Meditation 101
Confused about the buzz surrounding meditation? Here’s your answer.
Meditation used to be a viewed as an esoteric practice for Buddhist monks and hippies. Not anymore! Despite it’s growing popularity, many people still don’t know what mediation is.
Meditation Definition
In a general sense, the word “meditation” simply means “to become familiar with” or “to contemplate on.” The practice of mediation, however, is concentrated focus upon sound, object, visualization, breath, or movement to increase awareness of the present moment. The key phrases here are concentrated focus and the present moment.
Being Present
During meditation, you practice staying in the present moment by trying to keep your mind on one point of focus. If you sit down in the morning to do a breath meditation, but your mind keeps thinking about getting a cup of coffee or answering emails, you’re living in the future and are not present in the moment. On the other end of the spectrum, if you meditate before you go to bed and keep thinking about a conversation you had with a coworker earlier that day, you’re living in the past.
When you are completely present, you have no worries of the past and no concerns for the future. You’re just at peace in the moment. This can be a very blissful feeling, but can also feel a little disorienting.
Meditation Techniques
There are many different meditation techniques–many of which can be found on the Nourish + Bloom Life App, but before you decide which type to try, ask yourself why you want to meditate. If you want to focus on specific issues such as stress relief, sleep, and energy, then choose meditation types that best fit those needs. If, you want to calm your mind, or improve your focus, find practices that help you do that.
Meditation is a personal practice. One form isn’t better than the other. It all depends on where you are in your life and what you need in that moment. Experiment with many different styles and keep an open mind. You’ll find the technique that’s best for you.
Originally published at www.nourishandbloom.com on April 26, 2017.
