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meditationHighly Effective Basic Meditation Practices

What is meditation? Is it some kind of new-age hippie thing? Is it something you do so you can float in the air?

In the East, meditation has existed for hundreds, if not thousands of years. It has been used not only for health, but also for clarity of the mind. Fortunately, the medical community and others in Western world are starting to “tune-in” to at least basic meditation practices and learning more about its benefits and practice as they become more involved with the application of it in their daily lives. Mediation is not only for the hippies of the 1960s anymore, but for anyone of any religious or spiritual belief.

It is important that when meditating, your subconscious as well as the super subconscious of your mind is tapped into with breathing practice, focusing, or mantras. In some cases, during your meditation practice, you might encounter visions, symbols and other thoughts as your mind’s way of telling you the direction you need to go in your life, especially if you are in the process of making an important decision.

There are many meditation practices you can attempt to achieve the personal goals you want. Some meditation practices require just sitting in silence; other meditation practices guide you through a step-by-step meditation process for focus and clarity. It really all depends on which meditation practice works for you once you find the right one.

The following are just some of the basic meditation practice methods that you can try when starting out on your meditation journey.

1.Zazen or sitting meditation practice.

This meditation practice is often used by Zen Buddhist monks whose goal is to reach nirvana or enlightenment. This method involves simply sitting with the back straight, eyes closed, and it total silence. The trick is to try to free your mind of distractions or falling asleep, which is why during a group session, a master monk will walk around and hit people with a stick on the back to make sure they are paying attention to what they are doing. It is a challenging meditation practice for those not used to sitting in total stillness.

2.Guided meditation practice

With this meditation practice, a person or recording directs you with words or descriptions of visuals or thoughts as you go into a state of deep relaxation. These visuals during this meditation practice can include such symbols as walking through the woods, focusing on each chakra on your body, or riding an elevator. Oftentimes they will provide positive affirmations for your subconscious to absorb and remember throughout the night or day, depending on when you practice. This meditation practice is perfect for beginners because it gives you a set of directions as a way to focus on what you are doing and not distract yourself.

3.Mindfulness meditation practice

The Mindfulness meditation practice’s goal is to help you focus your mind on the here and now without judging yourself, others or the outside world. Studies have proven that with this meditation practice it is possible to improve your mood, decrease stress, and help your immune system to become strong.

4.Walking Meditation Practice

The walking meditation practice is commonly found in Taoist and Buddhist traditions. When putting this meditation practice to use, each step becomes the whole practice because you are coordinating your breathing with the steps you take. By practicality, this meditation practice accomplishes not only the goal of clearing your mind but also exercising your heart, lungs, and body as well..

If you are considering which meditation is right for you, the best advice that anyone could give is to try each practice for yourself for at least a week or two to see if it meets your expectations. Then, switch to a different meditation practice and try again. If you are still not sure, keep trying out different meditations practices until find one particular meditation practice that you feel comfortable with or until you are satisfied with a specific meditation practice that provides the best results. This will save a lot of headaches, guilt, and frustrations in the long run.