Meditation
In educational institutions, there’s often a focus on fostering competitiveness. Students are encouraged to strive for top grades to secure the best opportunities, and in the professional world, proving one’s indispensability is often deemed necessary to retain employment. However, this emphasis on competition can lead to elevated stress levels, prompting concerns about mental health in corporate environments.
Meditation offers a valuable means of alleviating stress and promoting mental well-being. Engaging in daily meditation sessions, even for just 10 minutes, can yield significant positive effects. Beginners can start with guided meditation practices and journaling their feelings both immediately after each session and at the end of the day. Over time, as meditation becomes a regular habit, its benefits become more pronounced. Gradually increasing the duration of meditation sessions further enhances these benefits.
Different types of Meditation are listed below
- In breath-focused meditation, center your attention on the rhythm of your breath, observing its movement in and out of your body. Take deep inhalations and exhale fully while maintaining this focus for the next ten minutes.
- During focused meditation or Trataka, ignite a lamp and direct your gaze to the flame, allowing its flickering light to hold your attention.
- In mantra meditation, select a mantra of your choosing and repeat it silently or aloud, creating a sense of tranquility and concentration.
- Mindful meditation involves observing your thoughts as they arise without passing judgment, fostering a state of non-reactive awareness.
Following your meditation session, notice how your mind remains grounded in the present moment. Throughout the day, endeavor to reconnect with this sense of stillness whenever you become mindful of it. Cultivating mindfulness further enhances the benefits of meditation.
Benefits of Meditation
- Increased sleep
- Decreases anxiety
- Living in the moment
- Increases memory
- Reduces blood pressure
- Reduces stress
- Being calm and compassionate
- When the mind is still the body responds making you healthier
Chitta vritti nirodha translates to the cessation of thoughts in the mind. While we may not completely stop our thoughts, we can cultivate stillness within. A tranquil and composed mind holds greater power in decision-making. Everyday life presents us with numerous decisions, and meditation aids us in making sound choices, leading to a better quality of life.
Practicing mindfulness serves as a natural extension of meditation. Engaging in activities such as eating meals without distractions or focusing on concentrated work without succumbing to phone scrolling enhances the benefits of morning meditation.
In today’s world filled with distractions, maintaining focus is a challenge. Often, our minds are scattered and reactive to external stimuli, operating in a constant state of fight or flight. Meditation serves to calm the mind, offering the realization that we have the agency to choose our responses to circumstances.
As we delve deeper into meditation and release attachment to external circumstances, our physical well-being also improves. A healthier mind contributes to a healthier body, fostering overall well-being and disease-free living.
