Simple Meditation Techniques
As you practice, it’s okay if thoughts start racing through your mind; just bring back your focus onto breathing.
Counting your breaths is an effective meditation technique for natural relaxation and sleep aid.
1. Breathing
Breathing exercises can help to relax and focus the mind for meditation, as well as to provide a means of controlling your breathing when stressed or anxious. One basic breathing technique involves breathing in and out through your nose; another method uses Ujjayi or “victory breath”, Bhastrika or bellows breath patterns, where quick and slow breaths alternate at precise counts in order to shift from upper chest breathing towards abdominal breathing and produce feelings of physical alertness and mental calmness.
Try the 4-7-8 breath technique, designed to restore and relax your nervous system. Simply breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds and exhale 8 seconds – this can initially make you dizzy but over time may help your body release stress and tension more efficiently.
2. Mantra
Mantras are repeatable phrases used as focus points during meditation to quiet the noise in one’s mind and induce a state of peace and clarity in one’s body. Mantras can help establish intentions that can then be pursued throughout the rest of one’s day.
Chopra notes that mantras may provide a way to reduce stress, enhance focus and develop greater self-awareness. Rooted in Hindu or Buddhist tradition but open to modern use as well, Vinall points out that each mantra carries its own energetic essence and meaning and selecting one will depend on your current state of mind and meditation goals.
Reciting or chanting your mantra should coincide with the rhythm of your breathing; eventually they should find their own natural flow. Depending on its length, you might recite faster or slower than usual – the key is keeping in sync with your breath!
Om is a timeless mantra representing the fundamental sound of creation, its resonance can be felt throughout space-time and is considered the ultimate symbol of life itself. Chanting it connects us all on multiple levels from physicality through emotion to spirit; through it, we align ourselves with life itself — including all its experiences for others as well as ourselves.
3. Focus
To maximize meditation’s benefits and focus your mind during practice, there are various techniques you can try. Some require sitting in an exact position while using breathing as your focus point; other forms, like mindfulness meditation, allow you to observe thoughts and sensations without becoming emotionally invested in them.
There are also meditation techniques that involve focusing your attention on objects like candles and flowers, or the sensations in your body. A simple activity like washing dishes can serve as an opportunity for deep meditation if done mindfully.
At first, this meditation technique may involve counting breaths or noting how your abdomen rises and falls as your point of focus. Other types of focusing meditation include visualization and progressive muscle relaxation – in which each muscle group in your body is gradually tightened or relaxed in turn.
As part of meditation, it’s essential to remember that your mind may wander. This is an integral part of the process and does not indicate you’re doing something incorrectly. If your thoughts wander off into nonsensical territory, simply return your attention slowly back to breathing as soon as you notice them – count each time! If focusing during your practice is becoming difficult for you, try adopting an accepting attitude towards any thoughts and feelings that come up instead of treating them like enemies; this will allow for better concentration during meditation sessions and help improve focus during practice overall.
4. Visualization
Visualization is a form of meditation in which you focus on visualizing an image that promotes calm. Visualization can help you reach your goals more easily, reduce anxiety and stress levels and affirm your values.
At this type of meditation, the goal is to visualize an image that represents something calming – perhaps an image representing a place, person, event, or even simply colors. Your goal should be to allow this image to fill your mind and bring peace (Matko, 2019).
One common visualization technique known as “meditation for compassion,” or “loving-kindness,” promotes feelings of love, forgiveness and empathy towards others while at the same time helping reduce stress levels, boost your mood and improve physical wellbeing.
Visualization techniques such as outcome visualization are an effective way of increasing positive emotions and motivating people towards meeting their goals (Murphy et al., 2015). This meditation technique has also been proven effective at increasing positive emotions and motivation while aiding with goal achievement (Murphy et al., 2015).
An outcome visualization exercise could help you imagine living the ideal life after attaining your financial goals. This meditation can help create a clear image of the future and it’s important to add as many details as possible – for instance, consider what sounds and smells your new life might include.
5. Body Scan
Body scan meditation is a type of mindfulness meditation in which participants focus on the sensations in their bodies, noting how they feel, and releasing any tension held therein. It is an ideal technique for people experiencing chronic pain or who feel particularly stressed out and anxious.
Body scan meditation requires you to get into an easy position – usually lying down – and focus on breathing. Next, begin scanning your body from head to feet and toes noticing any sensations present – whether they be tightness, relaxation, tingling, or pain. As you come to each part, slowly release any tension stored there before spending some time enjoying how each part feels.
Learn to do a body scan yourself by following this guide or downloading Hocus and His Tin Man’s guided body scan meditation. Remember, not everyone experiences body scan meditation the same way; it may be relaxing for some or triggering for others; to ensure you find the best approach, it is best to consult a qualified teacher in order to find what works for you. Including regular body scanning into your day-to-day practice can help release tension and anxiety that you might not even realize is there, helping you feel lighter, centered, and at ease throughout your day.
6. Awareness
Awareness meditation teaches you to observe everything happening inside and outside your body, enabling you to identify patterns of thought and behaviour and make more informed choices while lessening suffering caused by egoic thoughts and chatter.
The ego loves to distract and deceive us by filling our minds with incessant chatter that leaves us feeling busy, stressed, and unhappy. Mindfulness and awareness meditation offer us a way to step back from this stream of noise so that we may enjoy all the richness that exists within ourselves.
At first, awareness meditation may involve simply focusing on your natural breathing or repeating silently a word or mantra that you find soothing, or on paying attention to subtle bodily sensations such as itching or tingling and then practicing their identification (sight, sound, smell, taste and touch). Over time you may find that by accepting emotions like anger or frustration without judgment they begin to release themselves naturally.
Development of awareness is a lifelong journey and you may go days or weeks without practicing it, but just like with any exercise or skill, as more time goes on practicing it becomes easier and more enjoyable – soon it’ll just become part of your routine without even needing to think twice before fitting it in!
