What is Meditation ?
Meditation can be defined as a practice where an individual focuses their mind on a particular object, thought or activity to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state. Meditation may be used to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and pain. It may be done while sitting, repeating a mantra, and closing the eyes in a quiet environment. Meditation has been practiced since antiquity in numerous religious traditions and beliefs.
Meditation is that which gives you deep rest. The rest in meditation is said to be deeper than deep. The benefits of meditation are manifold. A calm mind, good concentration, clarity of perception, improvement in communication, inner strength, and relaxation are all natural results of meditating regularly. In today's world where stress catches on faster than the eye can see or the mind can perceive, meditation is no more a luxury. It is a necessity. Meditation holds the power to unconditional happiness and peace of mind.
GENERAL TYPES of Meditation:
Usually meditation based on the way they focus attention, into three categories: Focused Attention and Open Monitoring and Effortless Presence.
Focused Attention Meditation -
Focusing the attention on a single object during the whole meditation session. This object may be the breath, a mantra, visualization, part of the body, external object, etc. As the practitioner advances, his ability to keep the flow of attention in the chosen object gets stronger, and distractions become less common and short-lived. Both the depth and steadiness of his attention are developed.
Examples of these are: Samatha (Buddhist meditation), some forms of Zazen, Loving Kindness Meditation, Chakra Meditation, Kundalini Meditation, Sound Meditation, Mantra Meditation, Pranayama, some forms of Qigong, and many others.
Open Monitoring Meditation -
Instead of focusing the attention on any one object, we keep it open, monitoring all aspects of our experience, without judgment or attachment. All perceptions, be them internal (thoughts, feelings, memory, etc.) or external (sound, smell, etc.), are recognized and seen for what they are. It is the process of non-reactive monitoring of the content of experience from moment to moment, without going into them.
Examples are: Mindfulness meditation, Vipassana, as well as some types of Taoist Meditation.
Effortless Presence -
It’s the state where the attention is not focused on anything in particular, but reposes on itself – quiet, empty, steady, and introverted. We can also call it “Choiceless Awareness” or “Pure Being”. Most of the meditation quotes you find speak of this state. This is actually the true purpose behind all kinds of meditation, and not a meditation type in itself. All traditional techniques of meditation recognize that the object of focus, and even the process of monitoring, is just a means to train the mind, so that effortless inner silence and deeper states of consciousness can be discovered. Eventually both the object of focus and the process itself is left behind, and there is only left the true self of the practitioner, as “pure presence”. In some techniques, this is the only focus, from the beginning.
Examples are: the Self-Enquiry (“I am” meditation), Dzogchen, Mahamudra, some forms of Taoist Meditation, and some advanced forms of Raja Yoga. In my point of view, this type of meditation always requires previous training to be effective, even though this is sometimes not expressly said.
1) BUDDHIST MEDITATION - Zen Meditation (Zazen), Vipassana Meditation, Mindfulness Meditation, Loving Kindness Meditation (Metta Meditation).
2) HINDU MEDITATION (Vedic & Yogic) - Mantra Meditation (OM and AUM Meditation), Transcendental Meditation (TM), Yoga Meditations, Third Eye Meditation, Chakra Meditation, Gazing Meditation (Trataka), Kundalini Meditation, Kriya Yoga, Sound Meditation (Nada Yoga),Tantra, Pranayama, Self-Enquiry and “I Am” Meditation.
3) CHINESE MEDITATION - Taoist Meditations, Emptiness meditation (Zuowang), Visualization (Cunxiang), Breathing meditation (Zhuanqi), Inner Vision (Neiguan), Internal Alchemy (Neidan), Qigong (Chi kung).
4) CHRISTIAN MEDITATION - contemplative prayer, contemplative reading , “sitting with God”.
5) GUIDED MEDITATIONS - Traditional Meditations, Guided Imagery, Relaxation & Body Scans(yoga nindra), Affirmations, Binaural Beats.
6) Sufi Meditation - Sitting, Rotation, Dancing.
