‘Only in silence can you hear your soul speak.’
These moments of silence are nothing but the state of Meditation.
Meditation is one of the best solutions for those who want to get rid of all the obstacles in life. It is like a medicine for life, and it costs only your time and dedication. Something as simple as just listening to a particular sound, without having any other thoughts, can be a meditation for you. It is nothing but experiencing things as they are without bringing your thoughts into the picture.
Though a lot has been said about meditation, yet many are unaware of its essential benefits. Endless questions, even the basic ones like ‘what is meditation? How am I supposed to do it? to what will I get out of it?’ cloud out thoughts and we are about to take you a step closer to experiencing it yourself.
As per the Patanjali Yoga Sutras, meditation is the seventh step. You must first deal with the outward aspects and only then can you turn inwards. Following are the steps you must perfect to attain the proper state of meditation:
Correct your behavior with the Yamasand Niyamas. Prepare your physical body with Asanas. Control the chattering of the mind with Pranayamas. Develop a sensory will with Prayatahara.
Following this, comes the sixth step – Dharana, which prepares us for meditation.
This step challenges your mind and trains it to focus better. You must start by keeping an object in front of you and focus on that object only.
In this process, your thoughts are there but you are thinking only about the object and nothing else. This is the first technique of meditation.
The object can be anything – a picture of OM, or an idol, or even a flower. All you have to do is keep looking at it, take it in as much as you can, without letting your mind engage with any other thoughts.
A mind is only as steady as the body is. For meditation, you must sit in a stable position. Cross your legs or in other words sit in Sukhasana position, with a straight spine so that the energy can smoothly flow upwards and hands can be in any meditative position.
- Mantra Technique:
Our Indian culture has blessed us with so many mantras! Go ahead, pick the one you resonate with the most, or you can with the first sound, OM.
When you are inhaling, chant ‘Auuu’ in your mind, and when you are exhaling, mentally chant ‘Mmmm’.
Keep chanting for as long as you are comfortable. Let the thoughts come and go, and avoid interacting with them.
- Listen to the Sound Technique:
This is one of the easiest but powerful techniques that even children can practice if they want to. Start by sitting silently and try to listen to all the sounds around you. Be it the sounds of the car, fan, or even people around you. Just attune yourself and listen.
This state is also known as Nishpandh Bhava that is the mo tionless state of mind. Turn into a passive listener and let the thoughts subside on their own.
In this technique, all you have to do is focus on your breath.
Focus as it flows in and out of your body.
Let the breath flow naturally, don’t try to interfere or regulate the breath. Just observe how long does it take for it to go in and come out.
- Visualizing Technique:
In the visualizing technique, close your eyes and try to imagine yourself sitting in a meditative pose in front of you. Think that you are looking at yourself in the mirror but with closed eyes.
This technique will help you discover who you are.
You are not your body, not your mind, not your position, but just pure consciousness. This meditation technique will take you on a journey of finding yourself!
- Feel the Air Technique:
This is another technique in which you have to just ‘be’.
Stay in the moment and feel the air around you, the air touching your skin, the coolness on the body, and just be.
You can practice this mindfulness technique anywhere, as it gives an object to the mind to focus on, thereby reducing your thoughts.
Try these meditation techniques and see which works the best for you. Make meditation a part of your life and let your inner self start guiding you. Happy meditating!