Meditation is the practice of focusing your awareness onto a single object. For this definition, an object can be ANYTHING your mind can perceive. When you train in meditation, you also practice freeing the mind of thoughts. As thoughts become less...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Meditation is the practice of focusing your awareness onto a single object. For this definition, an object can be ANYTHING your mind can perceive. When you train in meditation, you also practice freeing the mind of thoughts. As thoughts become less frequent, your powers of focus improve. When this happens, the mind becomes clear. Much like a blind person gains greater hearing, the undistracted mind allows your awareness to perceive amazing, and even mystical things.
Vipassana Meditation: Practiced in India for millenia, Vipassana is arguably one of the oldest forms of meditation. Its origins are lost in the mist of time, but it remains widely used today. Vipassana translates to "seeing things as they are." This form of meditation gave birth to the awareness meditation in Buddhism, which is now a popular movement.
In Vipassana meditation, you will be guided to emphasize self-observation. This practice is based on the belief that self-observation has a transformative effect on the human mind. To achieve self-observation, you are required to pay attention to physical sensations and build a bridge between your mind and body. That bridge is awareness, and its development can have profound effects on your consciousness.
Chakra Meditation: Another ancient form of meditation, the word "chakra" is Sanskrit for wheel and refers to "energy wheels" along your torso. Chakra meditation focuses on achieving energetic balance within the different Chakras to promote overall well-being. There are seven Chakras located in different parts of the torso.
Chakra meditation involves several relaxation techniques that focus your awareness on the Chakras. With steady concentration and practice, the energies of the various chakras can be brought back into balance and even strengthened. An example of such a technique is visualizing each chakra and its corresponding color.
Concentration and balance are essential in maintaining yoga poses. To practice yoga effectively, focus your mind on the present moment and the task at hand. This will ensure you are fully engaged and aware.
Mantra Meditation (Japa or Chanting)* This type of meditation helps you focus on a mantra or chant. A mantra could be a syllable, word, or phrase. Mantra meditation is useful for achieving focus and calm amid overwhelming or troubling circumstances, making it well-suited for busy people.
Mantra meditation helps you achieve a reflective and positive state of being by increasing the vibrations that resonate from repeating the mantra. You might get distracted as you repeat the mantra, but you should continue until you regain your focus.
Trataka (Candle-Gazing) Meditation: This form of meditation helps you maintain focus on a particular point or object. While the flame of a lit candle is often used, people also use crystals or any positively perceived object. During Trataka, the third-eye chakra receives energy and increased concentration.
To practice Trataka, sit and focus on a specific object, such as a tree, crystal, or candle. Upon prolonged focus, you might feel a painful sensation in your eyes. At this point, shut your eyes and imagine the object. Any time your awareness wavers, bring it back to the object of meditation. Over time, this will greatly improve your awareness and help develop your spiritual gifts.
Zazen Meditation: Inspired by the teachings of Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, Zazen focuses on seeing things as they are, with the conscious understanding that everything is transient. To practice Zazen meditation, sit up and pay attention to your body and the moment. This is living in the now and can be applied to any moment you are experiencing. Practitioners often advise sitting facing the wall, maintaining a meditative position, such as a sage pose, half lotus, or full lotus position.
Yoga Meditations: On the surface, yoga meditations might seem distinct, but like the previously mentioned types, they are recorded in ancient Indian texts such as the Upanishads and the Vedas. These practices have likely been passed down from master to student for many thousands, or perhaps tens of thousands, of years. While there is no single style of yoga meditation, these practices usually involve steady poses (asana), specific breathing patterns, and quieting the mind.
With my decades of experience and direct metaphysical insights, I specialize in yogic meditations and can offer you a deeper, more direct experience of these transformative practices. If you feel called to explore this further, I'm here to instruct and support you every step of the way.
