Common Doubts About Meditation
Meditation is gaining admiration by leaps and bounds for its all-inclusive approach to life whether its physical, mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual. In spite of enormous information available, still people have some queries regarding the best time, best place and best technique including how to start meditation.
Here, are some common frequently asked questions that will help you to quench your thirst and be a part of spiritual bandwagon. Would you like to have all the answers of your queries in concise space? What is meditation? How to begin meditation practice? These are the common questions among the common man. He remains entrapped in these queries, and don’t know how to break the walls of ignorance?
Here are some common questions?
1. What is Meditation?
Meditation is void state of mind (without any content). “Content” means thoughts, memories, impressions and dreams. You can write something only when the page is blank or empty. So, the training of focus, attention and concentration under yoga teacher training course in Rishikesh is to delete all the contents accumulated in your mind. Meditation is not something to achieve or gain but its’s your innate nature.
The most fascinating part of meditation retreat is that meditation begins with mind to transcend the mind. In Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, the meditation techniques begin by simply observing the flow of breath. The purpose is to bring your mind to the present moment where there are no thoughts, memories and aspirations. Tide-less mind (nistarang) is the pre-condition to experience what is meditation.
2. What is Best Time to Meditate?
It is like asking what is best time to breathe. You can choose any time to practice meditation techniques of hatha yoga, kundalini yoga, ashtanga yoga or sahaj yoga. If you are yoga beginner, it is advisable to choose early morning time when air is fresh, mind is fully relaxed after deep sleep and outer disturbance is minimal. It’s because the conditioned mind has the tendency to easily distracted by outer world.
Most people love to meditate in night-time before going to sleep. This is also the time when outer noises settle on its own and there is no hurry to reach workplace or some work. But keep in mind that whatever the time you opt to meditation practices, stick to it and follow a routine. Then a time will come that meditation will naturally become a part of your biological clock and if you miss it by any reason, the sense of missing something will remain in your consciousness.
In ordinary relationships, love and hate often exist side-by-side. Both feelings arise because ordinary love is often clouded by expectations. Like meditation, pure love is different. It moves beyond the duality of thoughts and opposing emotions. This is why spiritual traditions see pure love as a reflection of the meditative state.
3. What is the best technique for meditation?
Shiva says there are as many minds as there are people on this world. If you are sensitive, then breath meditation techniques are best option to bring your mind in the present moment. If you love looking at something, then looking at empty space inside the vessel, watching endless space of sky or gazing the countless waves moving on the surface of the silent sea are nature-bound practices.
If you are thoughtful type, there are many contemplative techniques where you imagine the whole world is burning and gradually turning into ashes, or imagine fire is rising from your toe and overpowering your whole body. There are 112 techniques under Vijnanabhairava revealed by Shiva to his consort Shakti. Some techniques are never meant to practice and needs only deep understanding. This is known as wisdom yoga in yoga teacher training course in Rishikesh.
4. Why People Go for Meditation?
There is no one specific reason for people to meditate. Yogis used to meditate to realize the ultimate truth. But now, even students, housewives, artists, scholars, professionals, corporate honchos are turning towards yoga and meditation for many reasons. It de-stress the mind without any side-effects and elevate mood-enhancing hormones without depending on external factors.
Hatha yoga teacher training course in Rishikesh begins with relaxing meditative asanas to assure strength, flexibility and tuning of muscles, joints and other structures of the body. It is then followed by pranayama and meditation techniques which brings harmony in your body, mind, breath, vital energy (prana) and awareness. It helps in alleviating common ailments like backache, neck pain, high BP and even diabetes.
5. How can I Begin Meditation Practice?
Meditation can be started anywhere and at any-time whether it’s your home place or workplace or even in open space of park. You can meditate for half an hour while sitting on the floor, in chair and also while walking. When the sense of ‘doer’ disappears from the mind, any work is equal to meditation. In Zen meditation, people begin meditation practice by cleaning the floors, gardening, digging and collecting water from the nearby well.
First of all, see what type of thoughts your mind entertains in a day. You will get insight that most of the thoughts are repetitive and they come like an uninvited guest. Don’t allow irrelevant and senseless thoughts that occupy most of the space in mind. You don’t need training or special instruments to tame your thoughts. If still you find yourself helpless, then you can join meditation courses with like-minded people for a week to begin meditation practice.
There is a stillness within you that remains untouched by the movements of life. Meditation is the state of non-doing, in which the mind ceases its restless activity and embodied consciousness dissolves into the boundless expanse of universal consciousness. All phenomena arise and subside within this infinite awareness, yet the true Self remains ever unmoved, unattached and undisturbed.
6. For What Time Should I Meditate Each Day to Bring Promising Outcomes?
For a yoga beginner, he/she must practice for 30 to 45 minutes. Never go for practice forcefully, rather enjoy every moment of it. With regular practice after a few months, you can extend the time duration. It is the quality rather than quantity for meditation practice that assures promising outcomes. There comes a time when meditation happens not for a fixed time, but it becomes an inseparable of your life as it happens with your breath.
7. What are the Different Ways to Start Meditation?
There are different types of meditation techniques for different minds. You can opt that suits you the most.
Breath meditation– Bringing your awareness to the flow of breath
Contemplative meditation– Thinking deeply on a solo object inwardly
Bodh meditation – Bringing your awareness directly on the ‘Self’
Looking meditation– Gazing exclusively on the object of meditation
There are different paths which leads you to the same destination. In fact, these are pathless path to disperse all thoughts from the mind. Techniques are merely paths not the destination and you have leave the path once you reach your destination.
8. Why Mind Wanders without Reason? Is it Hurdle to Meditation Practice?
Wandering and mind are not two things. They are same. In case of inner stillness, mind ceases and there remains only awareness in your inner space. The utmost purpose of yoga teacher training course in Rishikesh is to turn mind wave-less (nistarang). When you learn to become aware of your thoughts, there comes a time when you become aware of the gap or space between two thoughts. In meditation, the gap between two thoughts expands. This is part of meditation practice where you use mind to undergo meditating experience.
9. How Meditation Can Be Helpful in ? Reducing Daily Life Anxiety, Stress and Tension
Most of your anxiety, fear, doubt and stress are imaginations of mind, they are not real. It’s like a stick lying on the road giving impression of a snake to a doubtful mind. In Bodh meditation, you will know that all the world comes out from nothingness and merge finally into the same. The mind swings from one extreme to another giving you the impression of duality. Love is followed by hatred; and joy by pain. There is no truth in these fleeting experiences.
10. What Is The Role Of A Yoga Master In Any Meditation Course?
Master scans your mind and body to select proper meditation techniques that can elevate your awareness level, bring balance in your mind and breath and finally bring transformation within you. But more than Master, it’s your dedication, commitment and devotion that matters the most. Choose the best yoga school in recognition with Yoga Alliance, USA that can bring your hidden potential at the surface.
10. Is Meditation for Everyone, or is Initiation by a Guru Necessary?
Meditation is for everyone irrespective of religion, faith or social background. There is no need of initiation as some believe. Everyone is divine because nothing can exist without divinity. So, whether you are children, old, scholar or simple worker, you can practice meditation and undergo yoga and meditation techniques in any place and at any time.
Final thoughts:
Meditation is thoughtless state of mind to perceive life as it is. Life becomes blissful when you start living in meditative state. There is no Guru but your inner Self teaches timeless wisdom. Even if you practice meditation regularly, you cultivate .
Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked*
Share on:
Subscribe to get more blogs
Want to read more?
Yoga Teacher Training in India
Yoga teacher training in India continues to preserve the old charm of the traditional guru–disciple relationship that once flourished in simple ashram environments.
Common Doubts About Meditation
Meditation is gaining admiration by leaps and bounds for its all-inclusive approach to life whether its physical, mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual.
Spirituality and Breath – The Awakening Begins
You live in two worlds; the outer world of people and objects, and the inner world of thoughts, emotions and feelings. Breath is the silent
How Beneficial is Mindful Meditation?
Mindful meditation puts a pause in the hurry of modern life, giving you a moment to observe your body, breath, thoughts, emotions and awareness.
