The practice of meditation encourages the practitioner to be aware of their thoughts as they pass through the mind and is a method for developing mental discipline. With the help of our beginner’s guided meditation, learn how to meditate from the pros.
How To Medittate Effectively with Guided Meditation Tips for Beginners
Similar to how exercise is a technique to training the body, meditation is a method of training the mind. However, there are numerous methods of meditation, so how to meditate?
The term “meditation” in Buddhist tradition is comparable to the word “sports” in American culture. According to Richard J. Davidson, Ph.D., director of the University of Wisconsin neuroscience lab, it is a family of behaviors rather than a single item. Additionally, various meditation techniques call for various mental capacities.
A novice will have a very tough time sitting still for extended periods of time or having a “empty mind.” When you are just beginning to learn the best ways to meditate, we have various resources to help you through this process, such as a beginner meditation DVD or a brain-sensing headband. In general, concentrating on the breath makes it simple to start meditating. Concentration is an illustration of one of the most popular methods of meditation.
Concentration Meditation
Concentration meditation entails concentrating on one thing. This could involve paying attention to the breath, reciting a mantra or a single phrase, gazing at a candle flame, hearing a gong strike repeatedly, or counting beads on a mala. Since it might be difficult to focus the mind, a beginner may just meditate for a short period of time before increasing the time.
In this type of meditation, whenever you detect your mind wandering, you simply bring it back to the chosen object of attention. You simply let odd thoughts go rather than chasing them. Your ability to focus is enhanced during this process.
Mindfulness Meditation
The practice of mindfulness meditation helps the participant to pay attention to assailing thoughts as they pass through the mind. The goal is to just be aware of each mental note as it arises without getting involved with them or judging them.
When you practice mindfulness meditation, you can observe the patterns in which your thoughts and emotions typically move. You might gradually become more conscious of the propensity for people to categorize experiences as either positive or negative, enjoyable or painful. A sense of inner balance emerges with practice.
The practice of mindfulness meditation helps the participant to pay attention to assailing thoughts as they pass through the mind. The goal is to just be aware of each mental note as it arises without getting involved with them or judging them.
When you practice mindfulness meditation, you can observe the patterns in which your thoughts and emotions typically move. You might gradually become more conscious of the propensity for people to categorize experiences as either positive or negative, enjoyable or painful. A sense of inner balance emerges with practice.
Benefits of Meditation
If relaxation is not the intended result of meditation, it frequently leads to it. After studying individuals who engaged in transcendental meditation, Herbert Benson, MD, a researcher at Harvard University Medical School, first used the phrase “relaxation response” in the 1970s. According to Benson, “an opposing, instinctive response that causes a reduction in the activity of the sympathetic nervous system” is what is meant by the relaxation response. Since then, research on the relaxation response has shown that the neurological system experiences the following immediate advantages:
blood pressure reduction
increased blood flow
reduced heart rate
reduced sweating
slower breathing pace
Lower anxiety
lower levels of blood cortisol
More positive emotions
less tension
Enhanced relaxation
Today’s researchers are examining whether regular meditation practice has long-term advantages and have shown that meditators have improved brain and immunological functions. However, it’s important to emphasize that the goal of meditation is not to reap advantages. The purpose of meditation is to not have a goal, to use a phrase from an Eastern philosophy. It’s just to be here now.
The emancipation of the mind from attachment to things it cannot control, such as adverse external situations or intense internal emotions, is considered the ultimate benefit of meditation in Buddhist philosophy. Instead of blindly pursuing desires or clinging to past experiences, the freed or “enlightened” practitioner maintains inner harmony and peace.
How to Meditate: Simple Meditation for Beginners
This meditation activity is a great way to learn how to meditate.
Shut your eyes. If you’re lying down, we advise utilizing one of our Cooling Eye Masks or Restorative Eye Pillows.
Don’t try to regulate your breathing; just let it happen naturally.
Pay close attention to the breath and how your body is moving as you breathe in and out. As you breathe, pay attention to how your body moves. Look at your abdomen, ribs, shoulders, and chest. Simply pay attention to your breathing without trying to regulate its speed or force. If your thoughts stray, bring them back to your breathing.
Start off with two to three minutes of this meditation exercise, and then attempt it for longer periods.
Once you have discovered a successful meditation technique, visit Gaiam’s Meditation Shop to find all the tools need to advance your practice.
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