Meditation for Beginners

Meditation, the practice of moving into a state of relaxation and introspection, is a great way to relax and rejuvenate your body. You can gain numerous physical benefits from daily meditation, including lower blood pressure, lower heart rate and reduced stress. In addition, you can improve your emotional and spiritual health and wellbeing.

Other benefits of meditation may include:

• A better night's sleep
• Easier behavior modification
• Improved self-confidence
• Increased serotonin production in the brain
• Peace and tranquility in your daily life
• Rapid post-operative healing
• Reduced anxiety attacks
• Reduced irritability.

Meditation can serve as a training tool to cleanse the mind. Buddhists use meditation techniques to replace negative qualities in the mind with positive ones. They believe that the mind can be cleansed of impurities such as desire, jealousy, anger and hatred, and replaced with love, compassion, happiness and kindness.

Meditation for Beginners

To quickly take advantage of benefits of meditation, follow these steps:

1. Find a quiet and peaceful location.
2. Prepare the area with meditation music, mats, candles and other relaxation tools.
3. Sit on the floor, in a chair or wherever you're most comfortable, keeping your back straight.
4. Close your eyes and begin breathing exercises. Take a deep breath, allowing the air to expand your stomach, and then slowly exhale. Concentrate on this rhythm of inhaling and exhaling.
5. Clear your mind of all thoughts, then slowly let them enter. Contemplate each thought, one at a time. Don't dwell on any thought, letting each go from your mind.
6. Be aware of the peaceful state you're in and carry it with you during your day.

Different Meditation Techniques

If you're interested in meditation for beginners, you can choose from several techniques. Note that daily meditation is most beneficial when you use a method that works well for you.

Any of these meditation techniques can create a calm state of mind and a happier outlook, among other benefits of meditation:

• Activity meditation allows you to enter a meditative state while doing an activity, such as walking.
• Breath meditation keeps you aware of your breath to achieve a relaxed state of mind.
• Chakra meditation embraces and harnesses the power of the chakras in the human body.
• Focused meditation encourages you to focus on one image or scene in order to experience deeper relaxation.
• Guided meditation takes you on a journey through a script or a narrative.
• Mindful meditation involves acknowledging your thoughts, feelings, sensations, surroundings and breath.
• Musical meditation involves listening to soothing music or sounds while relaxing your body and quieting your thoughts.
• Spiritual meditation helps relax your body, create a positive environment, and may make you aware of a higher presence.

With a little practice, daily meditation can be quite beneficial. Learn how to practice each these meditation techniques and take advantage of the vast benefits of meditation.

Resources

Learning Mediation. (n.d.). Learning to relax.Retrieved July 12, 2010, from http://www.learningmeditation.com/relax.htm

Segal, J., Saisan, J., Smith, M., Jaffe-Gill, E.