Once used by holy men and ancient cultures a way to mull over the divine and review the sacred things in life, meditation is now a way in which modern man can destress, focus the mind, and bring a state of relaxation to the body while reducing overall anxiety. Below are some of the top ways to enjoy this easy activity wherever you are and give your mind and body a chance to enjoy all the benefits of meditation.
Things Meditation Can Do
- Reduce Stress
Meditation is an easy way in which to clear away the daily stresses that can take over our lives and minds. By taking a few minutes each morning or evening to meditate, can lead to an overall happier disposition, a reduction in depression, and may even assist with anxiety, chronic pain and sleep issues.
- Bring Clarity
For times you’re struggling with a problem and are unable to come to a satisfactory solution, engage in a short meditation session where you calm your racing thoughts and focus instead, on the problem you face without emotion involved. As your heart rate slows and your breathing evens out, consider what kind of creative solutions can you come up with, regardless of how improbable.
- Enhanced Body Awareness
Your meditation session doesn’t only have to involve clearing your mind and enjoying the peacefulness of less active thoughts. Instead, it can be a productive way to become aware of your overall body and how it’s coping. Go through your entire body and practice releasing tense areas. You’ll feel far better after.
Types Of Meditations
Guided Meditations: Led by a teacher, in an in-person physical group, or via a download, guided meditation is a wonderfully immersive experience in which you are ‘led’ through visual imagery that can cause you whole body relaxation and a renewed mental clarity. A common example is to envision a sandy beach, with a cool breeze on your face and the crash of waves and call of gulls softly in the distance, as you slowly walk the shoreline and feel your toes being enveloped in a thin layer of sun-warmed sand.
Mantra and transcendental meditation: This type of meditation is one in which a key mantra or calming word is chosen and repeated to yourself to still and drown out other thoughts during your meditation time. Helpful before stressful situations such as job interviews or to re-affirm a belief. Phrases such as ‘I am powerful’, ‘I am relaxed’, ‘I am protected’ are common.
Mindfulness Meditation: A way in which to bring your mind into the present moment, and away from future problems, participants focus on their breathing, their emotions and their current thoughts, acknowledging each in a non-judgemental way, before letting them pass and focusing on something else, like the fun they’ll have playing online bingo in Australia.
Body-active meditations: Practices such as yoga, qi gong, and tai chi involve a meditation that is coupled with a full-body exercise, in order to restore balance in a slow, graceful way. Each of these disciplines include a form of breathing exercises which are coupled with full-body movements to keep participants aware of the present moment.