25 types of meditation that everyone can learn

“Close your eyes and don’t think about anything”, “turn on music and relax” - these are the most popular ideas about what meditation is. Most people have a similar idea about the goals of meditation, and to the question: “Why is meditation needed?” many will answer without hesitation: “To relax and be calm.”

On the Internet you can find descriptions of many practices that are offered under the name “meditation”, but have nothing to do with it. This term now means anything - concentration, affirmations, relaxation, and so on.

What is meditation

To get an idea of ​​what real meditation is, you can study a Buddhist text such as the Sutra on Understanding the Actions and Dharma of the Bodhisattva Comprehensive Wisdom. This is a fairly extensive text, most of which describes meditative practice. And everything that is described there must be visualized and felt in your inner world. In order to even approximately remember all this, you need an almost phenomenal memory, and in order to reproduce it, you need to have fairly developed spatial thinking. And this is one of the serious meditative practices that only a few are capable of mastering.

Of course, there are simpler meditative practices, but they also do not fit the description of “close your eyes and not think about anything.” Meditation in yoga is referred to by the term "dhyana", which literally translates as 'contemplation', 'mind-vision' or 'intuitive vision'.

As for most of the practices that are widespread on the Internet, we are most likely talking about such concepts as “pratyahara” - control of the senses - and “dharana” - stable concentration on an object. According to the eight-step yoga system that Patanjali described, these two practices are preliminary and only in the process of mastering them lead, in fact, to meditation - dhyana.

Best Time to Meditate: Morning Meditation

It is best to do meditation first thing in the morning.

So you get up, wash your face and don’t look at your phone, don’t turn on your cell phone, just start meditating, set a timer for 10 minutes, and relax before some news has already happened, and you start thinking about plans to solve it.

A short morning meditation session will put you in a calm state for the whole day, and your mood will be at its best.

Why should you meditate?

Now that we have understood the concepts, let’s try to find out what meditation does in the broad sense of the word and why meditation is needed. The phenomena described below on the physical and spiritual-psychic level occur both in the case of the practice of dhyana, and, to one degree or another, in the case of the practice of pratyahara and dharana. And oddly enough, this does not depend on the degree of complexity of the practice, but on the degree of its mastery and immersion.

• Meditation is not a religious ritual, but a real tool for self-development.
• Meditation affects cognitive functions.
• Meditation is an effective stress reliever.
• Meditation is more effective than morphine.
• Meditation reduces the risk of heart attack.
• Meditation is training the mind.

Let's take a closer look at the main positive aspects of meditation and try to determine what meditation is - a religious-esoteric practice or a real tool for changing your life, which is available to everyone

A meditative state when walking in severe frost

Even in very warm clothes, the cold still makes itself felt and only one thought is spinning in my head: “Run to a warm place faster.” Meditation is very similar to this state.

After all, when meditating, you should only engage in breathing and thoughts about your breathing. Other thoughts and deeds should not interfere with you. Due to this, peace of mind and relief from stress are achieved, because no other activities or thoughts bring you into it.

This also happens when walking for an hour at –30 °C. It is impossible to think about anything else but warmth and fast walking.

Certain similarities with meditation have been found:

• Breathing and thoughts about breathing;
• Warmth and thoughts about warmth (walking fast to stay warm).

Advice: “At least sometimes you need to be not somewhere in thoughts about the past or future, but 100% in the present moment.”

To empty yourself of other thoughts and achieve a state of calm, you need to limit yourself from other unnecessary actions. In meditation you should just breathe, and on a walk in the forest you should just go and enjoy the nature around you, without being distracted by the problems of life.

Meditation is a powerful tool for self-development

There is a widespread misconception that meditation is a purely religious practice, and it is suitable only for some severe ascetics, yogis who have renounced the world, wrapped themselves in saffron, and do not care about anything other than the notorious nirvana. But this is another stereotype.

Today, meditation is practiced by many people who have succeeded in worldly life. One of the most striking examples is Steve Jobs, who practiced quite serious types of meditation from the tradition of Zen Buddhism.

Therefore, today meditative practices have already become an integral part of the lives of many people, and the trend in this matter is very encouraging. For many people today, meditating is as natural as doing exercises in the morning. Actually, this is exercise, only not for the body, but for the mind.

But meditation also affects the physical body, and in the most dramatic way. Research in this area shows that meditation has real therapeutic effects. For example, just ten minutes of meditation can reduce the level of beta waves in the brain. In simple terms, the brain processes incoming information less actively, and this decrease in activity allows you to find peace on the physical and mental level.

Benefits of Meditation

If you practice meditation daily, after a while you will see how you have become calmer and less sensitive to external stimuli.

Regular meditation will give you the opportunity to perceive the world as it is, without unnecessary emotional overtones and endless depressed states, when “everything is bad and everyone around is an idiot.”

Practicing meditation will allow you to:

• calm down and achieve relaxation,
• maintain this calm in any emergency situations,
• increase stress resistance,
• don't twitch
• think soberly and not make rash decisions,
• don't be nervous about everything,
• relieve muscle and mental tension,
• Enjoying life,
• do not fall into depression.

Meditation affects cognitive function

Research has found that meditation directly affects the development of memory and learning abilities, and also develops the abilities of introspection, self-awareness and compassion. MRI scans of the subjects' brains showed that after eight weeks of meditation practice, gray matter density increased by a third.

The field of neuroscience has also noted the positive effects of meditation. According to research conducted in this area, meditative practices strengthen connections between neurons, which improves perception and information processing, and also speeds up reactions.

How to meditate correctly

Let's start by studying the process of meditation itself. Meditation is working with consciousness. By the way, I have a separate article: what is meditation from A to Z. Meditation masters often compare our consciousness to a monkey that jumps from branch to branch. Try to keep your attention on one subject for at least a few minutes. You will see how unruly your mind is and how difficult it is to maintain attention even for a few seconds.

Notice how after a while you go into habitual thoughts about current problems, remember something or think about the future. Like a monkey jumping through the trees, unruly attention jumps from one thought to another, avoiding being present in the present moment.

Cluttered mind wastes colossal energy resources. The mind is inextricably linked with the body and psyche. Chaotic thoughts cause physical tension in the body, which makes us tired quickly. The psyche is also subject to unnecessary stress due to constantly racing thoughts.

Therefore, meditation is primarily about calming the mind. And with a calm mind comes a relaxed body and inner peace.

Training the mind is similar to training the body. At first it is very difficult for us to do even such a simple action as switching consciousness to the chosen object of concentration. Just a few minutes of training will require a huge amount of strength. But regular practice with progressively increasing exercise time can strengthen your inner strength. Believe me, it's worth it.

Correct meditation can be called continuous attention on one object.

There is also another way of meditation, without using one chosen object. In this case, we observe everything that happens in the present moment. Sounds, pictures, feelings, thoughts, all this comes into our consciousness and immediately disappears. In meditation, we simply observe everything that happens, without reasoning about anything, without allowing our consciousness to cling to images and thoughts. The present moment never stands still. It is continuously flowing, and meditation is awareness of the continuously flowing moment without trying to hold onto it.

Meditation is an effective stress reliever

It is enough to devote only about half an hour a day to meditation to get rid of or at least significantly reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety disorders. This is evidenced by studies aimed at studying the effect of meditation on stress.

Various studies in this area confirm that meditation can also help fight addictions. This may be due to the fact that meditation provokes the production of dopamine, the pleasure hormone. But any addiction is built on the principle of the desire to receive a dopamine release. Thus, artificial stimulation of dopamine release is replaced with natural one. And this is the most effective method of combating addictions, when the destructive method of obtaining pleasure is changed to a healthier one.

What to do if it doesn't work?

Perhaps you can’t do it - it’s hard to concentrate, it’s hard to hold a pose? Or maybe you think that you are doing nonsense?

I can assure you that if you try to meditate and still remain in the pose for at least 10 minutes, then everything will work out for you.

Even if it’s not perfect and even if there’s no visible result yet. But it works. Knowing how to meditate is a skill. Kind of like riding a bike. It can be trained over time. The main thing is not to give up and continue.

The most effective way to learn meditation is to trust the Teacher. Friends, I want to recommend to you my mentor, with whom I once learned to meditate. This is Igor Budnikov, he himself studied meditation in monasteries in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Igor will teach you meditation with amazing simplicity and ease and help you avoid common mistakes. I invite you to take 10 short free lessons, during which you will meditate under the guidance of Igor. I'm sure you'll like it as much as I did.

However, it happens that beginners find it really difficult to meditate: they can’t sit for 10 minutes straight or it’s difficult to force themselves to practice every day. Without this, proper meditation will not work. In that case, here are some tips.

• Arrange your meditation space with various attributes that will create the right mood. These could be candles, incense sticks, a special lamp or some accessories. The main thing is that you personally associate all this with meditation.
• Change your practice time. If you usually practiced in the morning, then start doing it in the evening. And vice versa.
• Try practicing after physical activity: fitness, yoga or jogging.
• Well, the very last option, which is recommended to be used only as a last resort. Play meditative music while you practice. However, keep in mind that in this case you will not be meditating, but listening to music. But such listening will be the first successful step towards correct meditation.

Thus, it is not at all difficult for beginners to meditate at home. The meditation technique described above will help you experience the positive effects of this amazing ancient practice.

Meditation is more effective than morphine

This is exactly the sensational discovery that scientists at Wake Forest Medical Center in North Carolina came to. Fifteen subjects were taught basic meditative practices, and then a device was attached to each leg that heated the skin to 50 degrees.

Then MRI studies of the brain were conducted, which showed the difference between the sensation of pain during the heating of the skin before and after meditation. Images of the corresponding parts of the brain showed that the intensity of pain decreased by 40 percent, and subjective mental discomfort from them decreased by 57 percent. And according to the author of the study, Fadel Zeidan, the indicators are almost twice as high as the effects of morphine in a similar situation.

Why is it necessary to meditate?

Almost all the time we are absorbed in what is happening around us. Our attention is a very valuable resource. There are entire industries that make billions of dollars by consuming our attention. Global brands, political movements, thousands of corporations are waging a real war with each other in order to capture our attention even for a second.

The last thing marketers and politicians want is for us to be happy. You can't sell anything to a happy person. Sellers are coming up with more and more sophisticated advertising methods, identifying our sore spots and fears in order to hook us.

As a result, we are accustomed to constantly switching attention from one picture to another. The frantic flow of information noise every second causes us to feel anxiety, tension, pain and fear. All of this is created and maintained deliberately to take away our inner peace. A happy person is useless to a sick consumer society. After all, he definitely won’t buy a new iPhone every year. Meditation is bringing your attention back to yourself. This is the process of switching consciousness from the external world to the internal. This is the ability to manage your attention and not allow others to take it over without permission, evoking in us the feelings that someone else needs. And, of course, meditation is the ability to hear and understand yourself, your purpose.

Meditation reduces the risk of heart attack

This information was published by the American Heart Association on November 18, 2012. Thus, according to the ASA, according to the results of research by Robert Schneider, MD, meditative practices reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and strokes by 48%.

The study involved 201 people suffering from cardiovascular diseases. And it was noted that over a five-year period of meditation practice, the subjects had almost half as many strokes, heart attacks and heart attacks compared to similar patients who did not practice meditation.

Meditation and Sports

In sports, there is such a type of exercise as cardio training: repeating monotonous actions for a long time. At the same time, the cardiovascular system is trained. If you exercise for more than 20 minutes, fat begins to burn.

That is, a simple walk without stopping can be considered cardio training. And if some limiting circumstance or inconvenience is added to this, such as cold, which must certainly be overcome, then it becomes similar to meditation. The main thing here is not to overdo it, and to soberly assess the situation so that there are no critical inconveniences.

Successful people start work 3-4 hours after waking up in order to collect all their thoughts together and make some important, key decisions before starting work.

3) CHINESE MEDITATIONS

Taoist Meditations

Origin and meaning

Taoist meditation is part of Chinese philosophy and religion, dating back to Lao Tzu. Living in harmony with nature is the main goal of the Tao Te Ching, founded in the 6th century BC. e. Taoism was later influenced by Buddhist meditation practices brought from India in the 8th century AD. e.

The main feature of this type is the generation, transformation and circulation of vital energy. The goal is to calm the body and mind, unite body and spirit, find inner peace and live in harmony with the Tao. Some types of Taoist meditation are aimed at healing.

How to do it

There are several different types of Taoist meditation, but they are generally divided into three:

• “epiphany”;
• "concentration";
• "visualization".

Here's a quick overview:

Contemplation of inner silence - you need to sit quietly and empty yourself of all mental images (thoughts, feelings, etc.), “forget about everything,” in order to feel the experience of inner silence and emptiness. In this state, life force and “spirit” are collected and filled. You simply allow all thoughts and sensations to arise and pass away on their own. If this turns out to be too difficult, you can try other types of meditation, such as visualization or Qigong.

Breathing meditation - focusing on the breath, or “unifying the mind and chi.”

The instruction is “concentrate on your breathing, let it be extremely light and calm.” Sometimes simply observing your breathing is enough (similar to meditation in Buddhism); in other traditions, exhalations and inhalations alternate in a certain way, so that one becomes aware of the “dynamism of heaven and earth” through the ascending and descending currents of the breath (similar to Tsinun or Pranayama in yoga).

Internal observation is looking inside your body and mind, including your organs and the movement of qi (life force). It is a process of familiarizing yourself with the wisdom of nature in your body. There are certain rules to be followed in this practice, so it requires a good book or teacher.

These meditations are done while sitting in the lotus or half-lotus position. The eyes are kept half-closed and fixed on the point of the nose.

Master Liu Sichuan emphasizes that although it is not easy, ideally one should practice the work of breathing and contemplation together. For those who find this too difficult, he recommends focusing on the lower abdomen (dan tien).

Will this suit me?

People who are well connected with the body and nature will definitely enjoy Taoist meditations, and you will also enjoy reading their philosophy. Or you may be interested in martial arts or Tai Chi (Chinese health gymnastics). However, Taoist centers and teachers are not so easy to find, so this may pose a problem.

Qigong

Origin and meaning

Qigong is a Chinese word that means working with life energy (qi). This is a set of exercises, special meditations and martial arts training. As a rule, it is about slow, smooth movement of the body, internal concentration and controlled breathing. It is traditionally practiced and taught in the secret Chinese, Taoist and Confucian traditions. In the 20th century, the Qigong movement was popularized by Taoist meditation, which “works primarily through concentration exercises and also promotes the circulation of energy in the internal alchemical mode.”

How to do it

There are thousands of different Qigong exercises, which contains more than 80 different types of breathing. Some are specific to martial arts (to activate and strengthen the body); others for health (to nourish body functions or cure diseases); and others for meditation and spiritual development. Qigong can be practiced in a static position (sitting or standing) or through a dynamic set of movements.

To learn more about Qigong and understand how to do it, I recommend getting a book or DVD from Dr. Yang Min. Here is an introductory overview of the practice of seated Qigong meditation:

• Sit in a comfortable position;
• Make sure your body is balanced;
• Relax your entire body - muscles, nerves and internal organs;
• Regulate your breathing, making it deep, long and easy;
• Calm your mind;
• Place your full attention on the center of gravity of your body, which is two inches below your navel. This will help activate the chi energy (vital energy). So, by focusing on this center, you accumulate energy into this natural reservoir.
• Feel the qi flowing freely throughout your body.

Other famous gymnastics: “Microcosmic circulation”, Fetal respiration.

Will this suit me?

Qigong meditation may be more attractive to people who want to practice energy work. If sitting meditation is too much for you and you'd prefer something a little more active, try some of the more dynamic forms of Qigong. Again, there are several styles of Qigong and you can try different types to try to find the one that suits you.

Some people prefer dynamic Qigong through the practice of Tai Chi.

Recommended complex for daily use

• Omega-3 (if you eat fish 2 or more times a week, you should NOT take this supplement)
• Vitamin D
• Mineral set
• 1 serving of protein daily, preferably in the morning (preferably replaced with 2 boiled eggs, ideally with avocado or extra virgin olive oil)
• Probiotics that survive outside of the refrigerator - Probiotics are very important for overall health, drink 1 time per day, with breakfast. We buy these particular ones, since they can mostly spoil outside the refrigerator and when we buy them, there is no guarantee that they have survived.

Fish oil and vitamin D are very important for both the brain and body, minerals and protein are important for the long-term health of the body. It is advisable to take it for those over 30 years old.

After 35-40 years, you can also start taking a couple of supplements for youthful skin and tissues and healthy joints:

• Collagen types 1 and 2"
• Collagen UC-II

Meditation Tips

• Pose . You can meditate while sitting on a cushion or a chair. The main thing is that the spine is straight and, ideally, not supported by anything. Otherwise, your posture should be simply comfortable.
• Time . You can choose any time convenient for you. However, it is recommended to meditate in the morning so that the effect of the practice spreads throughout the day.
• Place . Find a corner where you will not be distracted from your meditation. Ideally, this place should be quiet and have a pleasant environment.
• Duration . You can start with just 5 minutes of practice and increase it by 1-2 minutes per week until you reach 20 minutes or more.

The situation is conducive

Here are six more tips that are not mandatory, but will make your meditation more effective and comfortable.

1. Your body should not be exhausted. So you should not meditate immediately after physical activity.
2. Your mind must be awake. Therefore, it is not advisable to start practicing when you are sleepy or tired.
3. Your stomach should not be full. Wait 30-40 minutes after a light snack and 2-3 hours after a heavy meal.
4. Put your phone on airplane mode or sleep mode while you practice so calls and notifications don't interrupt you.
5. Before meditation, spend 1-2 minutes doing breathing exercises . This will help you relax and calm down.
6. Wear comfortable and loose clothing and remove accessories.

Once you have chosen your technique, the next step is to work on developing a meditation habit (section below) and gain a deeper understanding of the meditation process.

Where to start meditation

Before starting practice, it is recommended to spend 5 minutes doing a short warm-up. This will help you feel comfortable in a stationary sitting position. Below I will give 5 simple yoga asanas for warming up before meditation. Perform each asana for one minute.

1. Cat

2. Cobra

3. Head on Knee Pose

4. Twisting

5. Plow pose

The asanas are given as an example. You can do your favorite exercises to warm up your muscles and joints.

Meditation improves attention

In a 2007 study, researchers analyzed the effects of an 8-week course of mindfulness meditation. They found that meditation improves the ability to refocus and maintain attention. Another study was conducted with personnel department employees. It showed that those who regularly practiced meditation were able to stay focused on a task longer and understood its details better. Their colleagues who didn't meditate did worse.

There is evidence that just four days of practice can trigger positive changes, and the effects can last up to five years.

It is too early to say that meditation can help people with attention deficit disorder. There is some small research that suggests this is possible, at least with adults. But larger studies are needed to understand how meditation can be used to treat ADHD.

4) CHRISTIAN MEDITATION

In Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism, meditation is usually used with the goal of going beyond the mind and achieving enlightenment. In Christianity, the purpose of the practice is spiritual cleansing, awareness of the Bible, and a closer connection with God.

Here are the main types of Christian practice:

Contemplative Prayer

It usually involves silent repetition of sacred words or sentences, or simply “contemplation,” which involves deep reflection on Biblical events.

“Sitting with God”

Silent meditation usually precedes contemplation or reading, in which we focus all our heart and soul on the presence of God

Jesus prayer on the rosary

This type of practice is very similar to mantra meditation in the Vedic tradition. Because the prayer (Mantra) on the rosary is repeated, and the prayers pronounced are counted.

What is reality hacking

A hacker is a person who is interested in studying the details of programmable systems, studying the issue of increasing their capabilities, in contrast to the majority of users who prefer to limit themselves to studying the necessary minimum. Wikipedia

Each of us lives in our own reality - work, home, families, friends, hobbies, etc. And few of us would not want to hack this reality. That is, he doesn’t work until he loses his ability to work, fulfilling all his social obligations until he dies, but somehow just hacks into reality. At the same time, we do not consider chemical hacking - alcohol and all sorts of stronger substances, there is enough literature about this as it is. Moreover, usually, over the course of many years, most substances (with rare exceptions) lead to a reality that is much worse than it was before.

How about falling into magical realities in your dreams and living a second life there? Or, when dying, is he carried away to other worlds and consciously stay there? Or live in this world not for ~70 years, gradually fading and becoming stupid, but fully and vigorously for ~100 years? This kind of hacking usually arouses interest among us geeks, as can be seen from the articles here and from the popularity of science fiction literature.

To move on to hacking, let’s first understand the term reality. What it is? Even a review article on Wikipedia gives many definitions and characteristics of this term.

Reality (from Latin realis - material, real) is a philosophical term used in different meanings as something that exists in general; objectively revealed world; a fragment of the universe that makes up the subject area of ​​the corresponding science; objectively existing phenomena, facts, that is, actually existing. There is a distinction between objective (material) reality and subjective (phenomena of consciousness) reality. Wikipedia

This definition is one of many - in some philosophical systems we can read very different ones, however, we will accept it as a basis to move on.

Of course, you can cheat and take subjective reality, describe it and say that everything works. More happiness, brighter dreams, better mood - hooray.

However, we will complicate our task and use the hardware term:

Reality is objective reality, that is, matter in the totality of its various types. Reality is contrasted here with subjective reality, that is, the phenomena of consciousness, and is identified with the concept of matter.

And now we can move on - how to give an example of hacking objective reality using meditation? To do this, we need to take some material object and prove that we can change it simply by meditating for some time daily. Here we go?

Myths about meditation

Common myths and misconceptions about meditation:

• “this is for spiritual and religious people” is not at all necessary, because Anyone can meditate, regardless of their views and beliefs.
• “It will take years to get any benefit from this” - after just a few practices you will feel the effect.
• “meditation is an escape from reality” - in fact, mediation, on the contrary, helps to get rid of thoughts that tend to escape from reality.
• “meditation is just relaxation” is more than that, although relaxation is an important component of meditation.
• “meditation is like self-hypnosis” - nothing like that happens in the process of meditation, because you remain conscious.
• “meditation is effortless” - at a minimum, effort must be made to find time for daily practice.
• “I can’t meditate because my mind is restless” – it is completely normal for you to be distracted by various thoughts while meditating.
• “meditation is boring” - it all depends on your mood and the chosen technique.
• “I need to sit back to meditate” is a stereotype, the main thing is that the posture is comfortable and the back is straight.

How to meditate at home correctly for beginners - meditation techniques

If you read the article carefully, you already realized that you can combine many meditation options. These include various postures, hand and eye positions. But besides this, the main differences in methods relate to different objects of meditation.

What can you focus on during meditation?

• Breath
• Sensations in the body
• External object
• Internal imaginary object
• Thread State

1. Breathing Meditation

One simple way is to focus on your breathing. Sit comfortably with your back straight and observe each inhalation and exhalation. Watch how the air enters, how the chest and abdomen expand, and how the air leaves the lungs with exhalation. The hardest thing about this technique is not to lose attention. After a while, you will notice that you are thinking about extraneous things. Gently return your attention to your breathing.

1. Meditation on sensations in the body.

Sensations in the body are always present. And this is a good object for concentrating consciousness. Because sensations in the body are always in the present moment. The essence of this practice is to be aware of bodily sensations. Observe the warmth in the body, the cold, the pain, the pleasant feelings, everything that happens. Just like in the previous method, try not to let your attention wander away from you.

1. Another method is to choose an external object for meditation. The easiest way: take a sheet of paper and draw a black dot the size of a 10-kopeck coin in the center. Hang the paper on the wall and sit at arm's length. The point should be at eye level. Look at the point without looking up or blinking for 10 minutes. Direct your attention to the point. This will be quite difficult at first. Thoughts will run unruly in all directions. But with practice, you will learn to manage your attention.
2. Internal imaginary object.

This is quite a difficult method for advanced meditators. Everything is approximately the same as in the previous exercise, but at the same time you sit with your eyes closed and concentrate your attention on an imaginary object. You can imagine anything, the main thing is to keep your attention on one object.

1. Flow state.

This meditation does not require sitting; it can be practiced anywhere. Its essence is to be aware of everything that is happening around you, without losing yourself in your thoughts. You can simply lie down or sit with your eyes closed and observe your thoughts, sensations in your body, and feelings. And at the same time remember that you are an observer, that is, do not get involved in what is happening.

5) GUIDED MEDITATIONS

Origin and meaning

Guided meditation is a modern phenomenon. These are an easy way to start, although they are based on the above traditions.

The practice of meditation requires determination and willpower. In the past, people who practiced meditation were more committed to it and also had strong ideals that fueled their motivation. Their life was simpler, with less effort.

We live in very different times now. Our life is more lively. Willpower is a less common personality trait. Distractions are everywhere, and meditation is often sought after as a means of developing better health, increasing productivity, or improving oneself.

For these reasons, this kind of meditation can actually be a good way to introduce you to the practice. I would recommend that you try meditation on your own via audio.

Guided meditation is like a ready-made recipe. This is a good way to start and you can eat the food you prepare. But when you get the basic idea, you can prepare your own unique dish, which will be especially for you, and much more powerful. Then you won't want to use a recipe from someone else's kitchen anymore.

How to do it

Such meditations are usually done in the form of audio recordings and sometimes videos. .

Traditional meditations - audio with a teacher's voice - are simply a “guide” for your attention to be in a meditative state.

Guided Imagery - Allows you to use imagination and visualization to guide you towards specific objects or scenery. The goal is usually healing or relaxation.

Relaxation - will help you achieve complete psychological and physical relaxation. This is usually accompanied by soothing instrumental music or nature sounds. In yoga this is called yoga nidra. The goal is calm and harmony.

Affirmations - usually done in combination with relaxation and guided imagery. The purpose of these affirmations is to anchor a positive thought in your mind.

Binaural beats were originally discovered in 1839 by physicist Heinrich Wilhelm Dauphe. He discovered that when signals of two different frequencies are presented separately, one to each ear, your brain detects a change in phase between the frequencies and tries to reconcile the difference. This is used to generate Alpha waves (10 Hz) which occur in the initial levels of meditation. There is scientific research into why and how binaural beats work.

Will this suit me?

If you feel that traditional meditation is too difficult for you or you don’t know where to start, then such meditations are perfect for the initial stage. Or, if you are looking for ways to increase self-esteem, work through psychological trauma, or simply want to release some tension in your body, then among these methods you can find those that will suit you.

The worst enemies of meditation

Since we are talking about meditation at home, we cannot help but mention the first worst enemy of meditation. This enemy is hiding in our homes. This is TV.

TV attracts our attention because it helps us distract ourselves from internal sensations. But meditation is precisely the return of attention to internal sensations. During meditation, we observe sensations and learn not to avoid them, but to accept them.

We can say that watching TV and meditation are two opposite actions.

The same applies to meditation's second worst enemy: the smartphone. If you can still escape from the TV into the next room, then the phone is usually always nearby. You sat down in meditation, felt discomfort and a desire to escape, and now your hand involuntarily reaches for the phone to check social networks. Be careful, do not let your mind command you, but learn to control it yourself.