Meditation: which style is best for me?
Meditation is the practice of focusing the mind and developing awareness to help achieve clarity and calm. The benefits of practicing are amongst others: helping to reduce stress and anxiety, (fundamental to keep a healthy and strong immune system) improving sleep, improving concentration, increasing well-being and overall happiness.
No matter what style you choose, having a regular practice is the most important factor. You can for example try a style for 10 days and see how you feel about it. Meditation is not about forcing the mind into stillness, but rather redirecting the focus and attention in order to give yourself a break.
There are countless ways to meditate and to redirect your focus and attention, but usually we divide these methods into 12 key types:
1. GUIDED meditation
You can use an app or an online programme with a teacher talking you through the meditations at your convenience. Good for beginners and flexible whenever you have time. You can also choose the theme that suits your needs, for example: sleep, stress release, loving kindness or acceptance.
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2. Mantra meditation
Here you focus your attention on a mantra (a word, a syllable or a phrase). Great for increasing vibrations, entering a deeper state of being, a more positive life outlook. The mantra gives your brain something else to focus on, acting like a bag of sweets to distract the brain from what we call “the monkey mind”, when you feel overwhelmed and stressed. This meditation is done sitting in silence whilst repeating the mantra again and again.
Source: meditativemind.com
3. SPIRITUAL meditation
Here you believe and connect with something that is greater, vaster and deeper than the individual self. This meditation will be done sitting in silence, repeating affirmations such as: “I am conscious and aware” or “I let everything simply be as it is in this moment”.
Source: yagnyameditation.com.
4. PRESENT MOMENT/ MINDFULNESS MEDITATION
Here you are bringing awareness to your breath and the physical sensations in your body as well as the sounds and smells around you. You imagine you thoughts like clouds, just passing, coming and going. You can do this meditation almost everywhere, connecting to your surroundings.
Source: calm.com
5. TRASCENDENTAL MEDITATION
Here you will sit with your eyes closed for 20 min twice a day repeating a specific and personal mantra given to you by a Transcendental Meditation teacher. The goal is to transcend and rise above your current state of being.
Source: positivemagazinemeditation.com
6. VIPASSANA MEDITATION
This meditation can be sampled with a retreat where the teachings are taught. It involves sitting in silence, focusing on the breath, and noticing everything. You will he examining all aspects of your existence. It is practiced by sitting in silence, focusing on the breath, letting all emotions, sensations, thoughts and sounds arise without getting attached to them.
7. META MEDITATION
Also called “Loving Kindness” meditation, focuses on meditating on people in your life and direct positive energy towards them, regardless of whether you like them or not. This decreases anger and reactive thinking, arousing positivity and empathy. You can practice Meta meditation sitting quietly, focusing on the heart chakra, breathing in self- love and compassion for yourself, and breathing out, sending love to people in your life beyond likes and dislikes.
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8. CHAKRA MEDITATION
Here you will try to keep the body’s 7 chakras in balance and open to flow. It is a way of bringing yourself back into harmony by understanding your chakras, their meaning, their location, colours and sounds (mantras). Here you will sit and breathe, whilst visualising the right colour in the right location, thereby opening up for energy flow to release blockages.
Source: greatmeditation.com
9. yoga MEDITATION
You can find as many different types of yoga as you can with meditation, focusing on the breath and on the sensations going on in your body in that present moment. For example: whilst doing the sun salutations, you will keep your awareness on your full, deep breathing and how the pose feels at any time, being fully present in the asanas and in the flow. Each time you notice your mind starts wandering away, gently lead the focus back to what you are doing. Savasana, corpse pose, is the gateway to meditation.
10. CANDLE GAZE MEDITATIOn/ trataka
Here you will keep your eyes open and focused 100% on the movement of the flame of the candle in front of you. This practice brings energy to the third eye chakra and increases concentration. Here you will sit and focus until your eyes get tired, then you are allowed to close your eyes for a while remembering the shapes of the candle, and then open them up again and continue your meditation.
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11. visualization meditation
Here you picture something or someone in your mind, forgetting everything else. This technique enables you to feel positive about personal experiences and life goals that you want to achieve and it enables you to cultivate feelings of forgiveness and gratitude. It is a popular practice that is used by a lot of successful people including athletes and business entrepreneurs. This is because visualisation helps you to see the future you would like to achieve and it allows you to understand how you want to accomplish it.
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12. BECOME THE OBSERVER meditation
Here you dedicate your awareness inward, observing your thoughts, feelings, patterns and behaviours. You will begin to learn more about yourself and create a deeper awareness of what needs changing in your life. For example: to become a more balanced version of yourself. Whilst practising this, you will have to be impartial and non- judgmental.
Source: themindfulmovement.com