Meditation is easy and not that easy. You need a little knowledge of mind before you embark on meditation, then practice, stubborn practice until you conquer your noisy mind, making it a silent space.
Why Meditation?
Modern Life Is Complex, Meditation Makes It Simple
Meditation seems to have become an imperative now, in this uncertain time, when we are being beset with mind-unsettling crises-from health to professional.
Connecting Consciousness, lying above your mind, is the primary goal of meditation. When you connect your consciousness and begin living in it, you will become calm, a new being living in joy every moment, freed from stress which keep affecting your personal and professional life, disturbing sleep, leaving your nerves frayed and inviting serious diseases to afflict you.
How to Start?
Mind Is Restless, Soul Is Calm
The first thing you have to do is to silence your mind while sitting immobile in a yogic pose. But why I should silence my mind, you may ask. The Western people, long trained to take mind as the crown of human possibility, might not be comfortable with the idea of silencing mind.
The answer is simple. Silence of mind is an imperative for meditation. Unless your mind is silenced, higher knowledge will never come and Consciousness will forever remain elusive.
Yogic postures (asanas) and yogic breathing (pranayamas) are the principal elements of meditation. Together, they are great aids to focused concentration that progressively deepens into meditation. Any yogic pose will do. You are to sit comfortably with your back and shoulder straight.
Basic Steps for Meditation
Through Practice, Meditation Becomes Spontaneous
- Light Asana: You should start your meditation practice with the hatha yoga exercises. These will make your body light and supple, removing stiffness of the joints. Together with highly beneficial sun salutation, light asanas help you sit for a long time in a comfortable posture and it will take you into meditation smoothly.
- Yogic Breathing: Known as pranayama, this is an indispensable tool for meditation. It is not difficult to learn if you receive the training from the meditation adepts. You should practice kapalbhati, nadi shodhan and bhastrika pranayama for just 10 to 15 minutes. These will bring balance in your breathing and help you control your mind. Later, you may increase the duration of pranayama practice.
- Focus & Concentration: Attention, focus and concentration are the three keys to light meditation. Initial practice for 15 minutes is enough for the beginners. You are free to choose any object or subject to focus your mind sans fluctuation.
- Dark Room: The meditation beginners may choose a dark room for practice. It may be small, but it should be clean and well-ventilated. This you may need to deepen focus in the beginning. Later, you will be able to meditate anywhere, even in a market place effortlessly.
- Add-on: You know how your senses drive you outward. It is difficult to get rid of our habit of playing into the hands of the outward-going senses. So, if you are beginner, you may use add-ons like eye-shades and cotton balls for your ears to stay disconnected with the outside world. A time may come through persistent practice when you will no longer use these add-ons and meditation will become spontaneous and effortless no matter wherever you are.
Meditation for Beginners
Not Escaping but Mastering Life
The following are the simplest forms of meditation for the absolute beginners. Only a few rounds of practice under the yoga masters are enough for you to learn the techniques. What is common is that you will have to sit in any meditative asana or posture with your back, neck and shoulder upright and your breath should be slow and deep.
- Aum Meditation
Aum is a divine sound and so, Aum meditation is a powerful means of calming your mind down, disturbances of the outer world kept outside. The sound “Aum” is beyond time and space, signifying eternity, infinity, imperishability. So, this meditation helps you feel eternity, infinity within you.
- Breath Meditation
As long as you breathe you live. So, breath is life. But normal breathing is involuntary, unconscious. Meditation teaches you to become inwardly aware of your breathing as you will be breathing with your mind, with your awareness, with your consciousness. Breath during meditation becomes slow, deep, balanced. This meditation cools and strengthens your tired nerves, making mind calm, undisturbed by outer life experiences.
- Tratak Meditation
Tratak in Sanskrit means intense gazing. During this meditation practice, you are to focus your gaze on a dot on wall or a candle flame or even shining moon. It will enhance your focus and concentration. Best time to practice it is early morning or evening or before retiring to bed.
- Silence Meditation
Silence meditation is a journey from external awareness to inward consciousness. It helps in silencing all the five senses of your body which always tend to pull you outward. With senses kept in silent mode, you will realize that your true self is above senses, above mind- the fount of peace, love and strength.
- Humming Meditation
A humming bee is always found engaged in extracting nectar from flower while remaining oblivious of its surroundings. Humming meditation likewise makes you focused on your chosen object or subject through focusing on your breath. It brings contentment in your heart, filling your life with love, peace, patience.
- Music Meditation
This is highly beneficial for you if your mind is obstinately restless. Music has a great quality of controlling restlessness. It removes negativity as you are flowing with the notes of the soothing music. The more you practice the more peaceful will be your mind.
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