In today’s world of constant ideas and distractions, losing yourself in all the noise is easy. If you’re looking for ways to analyze your thoughts or improve your focus, chances are you’ve heard of meditation. Meditation is an excellent tool for anchoring your thoughts in the present and aligning yourself with your purpose.
In its simplest form, meditation is the process of training focus. It’s essential to be connected to the floor and in a space with minimal distractions. Your objective is stimulating your focus while letting your mind wander through thoughts naturally.
In the rest of this article, I will describe the origins/definition of meditation, its benefits, and tips for beginning your meditative journey.
What Is Meditation
Origins
To truly grasp what meditation is, it’s essential to understand where the practice comes from. However, finding a universal/scientific definition of meditation is as challenging as finding an accepted time period responsible for its creation. English gets the term meditation from the Latin verb meditari, meaning to think, ponder, reflect, or contemplate.
With such loose parameters, any moment in history when humans sought deeper thinking or enlightenment could be called meditation. The first recorded evidence of meditative techniques was found in the Vedas of India in 1,500 BCE. Around 600 and 500 BCE, these techniques were found again in Taoist China and Buddhist India before spreading to the rest of the modern world.
Types
Due to its long history and wide-scale applications, cultures from all over the world have their definition of what it means to meditate. These varying perspectives have created various types/categories of meditation techniques to match their unique norms and ideologies.
Today’s most common types of meditation are mindfulness, spiritually focused, movement, mantra, transcendental, progressive, loving-kindness, visualization, guided, and unguided. Each technique comes with its own set of rules and goals. Try various meditation styles to find the most beneficial ones for you and your goals.
Definition
So, what exactly is meditation after all the history and sorting are out of the way? Meditation describes any set of techniques designed to stimulate a higher state of awareness and focus. The ultimate goal of any meditative session is to spend quality time with your mind and thoughts.
Benefits
Now that we’ve established what meditation is and where it comes from, we can explore some of its proven benefits. Meditation techniques help you build up your mental discipline and, as a result, help you manage your stress and anxiety. Meditation can also help you deal with physical issues like high blood pressure and trouble sleeping.
Consistent meditation has also been shown to improve one’s self-awareness. With a better understanding of yourself, it is easier to understand your values and other ideals you won’t tolerate. An enhanced self-awareness can also help you improve your emotional health, memory, and stimulate focus.
How To Start
Do your research. As mentioned previously, there are different meditation techniques, each with its own guidelines and goals. Find some techniques you want to try before your first session. That way, if you’re not seeing the results you’re looking for, you have other options to try out.
Find a location. Meditation is a trial in focus. That means you will want to find a comfortable location free of as many distractions as possible before you begin. That way, you can be present in the moment and devote yourself fully to your chosen meditative technique.
Ask for help. Meditation can be a tricky concept to grasp, especially for beginners. If you need clarification or help at a stage in the process, it can be very beneficial to seek expert help. Your healthcare provider or close friends can offer quality insights on meditation. If you still have issues, guided meditation sessions can help you get started.
Tips for Your Next Meditative Session
Now that you are ready to meditate, here are a few tips to ensure your next session is productive.
1. Start Slow
If you’re aware of meditation, you probably have heard of enlightened monks meditating for hours in various locations and physical conditions. Even more common guides for learning meditation suggest you carve out an hour or 20 minutes to dedicate to the practice.
However, when you’re just getting started, spending at most 10 minutes during each session is recommended. The purpose of meditation is to build your focus and self-awareness over time. You don’t have to force yourself to be perfect from the beginning. The fact that you made any time at all will help you in your quest for self-awareness.
2. Be Consistent
After you set your time limit, make sure that you stay consistent. Building your focus is a rewarding but time-consuming process. Ensuring you find time to dedicate to your meditative techniques daily is imperative to provide tangible results.
Whether it’s early in the day or before you go to bed, you should find a time that allows you to focus on your meditation and that you can always fit into your schedule.
3. Get Comfortable
Ensuring you stay comfortable throughout your session is one of the most critical tasks for those learning meditation. Lying on the floor, sitting with your legs crossed, or standing in place, finding a position that works for your body is essential for having a productive meditation.
Although your exact movements will be based on the specific type of meditative technique you are using, ultimately, you will need a position you can hold for an extended period without becoming uncomfortable, restless, or stiff. Once we become irritated, maintaining focus becomes much more complex as our bodies become another distraction.
4. Focus On Your Thoughts
As you begin meditating, you will notice that your mind may drift from thought to thought or that you may feel certain emotions or sensations. Even though your focus may be on your breathing or a specific visualization, it is essential not to ignore these thoughts and feelings.
Meditation is one of the best ways we, as humans, can peek at our minds and unconscious thoughts. Therefore, you shouldn’t rush or ignore these thoughts/feelings but sit with them instead, allow your mind to linger on these topics, or even note them for future analysis.
Acknowledging your thoughts and understanding why you’re having them is the only natural way to benefit from your meditation.
5. Be Kind to Yourself
The last and most important tip is to remain kind to yourself. Meditation, improving focus, and building self-awareness are all challenging tasks (especially when you’re just starting). If you have trouble focusing on your breathing, staying still, or keeping your mind clear, know these things are common and improve with practice.
Conclusion
In a noisy world, meditation is a tool for focus and self-awareness. This article delves into meditation’s origins, types, and benefits and offers practical tips for getting started. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to enhance your meditation skills, these tips should help you on your quest for true self-awareness