Meditation Techniques for Beginners

Meditation is an ancient methodology that has existed for more than 5000 years in almost all the cultures and religions of the world. It provides a path to our inner self and helps balance the mind, control breathing, and change our overall outlook towards life. It also involves focusing the mind, to gain an elevated state of consciousness.

In this era of stress and insecurity, we should make meditation a way of life as it helps us to find happiness within ourselves, instead of the world outside. Simple techniques of meditation can be very helpful for beginners.

• Make sure that your posture is comfortable, preferably the lotus pose. Wear loose comfortable clothes.
• Close your eyes, relax all you muscles, and concentrate on deep and slow breathing.
• Avoid any external thoughts. This can be difficult in the beginning; however, you will get better with practice.

This meditation is a self-observation technique. It opens up the windows of our mind to make it aware of the feelings, sensations, thoughts, smells, sounds, and images experienced. To practice this one has to sit in a quiet place with eyes closed, merely experience everything that is going through one's mind. One should not react or get blinded by memories.

Vipassana helps achieve self-transformation through self-observation. It helps to focus on the deep interconnection between the mind and the body. It helps to delve into the roots of the mind, to free it from mental anguish, frustration, and pain. Vipassana helps to cleanse our mind so that it attains a clearer and calmer state.

To perform this method, lie on the floor in a sleeping position. Keep the legs apart at a distance of 1 to 1.5 feet. The hands should be at the sides, away from the body. Entire body should be in a relaxed state. After this, close your eyes and concentrate on every part of the body.

In yoga nidra, it is important to feel the sensations in one's body, as one shifts his consciousness from one part to the other. Experience the vibrations, the warmth or the sensations, in every part. Start from the right toe fingers and move towards the head. You can also say positive things in your mind, while you concentrate on all the parts one by one. This technique will slowly help you to fall asleep, making you free from all stress and fears of life.

They are located in the top of the head, on the forehead, in the throat, in the center of the chest, above the navel, at the sacral bone, and at the base of the spine. Each of these chakras represent various powers of consciousness. This method involves focusing one's mind on each of these chakras for 3 - 4 minutes.

Each chakra is said to govern different aspects of our body. The chakra meditation technique involves relaxation and enlightenment of each of this chakra, so as to benefit every aspect of our life.

The information provided above is solely for educating the reader. It is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of a yoga practitioner.