Thoughts that crowd our head like crazy splinters, we would like to quiet them, but we don’t know how to do it. This is where Meditation comes in handy, an ancient practice that allows us to gain greater awareness and cognitive control. If you want to deepen the question, go to the site and choose which is most suited to your thinking and way of being.
It is an ancient practice that allows you to get in touch with the most hidden parts of our spiritual being, those that we tend to neglect taken from the routine of daily life. The only goal of this practice is to achieve a state of calm in the present.Â
What Are Meditation Techniques?
The techniques are varied, but all allow you to reach a state of stillness. Many religions use Meditation as a tool to increase spirituality and awareness. Typically, meditation techniques are divided into three main categories:
- Visual Meditation, based on the visualization of images that our mind creates. The images created may be blurry at first but, with practice, they will soon be sharp and clear.
- Mantric meditation, based on the repetition of words, phrases, prayers, or invocations.
- Meditation that blends heart and brain, which focuses on transforming the mind to free the heart.
- Transcendental Meditation, originally from India. With this technique, the mind goes beyond the impulse of thought and enters a state of inner silence. By relaxing the mind, the body also relaxes profoundly.
What Practical Benefits Are Obtained
There is a lot of talk about the many positive effects for mind and body of Meditation, but what are they? Here are the main ones:
- It helps prevent flu and seasonal ailments
- Allows you to fight depression and anxiety
- Improves memory and concentration and gives greater clarity to brain functions
- Reduces physical pain by controlling breathing
- Reduces stress through less cortisol production
- Improve productivity in both work and study
Scientific ResearchÂ
Scientific research (starting in the 70s) has focused mainly on transcendental Meditation and has highlighted how much stress and anxiety decreased but not only led to an improvement in physical health. One study in particular ( Meditation: concepts, effects, and uses in therapy ) highlights the characteristics common to all types of Meditation:
- Relaxation
- Increased concentration
- Alteration of the state of consciousness
- Suspension of rational thinking
- Increased aptitude for self-awareness and self-observation.
But it doesn’t stop there. Meditation gives the brain a charge. It was shown, through magnetic resonance, that Meditation changes the nervous connections of the brain.
How To Meditate
Once the type of Meditation has been chosen, all that remains is:
- Sit comfortably with your back straight and legs crossed.
- Finding the correct posture as it affects the qualityÂ
- Place the hands in zazen position, i.e., gathered with the thumbs forming a horizontal line
- Squint your eyes
- Focus on breathing by observing how we breathe, feeling how air enters and exits the lungs
- Find the ideal duration. It would be best to meditate twice a day for about 15-20 minutes.
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