Meditation and its methods

Start slow: Beginners may find meditating for more than five to 10 minutes challenging. Set a time limit of five to 10 minutes to start. The length of the session is less important than meditating regularly. Meditation is a form of mental exercise. You build stamina for longer sessions as you develop a practice. Focused, or Concentrative, Meditation Focused meditation is simply that: a practice of focusing one of your five senses on a specific sensation or object. It can involve listening to a chime or a gong, staring at a candle, focusing on your breath, or counting mala beads, or prayer beads. When your mind wanders, you bring it back to focus on your chosen object, sound, or sensation. During mindfulness meditation, you focus your mind on the process of inhaling and exhaling, noticing when your mind or thoughts start to wander. It’s inevitable and natural for your mind to wander. Observe your mind wandering and the thoughts and feelings that arise without judgment, just noting them, and then gently draw your attention back to your breathing. • Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR): MBSR incorporates mindfulness meditation and yoga to reduce stress. Developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn in the 1970s, MBSR is typically taught through an eight-week course. The goal of the practice is to create a calm, relaxed state, and to build the ability to reduce emotional reactivity by staying present, aware, and calm during times of stress. • Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT): MBC...

People have been meditating for thousands of years, often as part of a spiritual practice. But in more recent years, mindfulness has become a popular way to help people manage their stress and improve their overall well-being — and a wealth of research shows it’s effective. Psychologists have found that mindfulness meditation changes our brain and biology in positive ways, improving mental and physical health. What is mindfulness meditation? Meditation can be defined in many ways. But a simple way to think of it is Mindfulness is one of the most popular meditation techniques. It has two main parts: attention and acceptance. The attention piece is about tuning into your experiences to focus on what's happening in the present moment. It typically involves directing your awareness to your breath, your thoughts, the physical sensations in your body and the feelings you are experiencing. The acceptance piece involves observing those feelings and sensations without judgment. Instead of responding or reacting to those thoughts or feelings, you aim to note them and let them go. Mindfulness classes and mindfulness-based therapies provide the tools to put those concepts into practice. Such programs might include breathing exercises, yoga and guided lessons to help you become aware of your body sensations, thoughts and feelings. Much of the research on mindfulness has focused on two types of interventions: • Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is a therapeutic intervention that...

Meditation is an ancient practice that dates back thousands of years. Despite its age, this practice is common worldwide because it has benefits for brain health and overall well-being. With the help of modern technology, researchers continue to expand their understanding of how meditation helps people and why it works. What is meditation? Meditation is a practice that involves focusing or clearing your mind using a combination of mental and physical techniques. Depending on the type of meditation you choose, you can meditate to relax, reduce anxiety and The practice of meditation is thousands of years old, and different forms come from around the world. But modern science has only started studying this practice in detail during the last few decades. Some of the biggest leaps in science’s understanding of meditation have only been possible thanks to modern technology. On the outside, someone who’s meditating might not seem to be doing anything other than breathing or repeating a sound or phrase over and over. Inside their brain, however, it’s an entirely different story. Modern diagnostic and imaging techniques, like electroencephalography (EEG) and Is meditation a religious practice? Yes and no. Meditation has foundations in ancient philosophies and several world religions, but you don’t have to be religious to meditate. Some examples of religious and nonreligious methods of meditation include: • Buddhist: Several different forms of meditation have their origins in Buddhi...

Image: Thinkstock Taking a few minutes to focus your mind each day can reduce stress, pain, depression, and more. You can't see or touch stress, but you can feel its effects on your mind and body. In the short term, stress quickens your heart rate and breathing and increases your blood pressure. When you're constantly under stress, your adrenal glands overproduce the hormone cortisol. Overexposure to this hormone can affect the function of your brain, immune system, and other organs. Chronic stress can contribute to headaches, anxiety, depression, heart disease, and even premature death. Though you may not be able to eradicate the roots of stress, you can minimize its effects on your body. One of the easiest and most achievable stress-relieving techniques is meditation, a program in which you focus your attention inward to induce a state of deep relaxation. Although the practice of meditation is thousands of years old, research on its health benefits is relatively new, but promising. A research review published in JAMA Internal Medicine in January 2014 found meditation helpful for relieving anxiety, pain, and depression. For depression, meditation was about as effective as an antidepressant. Meditation is thought to work via its effects on the sympathetic nervous system, which increases heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure during times of stress. Yet meditating has a spiritual purpose, too. "True, it will help you lower your blood pressure, but so much more: it can he...

• Meditation has been practiced in cultures all over the world for thousands of years. • Nearly every religion, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, has a tradition of using meditative practices. • While meditation is often used for religious purposes, many people practice it independently of any religious or spiritual beliefs or practices. • Meditation can also be used as a psychotherapeutic technique. • There are many different types of meditation. • Body-scan meditation: This practice involves scanning the body and noticing physical sensations. • Breathing meditation:This involves focusing on different breathing techniques. • Loving-kindness meditation: This technique involves focusing your attention on loved ones, yourself, and others as you think kind and caring thoughts. • Mantra meditation: This practice involves chanting a word or phrase, which can be done aloud or in your mind. • Movement meditation: This type of meditation involves focusing on movements of the body, either by moving specific parts of the body or observing the world around you during a walk. • Object focus meditation: This type involves focusing attention on a specific object or mental image. • Choose a quiet spot that is free of distractions. Turn off your phone, television, and other distractions. If you choose to play quiet music, select something calm and repetitive. • Set a time limit. If you are just getting started, you might want to stick to shorter sessions of a...

Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years. Meditation originally was meant to help deepen understanding of the sacred and mystical forces of life. These days, meditation is commonly used for relaxation and stress reduction. Meditation is considered a type of mind-body complementary medicine. Meditation can produce a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind. Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall health. You can also use it to relax and cope with stress by refocusing your attention on something calming. Meditation can help you learn to stay centered and keep inner peace. And these benefits don't end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day. And meditation may help you manage symptoms of certain medical conditions. Meditation and emotional and physical well-being When you meditate, you may clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress. The emotional and physical benefits of meditation can include: • Gaining a new perspective on stressful situations • Building skills to manage your stress • Increasing self-awareness • Focusing on the present • Reducing negative emotions • Increasing imagination and creativity • Increasing patience and tolerance • Lowering resting heart rate • Lowering resting blood pressure • Improving sleep quality Meditation and illness Meditation might also be ...

A common thread among the many meditation techniques is that the mind stops following every new thought that comes to the surface. It’s generally necessary to have at least five to 20 distraction-free minutes to spend, though meditation sessions can really be any length. Longer meditation sessions tend to bring greater benefits, but it is usually best to start slowly so you can maintain the practice long-term. One way that meditation can benefit your mind and body by quieting the stress-induced thoughts that keep your body's stress response triggered. The Role of Relaxation There is an element of more direct physical relaxation involved in meditation as well, obviously, so this double dose of relaxation can really be helpful for shrugging off stress. A greater gain that meditation can bring is the long-term resilience that can come with regular practice. Research has shown that those who practice meditation regularly begin to experience changes in their response to stress that allow them to recover from stressful situations more easily and experience less stress from the challenges they face in their everyday lives. Some of this is thought to be the result of the increase in positive mood that can come from meditation; research shows that those who experience positive moods more often are more resilient toward stress. Other research has found changes in the brains of regular meditation practitioners that are linked with a decreased reactivity toward stress. • People with p...

A common thread among the many meditation techniques is that the mind stops following every new thought that comes to the surface. It’s generally necessary to have at least five to 20 distraction-free minutes to spend, though meditation sessions can really be any length. Longer meditation sessions tend to bring greater benefits, but it is usually best to start slowly so you can maintain the practice long-term. One way that meditation can benefit your mind and body by quieting the stress-induced thoughts that keep your body's stress response triggered. The Role of Relaxation There is an element of more direct physical relaxation involved in meditation as well, obviously, so this double dose of relaxation can really be helpful for shrugging off stress. A greater gain that meditation can bring is the long-term resilience that can come with regular practice. Research has shown that those who practice meditation regularly begin to experience changes in their response to stress that allow them to recover from stressful situations more easily and experience less stress from the challenges they face in their everyday lives. Some of this is thought to be the result of the increase in positive mood that can come from meditation; research shows that those who experience positive moods more often are more resilient toward stress. Other research has found changes in the brains of regular meditation practitioners that are linked with a decreased reactivity toward stress. • People with p...

Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years. Meditation originally was meant to help deepen understanding of the sacred and mystical forces of life. These days, meditation is commonly used for relaxation and stress reduction. Meditation is considered a type of mind-body complementary medicine. Meditation can produce a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind. Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall health. You can also use it to relax and cope with stress by refocusing your attention on something calming. Meditation can help you learn to stay centered and keep inner peace. And these benefits don't end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day. And meditation may help you manage symptoms of certain medical conditions. Meditation and emotional and physical well-being When you meditate, you may clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress. The emotional and physical benefits of meditation can include: • Gaining a new perspective on stressful situations • Building skills to manage your stress • Increasing self-awareness • Focusing on the present • Reducing negative emotions • Increasing imagination and creativity • Increasing patience and tolerance • Lowering resting heart rate • Lowering resting blood pressure • Improving sleep quality Meditation and illness Meditation might also be ...

Image: Thinkstock Taking a few minutes to focus your mind each day can reduce stress, pain, depression, and more. You can't see or touch stress, but you can feel its effects on your mind and body. In the short term, stress quickens your heart rate and breathing and increases your blood pressure. When you're constantly under stress, your adrenal glands overproduce the hormone cortisol. Overexposure to this hormone can affect the function of your brain, immune system, and other organs. Chronic stress can contribute to headaches, anxiety, depression, heart disease, and even premature death. Though you may not be able to eradicate the roots of stress, you can minimize its effects on your body. One of the easiest and most achievable stress-relieving techniques is meditation, a program in which you focus your attention inward to induce a state of deep relaxation. Although the practice of meditation is thousands of years old, research on its health benefits is relatively new, but promising. A research review published in JAMA Internal Medicine in January 2014 found meditation helpful for relieving anxiety, pain, and depression. For depression, meditation was about as effective as an antidepressant. Meditation is thought to work via its effects on the sympathetic nervous system, which increases heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure during times of stress. Yet meditating has a spiritual purpose, too. "True, it will help you lower your blood pressure, but so much more: it can he...