belong to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Daoism and some in Christianity religion. This meditation is just like praying in the silence and connecting to the Divine and universe through your senses.
Fragrances based essential oils are also used by many meditators to have a better connection with the universe and their inner-self. It is best for those who seek spiritual growth and thrive in silence and can be practiced in a worship place or home. It binds you with your divine and with your soul.
Focused meditation:
As the name suggests, it emphasizes on focus and concentration through sensations. The practitioners can use any of the five senses, depending on their comfort. It might seem easy to try but it is really difficult to be focused on one thing and your mind does not wander. If your thoughts wander, try to reconcentrate and refocus once again. It improves concentration and attention. Focused meditation is for those who want to focus on their daily lives.
Transcendental meditation:
Transcendental meditation is scientifically studied worldwide and is very popular. It is related to Mantra meditation but it differs in a series of words that are specific for specific practitioners. This style is for those who like serious and structural meditation.
Transcendental Meditation is also related to spiritual meditation where practitioners remain seated in their houses or worshipping places and breathe deeply and slowly. Its aim is to help people transcend or rise above their current state of well-being. Transcendental meditation enhances spirituality and mindfulness experiences.
Mantra meditation:
Mantra meditation is remarkably evident in Buddhism and Hinduism. In this technique, a repetitive word, sound, or phrase is used to clarify and purify negative thoughts. The most common and popular word which is used is “Om.”
Mantra meditation allows people to sense and experience the deepest parts of their consciousness and awareness. It is easy for many people to chant a word and concentrate on it rather than on their breath. This practice is good for those who like repetition and do not like silence.
Final words:
Meditation can be practiced by anyone and it’s not specific to a culture or religion. It strengthens the connection between the inner-self and the outside universe. Meditation is an easy and simple technique that can help anyone to obtain a healthy and happy life. Everything takes time to master through practice and the same phenomenon applies to meditation. It can improve your cognition and spirituality.
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