Meditation; How to always manifest the results you desire.

Meditation as a practice is believed to have it’s origin in India. Different sources define meditation in different ways but I find this definition the most appealing and one of the most relevant, ” To engage in deep thought or reflection”.

Some meditations go on to include the use of music , mantras , affirmations and meditation tracks , depending on the practitioner’s preferences . But meditation can also be simple , it doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to accomplish the real purpose of meditation which is usually to calm one’s mind and increase spiritual awareness.

There are different types of meditation some say they are 3, others 7 others 23 , different sources will give different numbers and i don’t intend to disagree with any, though i will be going through a few of the types that am well versed with- 21 to be exact. And before i jump into the different types of meditation ,allow me answer the commonly asked question , ” Why do people meditate ?”

MEDITATION BENEFITS.

Meditation has a variety of benefits to the human body and mind too from spiritual ,emotional and physical .

• Meditation helps to reduce stress and anxiety. It does so by calming a person down. One is able to think more clearly, without biased judgement and find the power and strength from within to cope with the situation knowing that whatever it is bothering them , it will surely come to pass. Because nothing is permanent in this world , not even our troubles.

• Some people also believe meditation brings more joy and happiness into one’s life. During some meditations practitioners get to visualize their dream lives , goals, happy memories , give out love and kindness and do a variety of mental exercises that make them happier. Research shows that being happy and grateful for something places someone on the frequency of receiving that with they are grateful for.

This is what makes gratitude meditation a particularly very powerful one.

• Meditation calms the mind and body hence improving mental health and overall health .

• Meditation increases one’s spiritual awareness or call it intuition. One finds it easier to listen to the still small voices that come from within. We are spiritual beings and once we gain more awareness of the supernatural, then everything starts to fall into line. We begin to experience the love, joy and happiness that we seek and also get to find inner peace.

• And as our lives get better , we become more pleasant while dealing with other people , we learn to love and respect others more. We develop tolerance toward others and learn to celebrate our differences rather than let them get in between our relationships.

• Another amazing benefit of meditation is it unlocks the power to manifest the life of one’s dreams . Research shows that your dominant thoughts will create your life . If your thoughts are one of a happy and fulfilled life, that is the one you will get to live, and the reverse is true. Meditation achieves this by connecting the sub-conscious mind to infinite intelligence. In this relaxed state, new ideas can be born , new frequencies learnt and mastered hence bringing about the lives we desire.

Having known the benefits you might be wondering if you can as well benefit from such a simple yet rewarding practice and answer is YES. You can do it . Anyone can do it . And the good news is you don’t need any special equipment unless you want to of course.

I also like to emphasize that you can practice meditation anywhere ;- at home, on a bus, train , while taking a walk, by the sea, in your living room or your bed, wherever. Forget about all the pictures you see on the internet of people meditating on fancy beaches, by the sea side, and in many other fancy settings. It’s just an Instagram generation. You can do it within your means and how you like it .

COMPONENTS OF MEDITATION

Different meditation types differ on various components but every meditation comprises of a few basics which include focused attention, a calm environment ,comfort ,open mindedness and slow breathing.

1. Focused attention; this enables you to take your mind off the distractions around you as you meditate and concentrate on a specific moment, object, affirmation or mantra , your body, giving out love or even on your breathing. The item of focus usually depends on the goal of the meditation.

2. A calm and quiet environment; Most meditations encourage the practitioner to be in a quiet environment especially for beginners. This helps you concentrate on yourself and your thoughts. The last thing you want is being taken up by distractions.

3. Comfort; Getting into a comfortable position is also very important. This helps calm your mind easily and lets you put all of your focus on the object of meditation.

4. Open mindedness ; An open mind and positive attitude are encouraged, let your thoughts pass through your mind without judgement .

5. Slow breathing; Observing even paced breathing can be a great way to turn your mind off various thoughts and get it to concentrate.

TYPES OF MEDITATION

There many various types of meditation like i mentioned in the start and am not about the argue about their number. Allow me discuss the 21 types am most familiar with that i may not misled you but they could be more or less .

Today i will be discussing about mindfulness meditation , Transcendental ,Vipassana, Yoga, Zazen, Guided meditation, Qi gong, Progressive Muscle Relaxation , Relaxed meditation, Gardening, Mantra meditation, Buddhist ,Breath-Awareness, Sound bath, Maitra ,Focused Attention, Chakra, Daoist, Loving Kindness, Gratitude and Tantra meditation.

1. Mindfulness meditation also referred to as Samatha : Just like the name goes, the focus is to stay present in the moment . Forget about the past and worry not about the future. Just be in the here and now. Yes, your mind will wander from time to time, just bring it back to the present moment. This type may usually comprise breath-awareness and body scanning.

Some of benefits include ; it allows you observe your thoughts ,but emphasizes no judgement to them. Mindfulness meditation also helps improve concentration levels, focus and reduce stress- together with stress-caused ailments.

2. Focused attention; This type involves concentrating all your attention on a specific object, or thought , ignoring all distractions around you is a must. The purpose of focused attention meditation is to get you on the frequency of whatever it is you intend to attain and really experience it. It may be your breath, an imagination , a goal or something you really desire to experience. It’s benefits are similar to mindfulness meditation. Many meditation practices include focused attention as one of their pillars.

3. Visualization meditation; Concentrates on manifesting different things one may desire. Practitioners imagine whatever they wanna achieve and try to feel happy as though they have received it. It could be the life of their dreams ,a house, a baby, a spouse name it, anything of one’s desire. I honestly can’t lie but this is my favorite type of meditation and am sure you might be in position to guess why. It helps me create my life just the way i like it .

4. Guided Meditation; Also referred to as guided visualization or guided imagination. It is focused meditation but called guided as practitioners usually implore the help of a guide or teacher, someone familiar with the process. It may be more complex depending on the goal of the meditation.

5. Breath-Awareness meditation: The goal here is to focus on one’s breathing ,that’s all .Sounds simple right, you might be mistaken .Thoughts keep coming to the mind and the only way to concentrate is to keep repeating to yourself , breathe in ,breathe out or counting your breaths as you inhale and exhale. This type of meditation is helpful in stressful situations can improve focus and also reduce anxiety hence promoting emotional stability.

6. Transcendental meditation: Involves reciting a personally picked mantra ( depending on the goal of the practice ) in a specific way. Usually the purpose of transcendental meditation is to bring about that which you desire to see or obtain. Repeating the mantra or affirmation helps you believe it .After belief comes the materialization of whatever you desire, in the case of a material want .

7. Mantra meditation: It follows all basics of meditation and is very much similar to transcendental meditation. It involves repeating a certain word or phrase and is more commonly practiced in certain religions and faiths especially in India. Mantras are usually calming words or pre-determined words depending on the reason for practice.

8. Vipassana meditation : The literal translation of vipassana is to see things as they really are. More like self-evaluation. It helps you identify why certain things happened the way they did, how to prevent undesirable reoccurrences and hence get better results out of life.

9. YOGA: Yoga is a very wide topic and has very many styles but lemme just talk about yoga meditation. The end goal is usually to help the body . It specifically aims at strengthening the body and nervous system, together known as the neuro-muscular system. Just like other types of meditation ,it involves focus, comfortable posture and is carried out in a quiet environment.

10. Loving Kindness Meditation also known as Maitri meditation: Here the practitioners give out positive thoughts of love ,joy ,kindness etc. These positive feelings are first directed towards themselves and then to other people they love or even hate . Yes, you read that right.

The purpose of this type of meditation is first to help one feel better about themselves , and then others too. It also helps one to let go of hurtful situations, bad memories and hate to those who might have hurt the individual in question .

11. Zazen meditation: also known as Zen meditation . It has it’s origin in Buddhist psychology. And encourages the practitioners to have a general awareness of their inner self. This helps them to tap into their unconscious minds. It requires patience as much practice to master and is usually not the first choice for beginners. It improves concentration levels immensely and focus.

12. Qi gong meditation: It has it’s origins in China and is a combination of mindful breathing ,attention and slight movement. Qi gong involves mentally moving energy throughout your body . Benefits include improved focus on daily activities, reduced anxiety and stress levels and increased balance.

13. Progressive muscle meditation: The aim is to feel more relaxed and calm by releasing all the tension you might be holding in your body . It involves use of different techniques depending on which muscles one intends to relax. It combines benefits of basic meditation in addition to; – Improving sleep and reducing pain, Improving blood flow throughout the body and many more benefits.

14. Relaxation meditation: The sole goal here is to relax just like the name of the practice goes. It is suitable for people dealing with high stress situations. Breath-awareness is also an important aspect here. One can also implore the use of music usually soothing music or their favorite type of music to help them relax more , which brings us to sound bath.

15. Sound bath meditation: This makes use of music to help practitioners relax more. Sessions are usually conducted by trained instructors and last about an hour to one and a half.

I really don’t have much knowledge on this type of meditation as it is a bit complex.

16. Buddhist meditation: Most of the meditation practices have their origin in Buddhism . Buddhist meditation in particular involves various techniques and for more details click here. Practitioners believe it leads to spiritual liberation .

17. Gardening; This in particular is great for nature lovers and enthusiasts. It may also involve a lot of movement depending on one’s preferences. Being mindful while doing the gardening- from touching the soil, or flowers to planting seeds or plants and caring for them is very relaxing for some people. It is a great way for them to connect with their inner selves. People who practice garden meditation usually love to plant scented plants or flowers and colorful ones too and are very passionate about the earth, soil, water and nature .

18. Chakra meditation : The body is said to have 7 chakras- energy levels which include the head(crown chakra ) , third eye chakra, throat chakra ,heart chakra ,Solar Plexus chakra , Sacral chakra and root chakra .

This type of meditation focuses on these chakras . Each of these chakras when tapped into is believed to have a unique benefit from the other. For in-depth information check this out . Practitioners believe it clears blocked chakras and allows energy to flow freely throughout the body , which in turn brings about healing properties.

19. Daoist meditation: also known as Taoist meditation : Having it’s origins in China, it’s practices are associated with their philosophy and religion. It places emphasis on visualizations, energy flow, breathing and different healing techniques.

The goal is increased flow of inner energy. Practitioners believe that it unites the body, mind, the Spirit and also connects them to the Universe and nature.

20. Tantric meditation: It is very similar to chakra meditation and involves concentration , breath awareness and movement. It is said to move tantric/ sexual energy through the body. Practitioners believe this brings about enlightenment, healing and transformation.

I must confess i find tantric meditation interesting . That goes without saying it is closely related and associated with tantric sex. It is said to help people healing from life-long traumas by letting go of stress and tension.

21. Gratitude meditation; This types involves all the basic aspects of meditation. The special part is practitioners practice feeling gratitude for all life’s big and small blessings. Feeling grateful is absolutely the way to bring more into your life.

There many types of meditation depending on the desired end result therefore be notified this isn’t all there’s to know about meditation though this is pretty much it. But for now having known the different types of meditation let’s move onto the most important part which is how to meditate.

HOW TO MEDITATE

First, find a quiet place free from distractions. This will make it easier for you to concentarate especially if your a beginner or haven’t been meditating much before.

Then secondly, get into a comfortable person. It may be sitting with your legs folded inwards, outwards , forward or simply lying on your back. Whichever works for you is what we shall go with . That will help you concentrate your sole attention on the practice , whichever type you choose depending on what you intend to accomplish.

3. Concentrate ; First on your breath, then move your concentration to a specific object of your choice depending on the reason for meditation. Fill your mind with intentional thoughts. Don’t let it drift away too long.

Lastly , go on to carryout whichever type of meditation your comfortable with . Yes it’s that simple.

Just a few things to remember , you might need to set a specific time when to meditate so as to make it a habit and gain lasting results. Then also remember to set a time limit for yourself. In the beginning you can start with 10 to 15 minutes and increase them as you get better at the practice . Also be sure to bring your mind to focus when it wonders off. That’s what meditation is all about- FOCUS.

I personally love to meditate daily and i do it more often when am not really feeling the best about myself that day . Incase you are not feeling the very best about yourself lately, try checking out these articles about self-esteem and self-worth they may prove helpful.