Relaxation Meditation Techniques offers many mind-body benefits. Research has demonstrated that meditating for a short time increases alpha waves, which makes us feel more relaxed, while simultaneously decreasing our feelings of anxiety and depression.
Meditation is practiced in order to achieve a relaxed state of physical being. Others do it to achieve psychological balance, to improve their skills in coping with a specific disease or just for enhancement of one’s holistic health and wellness.
What is Meditation?
Meditation is being practiced by many people for relaxation. It is a method of quieting and controlling the mind. Meditation helps control our thoughts and helps create a distance from stressful situations in our daily life. It’s about transforming the mind and the way you think, to become aware of yourself and your surroundings while separating your consciousness from the struggles and activities of your life. It helps you to stop thinking and be in an aware state of mindfulness. You slow your mind chatter by just being in the moment, noticing thoughts and putting them to the side. Meditation has a calming effect on your body and your thoughts.
Many people have different reasons for learning to meditate, so first, think about your reason. This will help you know which direction you want your first meditations to go and give you an objective for each. There are many different ways to practice meditation, with each having a different goal and effect on the relaxing the body and relaxing the mind.
Reaching a Meditative State
When a person reaches the meditative state, their body will slowly switch to a resting and relaxing state. These are referred to as the alpha and theta states. When the body is in its alpha and theta states the rhythm of the human brain will slow down making it more capable of releasing those natural painkillers known as endorphins.
Studies reveal that when a person meditates he will have lower metabolism, slower heart rate, slowed breathing and lowered blood pressure. Experts claim that meditation has the power to produce these relaxation responses that are an characteristic in every human being.
Once this kind of response has been initiated, the body will find it easier to counteract the devastating effects of stress on several vital organs of the body.
5 Reasons To Use Relaxation Meditation Techniques
There are many reasons why a meditation is beneficial and can enhance the health of your body, mind and spirit. Here are the top 5 reasons you can benefit from relaxation meditation techniques starting today.
- It cuts mind chatter. The goal of meditation is to cut down on meaningless mind chatter in order to create a calm, peaceful mind. Observe your thoughts at this moment. Are you even reading what’s on the page? Or are you thinking about going to the bathroom, your next meal, your favorite TV show, and so on?
- It reduces stress. Cutting down on the mind chatter will cut down on the stress. You’ll be able to think more clearly, and clarity of thought will usually mean better decision making.
- It improves decision making. When we’re in a hurry or under stress, we tend to make bad decisions. We’re so busy, we skip breakfast. We get so hungry, we hurriedly eat a sugary donut in front of the computer while we are answering our email. By the time lunch comes around, we probably overeat because we are so hunger. Meditation can help you focus on what’s really important, and let go of what isn’t. It puts you in control of your life and emotions.
- It improves focus. A mind less full of chatter and distractions is one that is more focused and therefore a more valuable tool that can help you tackle all the jobs you need to do every day. Think of the difference between a light bulb and a laser. They are both forms of light, but the bulb disperses it, while the laser focuses it so intensely it can cut through solid objects. Meditation can help you develop laser-like focus.
- It helps enjoy life more. Mindful meditation helps you live in the now, not in the past or future as you dwell on things that happened long ago, or worry about what’s going to happen.
If these sound like things you need to improve in your life, it’s time to start a meditation practice and try some of the relaxation meditation techniques below.
Types of Relaxation Meditation Techniques
There are different types of meditation. Many people are practicing meditation these days to quiet their mind, to be able to reflect and experience a state of calmness and relaxation that is otherwise difficult to achieve in this hectic modern world. Some people choose a type of meditation depending on convenience while others choose the ones that bring them closer to achieving their specific goals for doing that particular practice.
Below are some examples of the types of relaxation meditation techniques that people utilize to improve their well-being.
Mindfulness Meditation. Mindfulness meditation is based on being mindful, that is, having an increased awareness of and acceptance of living in the present moment. It means paying attention to what you are doing in the present, rather than living on autopilot
Guided Meditation. Sometimes called visualization, this method of meditation encourages you to form mental images of places or situations you find relaxing. You try to use as many senses as possible, such as smells, sights, sounds and textures, to calm the mind, and focus it. It is a good way to get into a more meditative state. Its goal is relaxation and peace. It can be done with mindfulness meditation.
Focused Meditation. Focused Meditation is also known to by some people as Attention Meditation Technique. Although this meditation technique requires one to focus on one thing and exclude any other thoughts from their mind, it doesn’t force the person meditating to try too hard.
Zen Meditation. This is a type of seated meditation. You sit quietly with the legs crossed and the eyes closed. and focus on your surroundings instead of your thoughts. You simply get into your mind to clear it out, focusing on your breathing, and not saying a word. It is a silent meditation where you gradually get deeper and deeper into your subconscious to clear it out and try to become at peace with yourself. This is one of the most difficult types of meditation because you are relying solely on your ability to be quiet and focus on nothing
Chakra Meditation. Chakra Meditation involves inward reflection and self-evaluation to align of the chakra in the body, which are different forms of energy that together compile the whole of your existence and your perception of yourself. The belief system behind this form of meditation states that there are seven different chakra that comprise the different elements your being, chief among which is the chakra of the heart.
Movement Meditation. This type of meditation technique allows an individual to perform several gentle and repetitive flowing movements. Instead of focusing on a certain thought or object, movement meditation brings your focus to each movement you make. This is when you become mindful of the motion of your muscles and your contact with external surfaces. The more you practice this type of meditation the more that you become aware of the movement of energy within your body and the way it responds to a stimulus such as music.
Mantra Meditation. A mantra may consist of a word or phrase that is being chanted out loud or silently repeated as the focus of meditation. It is a Sanskrit word in which “man” means mind and “tra” means instrument. In other words, your chosen mantra will become an instrument of your mind.
The more you repeat your mantra, the more relaxed you get and the more you can clear your mind. For some people, sitting in complete silence causes their mind to wander. If you repeat your mantra, it can also help you to get to deeper levels of awareness, which is also used in other types of meditation.
Yoga Nidra. Despite its name, Yoga Nidra is not a form of yoga, as most people understand it. Rather than being about a specific set of stretches and actions, Yoga Nidra is about maintaining the highest amount of mental and physical relaxation possible. It is a type of meditation that focuses on turning the majority of the senses inward in order to create a high level of self-awareness, rather than directing all conscious and sensory awareness on the outside world.
The main difference between Yoga Nidra and other forms of meditation is that it relies on a set of external auditory commands, such as instruction by a yogi or a set of recordings, to guide you into the state of relaxation.
