Most people, when they hear the word “meditation”, imagine some Indian yogi or Buddhist monk, but meditation can be considered not only from the point of view of religion and mysticism, but also science. In a nutshell, meditation is a mind-setting technique that definitely works! And it not only makes you calm, but comprehensively improves mental and physical health! To date, there are many studies that confirm this.
Meditation practices differ depending on the culture in which they were formed.
However, even a cursory study of the foundations of meditative practices in different countries allows us to identify some common features inherent in most techniques. Any meditation is aimed at calming the mind.
This goal is achieved in two different ways: either by concentrating on a specific object (be it a few words of a Sanskrit mantra, or even the sound of one's own breathing), or by completely abandoning all concentration, "turning off" the brain. The result in both cases is the same: the mind of the meditator is freed from unnecessary thoughts and images, becoming open to the world and to himself. It is worth noting that, despite the deep religious roots of meditation, it is not at all necessary to engage in it in an attempt to achieve a state of Buddhist or Hindu enlightenment.
Modern medicine recommends meditation as a simple and effective way to relieve stress and improve the overall quality of life.
Effects that can be obtained through meditation
So what do you need to do to start your first meditation? First, it is worth understanding for yourself that there is nothing supernatural in meditation. On the contrary, it is a very practical exercise aimed at achieving concrete results. Do you want to get rid of accumulated stress, become calmer, better understand yourself and feel the world around you? Start practicing if the answer to this question is yes.
In fact, any meditation is the following: you sit in a comfortable position (the lotus position is by no means necessary) in a convenient place where no one will disturb you, and you don’t think about anything for 10-15 minutes.
It would seem that it is easy! However, in practice, any meditator faces a number of difficulties. During meditation, the brain switches to alpha-rhythm mode, the amount of gray matter increases, as well as neurotransmitters: serotonin and dopamine, cortisol and blood pressure levels decrease, and immunity increases.
In simpler terms, during meditation you become more calm and confident, reduce tension and fatigue, improve memory and attention, increase productivity and self-control, as well as concentration, learning, resistance to disease, and even slowing down cell aging!
There are also studies that show that meditation helps to significantly get rid of various addictions, including nicotine and alcohol.
It is not surprising that now in the world meditation practices are becoming more popular, and most importantly, more effective than Tony Robbins' seminars! So how do you start meditating?
There are different types of meditation, but for the most part they all have one thing in common - it is an increase in awareness and concentration. The article will present two meditation techniques: formal and informal or momentary meditation.
formal meditation
This is the performance of special exercises, in a specially allotted time, in a fairly strict form. This type of meditation is as follows: find a quiet place and sit with a straight back in a comfortable position. It doesn't have to be a lotus position, you can sit as and where you like, it doesn't matter. The main principle is a straight back and a relaxed body. This is necessary in order to facilitate the process of breathing. You can keep your eyes open or closed. Then just focus on the feeling of your breath and watch it: inhale-exhale.
Sooner or later you will start to think: “am I breathing too fast, how long has it been”, etc. It may seem irritable that you cannot keep your attention on your breath, but this is normal. Don't get angry or beat yourself up, just shift your attention to your breathing. It is this point of redirection of attention that is key. Over time, you will be able to do this faster and faster, and it is thanks to this skill that in everyday life you will be able to concentrate on what you need, and not on all sorts of distractions. During practice, try not to judge your thoughts and feelings in any way. Just watch them as they come and go. This is reminiscent of how clouds float across the sky, sometimes small clouds float, sometimes thunderclouds, but behind them there has always been and will be a blue sky. This sky is the gap between your thoughts and it is there that infinite harmony and tranquility lies.
Informal or momentary meditation
It is bringing a state of mindfulness (or another desired state) into everyday life.
It can be done anywhere, anytime and under any circumstances. In fact, this is the same meditation as the formal one, only as compressed as possible. To perform it, straighten your back and relax your shoulders. Breathe calmly. Next, bring your attention to your breath and focus on the here and now. Realize that all worries and memories of the past, as well as all fears and worries about the future, are just thoughts in your head, like clouds with the sky behind them. Just look at yourself as if from the outside and accept yourself and the state of things in this particular moment. At first, it will take you about a minute to enter this state, but over time, this time will decrease and decrease until you can enter it in an instant. In this way you can, in fact, be in meditation all the time. Don't expect instant results. Begin to meditate gradually for 5-10 minutes a day, when it is convenient for you. Don't force yourself to meditate if you don't want to, especially in the beginning! At the beginning, it is very important to fix meditation in the mind as something pleasant, and then in the future you yourself will be looking forward to the next practice.
Speaking of pleasant things, meditation does not necessarily give you clarity, delight, and bliss right away. It may turn out that in the process of meditation you will have to face yourself: with the deepest manifestations of your essence, from which you may have been running away all your life in the noise of daily fuss. That is, you will have to face your deepest fears and demons. It may be unpleasant, but having dealt with them, you will find endless peace and harmony within yourself. And do not forget that the most important thing is not the duration, but the frequency and regularity of your classes. Just as you can't build a muscle once by lifting a lot of weight, you can't build your mind by meditating once for a long time.
Show some persistence and don't think that you are doing something wrong. It's simply impossible to go wrong. After a few days, you will feel the first results: irritability will go away, efficiency will increase, and the world around you will acquire new colors. It is enough just to stop for a few minutes and listen to the sound of your own breathing.
Smartphone applications
"Meditation Lessons"
The app works as a timer for silent meditation and mantra chanting.
Set the required duration before starting the practice and during meditation you do not need to worry about the time, the application will notify you with a soft sound about the end of the practice. If you don't know how to meditate yet, the application has a description of the technique.
The amount of your practice will be stored in the cloud and will never be lost, you can see the numbers in the "Statistics" section.
Pacifica
Pacifica combines several tools at once, including methods of cognitive-behavioral therapy, which is used in the treatment of depression, anxiety disorder and other diseases. Anxiety and depressive symptoms, such as negative thoughts, mood swings, and constant fatigue, are common in otherwise healthy people. So the self-help and self-improvement tools that Pacifica offers will be useful to almost everyone.
"SBT-Meditation"
The program contains more than 30 meditation courses (there are even more in the paid version), a breath control function and a timer. All practices are accompanied by instructions and are aimed at solving specific problems: improve sleep, increase alertness or help in the fight against stress. Stop, Breathe & Think can give recommendations to the user - they are based on his emotional state recorded in personal statistics before and after meditation.
"Sense of Peace"
The app's technology is based on a range of mental operations that allow you to relax your body. Along with other similar applications, Feeling of Peace uses an audio file with instructions, following which a person calms down. However, the qualitative differences of this application is the focus on a person, adjusting to his rhythm, pace and speed of thinking. The application will be an effective assistant for those who are under stress and want to quickly relieve tension, and for those who are aimed at relaxing the whole body.
Books
"Fearlessness. Wisdom that will enable you to weather the storm, Tit Nhat Khan
In his book, the Buddhist master Thit Nhat Khan reflects on fear. You will learn where this all-consuming feeling comes from, why it is important to come to terms with the past, how to cope with fear in difficult moments. Exercises, breathing techniques and meditations will help you gain the gift of fearlessness and feel free.
"Silence. Peace of mind in a world full of noise, Thit Nat Khan
In his book, Tit Nath Khan, the famous Zen master, shows how to remain calm despite the constant noise around. How to be calm even in the most turbulent places. Thanks to breathing exercises and mindfulness techniques, you will be able to live in the present, enjoy the beauty and harmony of the world around you, you will be able to get to know yourself better and understand what you really want in life.
“Mindful Meditation. A Practical Guide to Reducing Pain and Stress by Vidyamala Burch
The Birch and Penman Meditation Program is designed for 8 weeks. The information presented in the book is presented easily and naturally. It is extremely clear how to perform each of the exercises. Using this book, you will be able to get rid of chronic pain, stress and insomnia. No more pernicious everyday life. Only colorful reality and enjoying every moment of life.
"Meditation. Simple practices for finding peace and harmony with yourself, Hoffman W.
Your personal workbook with interesting meditation exercises.
Meditation helps with muscle tension, stress, depression, back pain and headaches, and also, for example, with outbursts of anger.
Within a few weeks of practice, changes in brain activity appear.
“Awareness. The Science and Art of Presence by Daniel Siegel
In the book of an authoritative scientist, child psychiatrist, director of the Mindsight Institute, you will get acquainted with the practice of the Wheel of Consciousness. Using the example of the Wheel, you will understand how the mind works and learn to live more fully by developing three important skills - mindfulness, awareness and good intentions. The book is intended for anyone interested in the practices of mindfulness and meditation, as well as the scientific component of these topics.
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