Thursday, October 23, 2008

Types of Meditation

By Bill Bodri

You can travel all over the world and you won't beable to go to a place that hasn't heard of meditation. Over and over research has shown that meditation has a beneficial effect on body and soul alike.

For a beginner the prospect of meditation becomes a bit daunting because of the religious connotations that are associated with this art. However, if you wish to boost your mental and physical processes alike- meditation is the thing for you.

To get you moving with meditation, here are some tips that you can use as a beginner:

1. Zen Buddhist Meditation Technique or Zazen- Zazen is more frequently thought of in religious terms, however this method's effectiveness has been proven time and again since being put forth by Lord Buddha. It makes up the heart of Zen Buddhist ritual- it's basic form is to sit up straight, no talking, and to focus on breathing.

Instructions- To begin this method, sit upright, and count to 10, exhaling after each count. As you finish the breathing counts to ten, begin anew. If your attention is distracted from your breaths, begin anew. Eventually your experience will bring you to the point where you don't have to count anymore and just focusing on your breaths will suffice. This can take many years of work to be able to master this. You can rely on the Zen technique to lift you both body and soul, and to bring you to a higher level of sensibility and cognition.

2. Mantra Meditation Method- This popularly held form is the heart of the Hindu faith and is very effective. Its name explains its use. First choose a mantra, a sacred utterance, that can be repeated in your mind or with your lips. This sacred utterance assists you in focusing your chi or energy and allows you to be more able to help your concentrative abilities to grow.

A favored mantra is So Hum Mantra Meditation. When inhaling, mentally say 'Sooo', then mentally say "Hummm" while you are exhaling. 'So Hum' interprets as 'I am That' meaning that you are unified with the divine. In this manner you are able to expand the emotions at your heart allowing you to open up your love, unreserved.

3. The Chakra Meditation Method- You could reap many benefits from this method of Chakra meditation. And the interesting part is that there are many variations of this method. Chakras are a whirlpool of energy that you must balance in order to reap benefit from this process. Once the energy in your system is properly balanced you could make considerable progress in both your emotional and physical fields. Here's how you could unlock and stabilize the flow of energy in your life-

a. Arrange your Chakra upon your body and concentrate on it. Gradually you will be mindful of the placement of your Chakra and the energy it contains will begin to open up.

b. Each Chakra is directly related to what is called the 'Beej mantra' (the seed sound). One you repeat the Chakra over and over again, the particular center that is being targeted will open up and become balanced. You should proceed with caution because these centers should not be opened with haste or hurry.

If you want to find out how your life can be benefited from meditation just give it a try and find out! - 14130

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