I started meditating over 20 years ago. Meditation has helped me achieve balance in my body, mind, and spirit. It’s also helped me gain closeness to my own spirit, which is important to me as a psychic medium. It helps me be as available as possible to the spiritual realm.
Everyone can benefit from meditation, which is the practice of calming one’s mind. It has ancient roots, originating in India more than 7,000 years ago. The practice was adopted throughout history by nearby countries and other religions around the world. Though it was once considered to be a religious practice, it’s now practiced widely for its benefits on all levels of one’s being.
Meditation is all about relaxing and controlling your mind. It widens the space between one’s thoughts and, over time, that space grows. Some people say that meditation is either about concentration or about becoming thoughtless. But I don’t agree with them.
Effects of Meditation on Body, Mind, and Spirit
Meditation has been proven by many doctors to improve peoples’ physical health. Meditation changes our bodies’ physiology by filling every cell with more prana, or energy. The more prana, the more peace, joy, and enthusiasm a person will feel. Meditations like yoga that involve movement are especially effective at achieving this. Meditation can also reduce high blood pressure, blood lactate concentration, and the frequency of anxiety attacks and insomnia. It can decrease tension-related pain like ulcers, headaches, and joint and muscle problems. Meditation increases serotonin production, which improves behavior, mood, and the immune system, and increases energy levels as people tap into its inner source.
Meditation benefits the mind by nourishing and cleansing you from within. It calms you when you feel unstable, overwhelmed, or emotionally shut down. Regularly practicing meditation decreases anxiety and improves emotional stability, creativity, and happiness. It develops intuition, increases peace and clarity of mind, and reduces the perception of problems. Meditation can expand consciousness and sharpen the mind by helping the mind focus and expand through relaxation.
Spiritual benefits are also achieved through meditation by providing a bridge between the physical and the infinite realms. It helps you recognize yourself as an inseparable component of the whole universe. When we meditate, we enter a space of vast joy and calmness, so we exude joy and calmness into the environment. This establishes joy and harmony between ourselves and the universe. Meditation can spur a genuine personal transformation. Learning more about yourself naturally leads you to discover ways to love yourself more and essentially get closer to your own spiritual self.
Six Types of Meditation
There are many different ways to practice meditation. Here are six are the most popular methods:
- Mindfulness. In mindful meditation, you focus on your thoughts as they wander through your mind without judging them or becoming involved with them. You’re simply an observer as you attempt to recognize any patterns that may develop. Practicing mindfulness combines awareness with concentration. It may be helpful to you to focus on a specific object or on your breathing while you monitor any thoughts or bodily sensations.
- Spiritualist. Spiritual meditation is commonly practiced in Eastern religions, such as Daoism and Hinduism, as well as in Christianity. It resembles prayer in that the practice involves reflecting in the surrounding silence and seeking a deeper connection with higher spiritual entities.
- Focused. This method involves concentrating using any of the five senses. You could focus on an internal aspect, like your breathing. Or you could use an external element to help you focus your attention.
- Active. When most people hear of active meditation, they think of yoga. But this practice can include appreciating nature by gardening, walking in the woods, or other forms of gentle physical movement. In active meditation, movement guides you.
- Mantra. A mantra is a repeated verbal chant or incantation. In meditation, it can be a phrase, a word, or just a simple sound. “Om” is one popular mantra that’s a simple sound.
- Transcendental. This practice is a more customizable version mantra meditation. It uses a mantra or a series of words that is specific to each person who practices.
Any one of these types of meditation can be used alone, or you can combine them as you wish. But always start out slowly. Begin with ten-minute sessions, adding just a few minutes each day until you’re up to about 30 minutes. Good luck, and best wishes for a healthy and happy meditative life!
