Starting your Journey into Meditation
My journey in Meditation all started 20 years ago after my first session of Yoga I was hooked. I found meditating had a calming effect on me, it was instant and amazing.
I have used it though out my life. Using meditation I started out just 10 minutes a day and gradually increased it especially for any stressful situations and found even when I need to be focused it helped me mentally focus my mind.
I even used it for car sickness when I was travelling in Hawaii with my daughter and went on a tour for 7 hours (my daughter was a travel agent and loved tours) I meditated throughout the time and it calmed me I felt I was in trance I don’t remember much of the tour but I felt great.
Meditation has had a large impact on my life and I have found that there are times where I have had to deal with some really difficult situation’s like studying, work related and even pain it is amazing and to know you can always use meditation there to get you through.
Meditation is a practice that you have to start somewhere and especially in these troubled times we live in, now is a great time.
Like anything you want to be good at it takes time and commitment.
Everyone is different but having said that it depends on yourself awareness you can find you have physical and mental calmness instantly after the first session as long as you follow your instruction’s and have the right mindset.
Meditation is just for the love of what comes into your mind you can do it anywhere and in the most beautiful places. Just let your mind run with it and let it flow.
I loved meditation so much I decided to study more about it and last year I got certified to teach it.
Meditators swear by the practice of meditation to bring about a positive change into their lives. The big question where does it come from? We don’t really know. The earliest records of meditation practice date from approximately 1500 BCE (Before Common Era) it seems to have been part of the earliest form of Vedic, or early Hindu schools in India and it has been adapted throughout the world.
The French philosopher Michel de Montaigne is quoted as having once said ‘The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.’
With the many demands of our time and minds it can take a lot of effort to just explore ourselves and really find out who we truly are. The practice of meditation has really been accepted as the way to do this.
There are so many different types of meditation and you can try different types and see which one works for you.
I will just go over the ones I love because there are so many.
Sound Bath Meditation is described by being bathed in sound waves. The waves are produced by various sources instruments such as singing bowels, tuning forks, gongs and chimes.
Typically a sound bath will involve lying in a reclining position after taking part in yoga or meditation exercises. Next a person trained in sound bath musical techniques will use one or several instruments to create soothing vibrations. Absolute bliss this is my favourite meditation.
Meditating in Nature. You can meditate anywhere but my favourite place is nature. There are many benefits from meditating in nature, it is place where wisdom and perception come alive. Meditating outside activates our senses, making our practice more alert and wakeful. The beautiful sounds relax you emotionally and sitting in nature the raw energy of nature all around you makes connecting with your meditation practice so much easier.
Visualisation Meditation is a form of meditation that requires you to concentrate on imagery to cultivate a sense of mindfulness.
How to visualise – To visualise is to paint a picture in your mind. Like if you are reading a book and they are describing a beautiful setting your mind imagines this.
When you visualise you are imagining a beautiful place you would like to go or a happy place you think about that makes you feel good or imagining you wining first prize and you picture yourself winning.
Scanning Meditation – A body scan is one of the most effective ways to begin a mindfulness meditation practice. The purpose is to tune your body to reconnect to your physical self and notice any sensations you’re feeling.
By mentally scanning yourself, you bring awareness to every single part of your body, noticing any aches, pains tension or general discomfort. The goal is not to relieve the pain completely, but to know and learn from it so you can better manage it.
There are some definitions that can help you with your journey through meditation.
Counting the breath – Count one breath for an in breath and two for an out breath.
Focusing on the physical sensation – Focusing on sensation in the body this can be combined with focused on the breath, feeling the rise of the rib cage and the feeling in the nostrils.
Focus on the breath – Give all your attention to your breath from inhalation to exhalation and if your mind wanders just bring your attention back to your breath.
Mindful Movement – Gently stretch the body with deep attention connecting the body to the mind.
You may already have a meditation practice that works for you or just be started out I hope this information will help you understand it a bit more and how meditation can bring value to your life.
Included in this post there will be an audio of a guided meditation which will relax you and teach you how to scan your body.