The practice of meditation demonstrates the power of mind and its potential influence on physical health. Although it is both simple and inexpensive, meditation can have widespread positive effects on health and wellness. It can reduce stress and enhance relaxation. For this reason alone, the practice of meditation is often recommended for people who suffer from disorders that are made worse by anxiety. For example, many physicians believe that meditation can be helpful for problems and disorders such as sleep disturbances, high blood pressure, heart disease, and anxiety disorders.
While meditation may be easy to learn, you may have to do some self-exploration to find the type of meditation that works best for you. Below is a selective list of meditation types for you to investigate.
1. Breath watching. Meditation can be as simple as paying attention to your breath for a few minutes. In this approach, you relax in whatever position works best for you, close your eyes, and start to pay attention to your breathing. Breathing through your nose gets your diaphragm involved and gets oxygen all the way to the bottom of your lungs. The key is to control your mind during this process. As your mind wanders, just re-focus your attention on the air going in and out of your nose. Do this for several minutes, or longer, as you get used to it.
2. Mindfulness meditation. Also called insight meditation, mindfulness is the truly the power of mind in action. It is the art of becoming deeply aware of what is here right now. You focus the mind on what’s happening in and around you at this very moment, and become aware of all the thoughts and feelings that are taking your energy from moment to moment. You can start by watching your breath, and then move your attention to the thoughts going through your mind, the feelings in your body, and even the sounds and sights around you. The key is to watch without judging or analyzing.
3. Mantra meditation. In the beginning, a wandering mind can be difficult to control and therefore distressful. That is why many people find it easier to keep their mind from wandering if they concentrate on something specific. A mantra can help. This is a word or phrase you repeat as you sit in meditation. In some traditions it a mantra is chosen for you by an experienced master. However, if you are working on this alone, you can use any word or phrase that works for you, and can choose to either repeat it either aloud or mentally as you meditate.
4. An empty mind meditation. Meditating can create a kind of “awareness without object,” an emptying of all thoughts from your mind. The techniques for doing this involve sitting still, often in a “full lotus” or cross-legged position, and letting the mind go silent on its own. It can be a difficult form of meditation for the beginner, as any effort just seems to cause an even more active mind.
5. Meditating on a concept. Some meditative practices involve the mental contemplation of an idea or scenario. An example is the “meditation on impermanence,” in which you focus on the impermanent nature of all things, starting with your thoughts and feelings as they come and go. In the Buddhist “meditation on the corpse,” you think about a body in the ground, as it slowly rots away and is fed on by worms. The technique is used to guide you to an understanding that your rationalizing mind might not bring you to.
6. Walking meditation. As you might guess, walking meditation adds an active, physical component. It can be practiced outside or simply as a back and forth pacing in a room. Here you use your mind to pay attention to the movement of your legs and breathing and body as you walk, and to the feeling of your feet contacting the ground. When your mind wanders, just keep bringing it back to the process of walking and breathing. Meditating outside in this way can be difficult because of the distractions. If you do it outside, find a quiet place with level ground. According to some experts, Tai Chi can be an effective form of walking meditation.
Meditation clearly demonstrates the power of mind in a very practical way. So, do yourself a favor and explore meditation. Find an approach that works for you and your health. Many of these approaches to meditation can be learned through online programs or through books and audio tapes available at your local library. In other cases, meditation techniques may be taught at a nearby healthcare clinic or community college.