Meditation.. Where do I start?
Meditation is a practice where an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state.
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 help your creativity, your intuition, your connection with your inner self.
Types of meditation
Meditation comes in many forms, including the following:
Concentration meditation teaches you how to focus your mind. It's the foundation for other forms of meditation.
Heart-centered meditation involves quieting the mind and bringing the awareness to the heart, an energy center in the middle of the chest.
Mindfulness meditation encourages you to focus objectively on negative thoughts as they move through your mind, so you can achieve a state of calm.
Tai chi and qigong are moving forms of meditation that combine physical exercise with breathing and focus.
Transcendental Meditation is a well-known technique in which you repeat a mantra—a word, phrase, or sound—to quiet your thoughts and achieve greater awareness.
Walking meditation turns your focus to both body and mind as you breathe in time with your footsteps.
Trying different types of meditation classes to see which technique best suits you. Meditating with a group of people is a much more powerful experience, and having a teacher talk you through the technique will make it much easier at first. Many meditation classes are free or inexpensive, which is a sign that the teacher is truly devoted to the practice.
Starting your practice
The beauty and simplicity of meditation is that you don't need any equipment. All that's required is a quiet space and a few minutes each day. Start with 10 minutes, or even commit to five minutes twice a day. Preferably meditate at the same time every morning. That way you'll establish the habit, and pretty soon you'll always meditate in the morning, just like brushing your teeth."
The specifics of your practice will depend on which type of meditation you choose, but here are some general guidelines to get you started:
Set aside a place to meditate. You'll build up a special feeling there, making it easier to get into a meditative state more quickly. Surround your meditation spot with candles, flesh flowers, incense, or any objects you can use to focus your practice (such as a photo, crystal, or religious symbol).
Sit comfortably in a chair or on the floor with your back straight.
Close your eyes, or focus your gaze on the object you've chosen.
Breathe slowly, deeply, and gently.
Keep your mind focused inward or on the object. If it wanders, gently steer it back to center.
Breathe peace and quiet into your heart and mind. While you're breathing out, imagine your breath as a river or a tide that's carrying your thoughts away.
You can also chant out loud. Many people use the Sanskrit word "shanti," which means "peace." Or choose a word from your own religious tradition. Chanting out loud can help drown out thoughts.
Within just a week or two of regular meditation, you should see a noticeable change in your mood and stress level.
Chants for each chakra -
In all the chakra chants, the “a” is pronounced as in “ah.”
The first chakra, which is called the root chakra, is located at the genital area in the physical body. All the basic life needs, such as shelter and food, are associated with this chakra. When it is imbalanced, a person might feel insecure or scared all the time. The chakra chants to rebalance and open this chakra are the repeated use of the word “lam.”
The second chakra is the sacral chakra, located just below the naval area. This chakra is associated with the sex drive and reproductive organs. When a person has a blocked chakra in this area, he or she might have problems with fertility or sexual guilt. The chakra chants to rebalance and open this chakra are the repeated use of the word “vam.”
The naval, or solar plexus, chakra is the third chakra, and it is situated at the stomach. It is where the emotions are believed to come from, and when it is blocked, the person might feel as if they are a victim or have no personal power. Repeating the word “ram” in a sequence is the most common chant for this chakra.
The heart chakra is the fourth chakra, and it is located at the chest. Many people have blockages in this area because of broken hearts and lost loves. When this chakra is blocked, the person might have immunity or heart health problems and feel a lack of compassion for others. The most popular chakra chants to open it are the repeating of the word "yam.”
The throat chakra is the fifth one, and it is located at the neck area. This chakra is associated with creativity and communication. People who always seem to have miscommunication and expression problems might have a blocked throat chakra. To clear this with chakra chants, the word “ham” should be repeated over and over.
The sixth chakra is the third eye, which is connected to clairvoyance, dreams and psychic energy. It is located at the forehead, in between the eyebrows. Chanting the word “om” over and over is believed to clear blockages in this chakra.
The final chakra is the crown chakra, which is located at the top of the head. It is believed to connect the person to spirit or the universe, and its chakra chant is the sound of “ng.”
The first chakra, which is called the root chakra, is located at the genital area in the physical body. All the basic life needs, such as shelter and food, are associated with this chakra. When it is imbalanced, a person might feel insecure or scared all the time. The chakra chants to rebalance and open this chakra are the repeated use of the word “lam.”
The second chakra is the sacral chakra, located just below the naval area. This chakra is associated with the sex drive and reproductive organs. When a person has a blocked chakra in this area, he or she might have problems with fertility or sexual guilt. The chakra chants to rebalance and open this chakra are the repeated use of the word “vam.”
The naval, or solar plexus, chakra is the third chakra, and it is situated at the stomach. It is where the emotions are believed to come from, and when it is blocked, the person might feel as if they are a victim or have no personal power. Repeating the word “ram” in a sequence is the most common chant for this chakra.
The heart chakra is the fourth chakra, and it is located at the chest. Many people have blockages in this area because of broken hearts and lost loves. When this chakra is blocked, the person might have immunity or heart health problems and feel a lack of compassion for others. The most popular chakra chants to open it are the repeating of the word "yam.”
The throat chakra is the fifth one, and it is located at the neck area. This chakra is associated with creativity and communication. People who always seem to have miscommunication and expression problems might have a blocked throat chakra. To clear this with chakra chants, the word “ham” should be repeated over and over.
The sixth chakra is the third eye, which is connected to clairvoyance, dreams and psychic energy. It is located at the forehead, in between the eyebrows. Chanting the word “om” over and over is believed to clear blockages in this chakra.
The final chakra is the crown chakra, which is located at the top of the head. It is believed to connect the person to spirit or the universe, and its chakra chant is the sound of “ng.”
Here is a YouTube video to get you started https://youtu.be/qn5KYYxYMqU
