Types Of Meditation And Benefits Of Meditation

Meditation means awareness. Whatever you do with awareness is meditation. "Watching your breath" is meditation; listening to the birds is meditation. As long as these activities are free from any other distraction to the mind, it is effective meditation..Meditation encompasses a variety of practices that are somewhat different, while holding to the basic principles of consideration and quiet thought to bring about a state of rumination. Various types of meditation that are recognized include transcendental meditation, prayer, Zen meditation, Taoist meditation, mindfulness meditation, and Buddhist meditation.nnTypes of MeditationnnConcentrative meditation- focuses the attention on the breath, an image, or a sound (mantra), in order to still the mind and allow a greater awareness and clarity to emerge. This is like a zoom lens in a camera; we narrow our focus to a selected field.nThe simplest form of concentrative meditation is to sit quietly and focus the attention on the breath. Yoga and meditation practitioners believe that there is a direct correlation between one's breath and one's state of the mind. For example, when a person is anxious, frightened, agitated, or distracted, the breath will tend to be shallow, rapid, and uneven.nnAn empty mind meditation.- Meditating can create a kind of "awareness without object," an emptying of all thoughts from your mind. The techniques for doing this involve sitting still, often in a "full lotus" or cross-legged position, and letting the mind go silent on its own. It can be difficult, particularly since any effort seems to just cause more business in the mind.nnInsight Meditation-allows us to welcome all our thoughts and physical sensations. We accept our sensations and thoughts as they are. Not judging, accepting, letting things go, being patient help us to minimise the impact of our thoughts on our actions. We become more the observers instead of the ones that undergo. Vipassana Meditation, concentration training and mindfulness Meditation belong to this category.nnMeditation in motion-consists of all forms of Meditating in which we are active. We strengthen our attention and our awareness by focussing on our motions. The most well-known forms of motion-Meditation are Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Chi Neng and walking Meditations.nnChakra Meditation- this involves `chakra anusadhna` which means ` discovery or search of chakras`. It is a simple way of meditation for beginners and helps awakening them gently, in a balanced and integrated way. nnPrayer and postures differ from one meditation technique to the other. In some meditation types like the Zazen and Vipassana, the human body is held in an immobile position and the attention of the mind is controlled. While in other meditation types like the Siddha yoga and the Latihan, the body and mind is let loose, they are set free of any kind of control over them.nnImagery Meditation-Imagery meditation is a simple form of meditation that works well for those who do not want to choose a focus word as in basic meditation. Instead, the person who is meditating thinks of a physical destination where they feel at peace.nnBenefits of MeditationnnHealth benefits of MeditationnnReduction of free radicals- unstable oxygen molecules that can cause tissue damage. nnDecreased high blood pressure. nnHigher skin resistance. Low skin resistance is correlated with higher stress and anxiety levels.nnIncreases exercise tolerance in heart patients.nnLeads to a deeper level of relaxation. nnGood for people with high blood pressure as it brings the B.P. to normal