How to meditate correctly: time, methods, types

Dear reader, we present to you our beauty columnist Inessa Tsarkova!

Inessa is an active nutritionist, gastroenterologist, therapist, naturopath and aromatherapist, health coach, integrative medicine doctor with a holistic approach. And now he will share with us his knowledge in the field of both physical and mental health, nutrition and much more.

In the last column, we discussed ghee and found out whether it is a new marketing gimmick or a true superfood. Today we will discuss meditation, which has become a complete craze in recent years.

Inessa Tsarkova

What is meditation?

From a physiological point of view, this is a state of the body in which the brain practically stops its activity, stops processing information and moves from the Beta state to the Alpha state. Now it becomes easier to understand, or rather feel, that we are not the same thing as our brain.

The brain is just an organ (albeit a very important one). It can be compared to the computer in modern cars. But there is also a driver in the car.

Brain activity is aimed at analyzing information received from the outside world. Its goal is to actively “develop tactics and strategy” using the experience of the past and create options for the development of future events (in fact, these are “predictions” that may not come true with a high probability). The brain likes to “scare” us by suggesting negative scenarios for the development of the situation. The answer is a stressful situation. After all, the body receives all the information from the brain and there is no difference between the event actually existing or the brain imagining it.

And it turns out that our body also has its own mind, thanks to which it knows perfectly well how to exist and maintain its functions here and now.

After all, without a brain, a large number of its inhabitants live quite successfully on Earth.

We also have consciousness; part of the universal universal consciousness. It is our soul (a particle of God) that comes to this world to grow and evolve, that knows how to love and care, and that has its own mission and goal.

Meditation helps separate and feel all three components separately.

During meditation, you can feel how time stops, the feeling of “I” or “self” disappears, and our consciousness dissolves into space and merges with the general universal consciousness and returns to its source. This can be compared to the process of merging an individual drop with the ocean, and as a result the drop has its own power. At the same time, the person experiences a feeling of liberation, immense happiness and deep peace, also called the “Zen” state. Vitality and abilities increase exponentially, as if the Creator himself was pouring his power into the individual.

Why is meditation needed?

For beginners, meditation allows you to reduce anxiety, tension and stress levels, free yourself from phobias, as well as connect with your own body and “turn on” awareness. For “advanced users” it helps to find a state of complete peace of mind, inner harmony and enlightenment.

The specific goal may differ for different types of meditation, but in general these practices lead to self-knowledge and improvement of oneself and one’s soul.

As a rule, the first goal of meditation is to separate brain activity from the inner observer, to connect with the “source”, with being. Turn off the “mental blender” and transfer your attention to the here and now.

First of all, meditation has an effect on a person’s mental health and consciousness. And also on a person’s health and life in general, improving his external and internal beauty. It happens like this: the level of stress hormones (primarily cortisol) decreases, and the level of hormones of joy and happiness – endorphins and serotonin – increases, as a result of which fear and anxiety disappear, a feeling of calm and harmony appears. Thanks to this, metabolism, as well as the functioning of internal organs, are significantly improved, calm, slow breathing increases the penetration of oxygen into the cell. Excessive tension in the muscles decreases, microcirculation improves, and then the blood better brings nutrients to the cells, and the lymph cleans them better. The skin becomes clearer and brighter, wrinkles are smoothed and posture improves. With regular meditation practices, the body becomes visibly rejuvenated and its resource capacity increases. It has even been noted that these processes have a beneficial effect on the state of the microbial kingdom and strengthen the immune system. Among other things, intuition and inner life energy develop.

After meditation, more productive brain function is noticed, memory and learning ability improve, relationships with other people improve, empathy improves and creativity emerges.

What types of meditations are there?

Meditations can be different.

Still – when the person sits quietly or lies on their back in the “lotus position” with their back straight and legs crossed.

Dynamic – when a person performs any action, but at the same time turns off the mental work of the brain, focusing on the process itself and the sensations here and now.

It is also possible to roughly distinguish three more types of meditation (depending on the techniques and degree of immersion).

Concentration on any object. This could be focusing on your own breathing, observing your inner state through visualizations, or even contemplating inner silence, which is called insight.

Non-judgmental observation using one’s creation through the active use of the senses, without the involvement of the thought process.

A relaxed existence in which brain activity is almost completely turned off and one’s own consciousness is lost in the surrounding space.

How to meditate?

It is important to understand that there are no clear rules for meditating, everything is very individual. The important thing is to choose the technique closest to you and start practicing it regularly. In the end, what is important is not the technique itself, but the result we get.

What type of meditation should I start with?

A good place to start is mindfulness (or presence) meditation.

Its purpose is to activate or develop awareness of the processes occurring in the present moment (in the mind, body and the surrounding space), without engaging the evaluative function of the mind and triggering the formation of a stream of thoughts.

Here are some techniques.

Feel your body, establish a connection with it. Constantly focus your attention on different parts of the body, as if “scanning” it. You can start with your hands, gradually moving on to other parts.

Focus on the smells (you can do it with your eyes open or closed), recognizing their types and shades.

You can focus on the sounds around you; Closed eyes will help better here.

You can focus on thinking about the surrounding space without judging it. You should slowly move your eyes over the surrounding objects, passively examining the details, but without thinking about them.

To try dynamic meditation, you need to focus on the details of the process during any activity: the sensations your body feels when stretching or cycling, or the details of the movement of pieces of equipment (for example, the exercise machine on the exercise machine). what you are working on). You can watch how the tea leaves float in the teapot and how the water changes color (in the process of brewing tea) or carefully observe which people are standing next to you.

You can start your meditation practice by focusing on your breathing.

Start with two or three deep breaths and exhales (while simultaneously relaxing the entire body). Then continue to breathe calmly in a comfortable rhythm, focusing on the area at the entrance of the nostrils, feeling how the air rhythmically enters and exits. At the same time, it is important to focus specifically on the sensations, “turning off” the thoughts in your head. When any thoughts arise, accept this fact and return to observing your breath.

It is better to start meditation after waking up in the morning (ideally at 4-6 am) and before going to bed. It is useful to spend 10-15 minutes for this at the beginning and gradually increase the time. This way, you can practice mindfulness meditation wherever and whenever you need.

By practicing regularly, you can not only connect with your own Higher Self and expand your consciousness, but also achieve purification and transform the qualities of your body and soul.