No doubt, meditation has long remained a practice that guarantees absolute peace, bliss and calmness, especially in a bustling world like ours. For this reason, mental health experts, educationists as well as spiritualists have always acknowledged and prescribed meditation as the best route towards a state of calmness and revitalization to their followers, students and patients.
Most outstandingly about meditation is the fact that there are various meditation techniques, and each one being very helpful when it comes to finding your zen irrespective of your beliefs, personality or even lifestyle. So, what this means is that, there is definitely a meditation technique for everyone to explore, and it is a sure bet that you can also find one that works best for you.
Are you wondering which meditation technique can suit your personality and do the magic of helping you attain a state of bliss and calmness? If yes, here are some different meditation techniques that you can actually match your personality, ideas and lifestyle.
Metta or Loving-kindness Meditation
Metta meditation, which is commonly referred to as loving-kindness meditation is a form of meditation that aims to help you develop the habit of love and kindness towards everything and everyone around you.
In order to ensure that loving-kindness becomes a part and parcel of your life, it is expected that you take some practical steps of reaching out to specific individuals in your life, either by sending them some messages of love or even calling to check up on them.
Besides on helping you to show your love to the people around you, metta meditation is also aimed at helping you develop some sense of love and compassion for yourself, and in most cases, loving-kindness meditation can be very helpful for people battling with conditions such as;
Ø Anxiety
Ø Depression
Ø Post-traumatic stress disease.
Ø Interpersonal conflict
Ø Resentment
Ø Frustration
Ø Anger
It can also promote positive emotions.
Body Scan Meditation
Body scan meditation, also known as progressive relaxation meditation is a form of meditation designed to help you take a quick scan of your entire body.
This type of meditation encourages you to scan your body for any area of tension. In the course of progressive relaxation meditation, you are expected to start observing your body from one end (usually beginning from the feet) up to your head. Most forms of body scan meditation require that practitioners visualize a wave which releases tension from their body as it drifts.
Some of the notable benefits of progressive relaxation meditation are that it can enhance a general feeling of calmness as well as relaxation in the body. It has also been shown to be effective against chronic pains since it acts by slowly and steadily relaxing every part of the body. In other cases, most people employ this form of meditation as a technique to help them to sleep.
Mindfulness Meditation
As one of the most commonly practiced meditation technique, mindfulness meditation is specially designed for people who wants to have more awareness of their present moment. So, with mindfulness meditation, you can develop the habit of relishing the present instead of regrets about the past or dying in fear about the future.
Surprisingly, practicing mindfulness meditation doesn’t require any special environment or moment. You can practice mindfulness meditation in a waiting lounge, a grocery queue or even within your office, so far you are alert to the things going on around your present environment.
Meditation experts suggest that mindfulness meditation can prove effective in the following ways:
Enhancing focus
Reducing negative emotions and thoughts
Enhancing memory usage
Reducing blood pressure
Wadding off negative emotional and impulsive reactions
Zen Meditation
Zen meditation is a meditation technique with close similitude with mindfulness meditation. However, contrary to mindfulness meditation, zen meditation requires so much discipline, and it is best suited for people in need of a better way to relax themselves as well as people who quest for a new and better spiritual path of enlightenment.
During zen meditation, the required rules is that you take a comfortable sitting position that will afford you the opportunity to pay more attention on your breath as well as observing your thoughts in a mindful manner that is rid of judgment about the things running through your thoughts.
Transcendental Meditation
If you are an individual who loves having your space while engaging in some meditation activities that helps you to clear up your thoughts with a refreshed energy, then transcendental meditation is the best for you. In transcendental meditation, the goal is usually to have practitioners take a seat where they engage in a slow breath that gives them the opportunity to transcend into a realm of absolute bliss.
In order to help you maintain your focus, a mantra is usually engaged, and this should be a word or some few words that appeals to your belief. For instance, a typical mantra could be “I am free”. Very unique and outstanding about transcendental meditation is the fact that it helps practitioners to boost their level of mindfulness and spirituality.
Summary
Meditation is an age long practice of achieving inner tranquillity and peace for the ultimate purpose of living a happier and a better life. Meditation is highly varied and can accommodate different personalities, beliefs and lifestyle.
Some meditation techniques that can be adopted by different individuals include loving-kindness meditation, zen meditation, transcendental meditation, mindfulness, as well as body scan meditation.
Although the approach to each type of meditation is different from the other, the ultimate truth about meditation is the fact that it is a practice that brings calmness to the body and mind.