We recommend using one of our Cooling Eye Masks or Restorative Eye Pillows if lying down. You may even want to invest in a meditation chair or cushion. This meditation exercise is an excellent introduction to meditation techniques. How to Meditate: Simple Meditation for Beginners The liberated or “enlightened” practitioner no longer needlessly follows desires or clings to experiences, but instead maintains a calm mind and sense of inner harmony. In Buddhist philosophy, the ultimate benefit of meditation is liberation of the mind from attachment to things it cannot control, such as external circumstances or strong internal emotions. To put it as an Eastern philosopher may say, the goal of meditation is no goal. Yet it’s worth repeating that the purpose of meditation is not to achieve benefits. Since then, studies on the relaxation response have documented the following short-term benefits to the nervous system:Ĭontemporary researchers are now exploring whether a consistent meditation practice yields long-term benefits, and noting positive effects on brain and immune function among meditators. The relaxation response, in Benson’s words, is “an opposite, involuntary response that causes a reduction in the activity of the sympathetic nervous system.” In the 1970s, Herbert Benson, MD, a researcher at Harvard University Medical School, coined the term “relaxation response" after conducting research on people who practiced transcendental meditation. If relaxation is not the goal of meditation, it is often a result. There are also moving meditation techniques, such as tai chi, qigong, and walking meditation. This involves envisioning negative events and recasting them in a positive light by transforming them through compassion. For example, a daily meditation practice among Buddhist monks focuses directly on the cultivation of compassion. There are various other meditation techniques. Many disciplines call for stillness - to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the teacher. In some schools of meditation, students practice a combination of concentration and mindfulness. With practice, an inner balance develops. Over time, you can become more aware of the human tendency to quickly judge an experience as good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant. When you meditate through mindfulness meditation, you can see how your thoughts and feelings tend to move in particular patterns. The intention is not to get involved with the thoughts or to judge them, but simply to be aware of each mental note as it arises. Mindfulness meditation encourages the practitioner to observe wandering thoughts as they drift through the mind. Through this process, your ability to concentrate improves. Rather than pursuing random thoughts, you simply let them go. In this form of meditation, you simply refocus your awareness on the chosen object of attention each time you notice your mind wandering. Since focusing the mind is challenging, a beginner might meditate for only a few minutes and then work up to longer durations. This could entail following the breath, repeating a single word or mantra, staring at a candle flame, listening to a repetitive gong, or counting beads on a mala. Concentration MeditationĬoncentration meditation involves focusing on a single point. An example of one of the most common approaches to meditation is concentration. In general, the easiest way to begin meditating is by focusing on the breath. It’s extremely difficult for a beginner to sit for hours and think of nothing or have an “empty mind.” We have some tools such as a beginner meditation DVD or a brain-sensing headband to help you through this process when you are just starting to learn how to best meditate. And different meditation practices require different mental skills. Davidson, Ph.D., told The New York Times. It’s a family of activities, not a single thing,” University of Wisconsin neuroscience lab director Richard J. “In Buddhist tradition, the word ‘meditation’ is equivalent to a word like ‘sports’ in the U.S. But many meditation techniques exist - so how do you learn how to meditate? Meditation is an approach to training the mind, similar to the way that fitness is an approach to training the body. By: Inner IDEA How To Meditate Effectively with Guided Meditation Tips for Beginners
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