Meditation is a simple and inexpensive way to de-stress, as you don’t need to visit any therapist to do so. You can simply practice it anywhere, be it at a park, in office, while you’re waiting somewhere, or even when you are out on a walk.[break]
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There are various methods of meditation, but the common goal, however, is to quieten your mind, and with time, as you progress, you’ll be able to meditate anywhere.
Vipassana is one of the most ancient meditation techniques. It’s a mental discipline by which you can achieve deeper levels of self-awareness. The same technique is used to get rid of mental impurities and achieve higher levels of emancipation.
Benefits of meditation
One of the most common benefits of mediation is that it helps in improving your concentration levels, so that you can take a better grip in your work or studies.
Besides that, meditation also helps in giving you a sense of calm and balances your emotional wellbeing and overall mental and physical health. The best part of meditating is that its benefits you not only during the session time but you can feel its effects as you get through the day.
Some of the emotional benefits of meditation include
• Gaining a new perspective on stressful situations and building skills to reduce stress.
• Focusing on the present and what you have rather than spending time on regrets and doubts.
• Reducing negative emotions and being positive in life.
Meditation increases the left-sided, frontal brain activity, an area of the brain that is associated with positive mood.
Studies say that meditation may also help conditions such as allergies, anxiety disorders, asthma, binge eating, cancer, depression, fatigue, heart disease, high blood pressure, pain, sleep problems and substance abuse.
Tips on how to meditate for beginners
Make time to meditate: The first step is to tame your mind and control your breathing. But for that, set aside some time in your daily routine for meditating. Early morning or evenings are the most preferable time for meditation. But the easiest time, however, is in the morning, as your mind is fresh and your body isn’t tired, so that you can focus more. During the initial days, you can simply start off with around five to 15 minutes. With time, as it becomes a habit, you can concentrate even
better and increase the time as well.
Avoid any obstacles to attention
Turn off the TV, the phone or other noisy appliances. If you play music, choose calm, repetitive and gentle tunes so as not to break your concentration.
Sit on level ground or a firm surface
You can sit on a mattress or cushion if the ground is uncomfortable. Firstly, relax your body, and the most important thing is to keep your back straight, as this will help with breathing later on. Relax your arms and legs. They don’t need to be in any special position, just as long as they are relaxed. You can put your hands on your thighs, but it might be easier at first to let your arms hang at your sides.
Relax everything
Make sure that you relax each and every part of your body. Even the muscles on your face may get tensed, so make sure to loosen up. Adjust your posture and remain calm and patient.
Put attention on your breathing patterns
Concentrate on your breathing. Listen to it, follow it and slowly inhale and exhale. There might be numerous thoughts running on your head but don’t let anything divert your attention. In that way, gradually, you don’t get distracted anymore. You may begin by thinking of something in particular as a focus point. You can also imagine a serene place to keep your focus steady, or try reciting a mantra. You can utter the word “Om!” and repeat it slowly. You can choose to recite it loudly or just in your mind. Count your breaths from 1 to 10 and repeat if you’re a beginner, as that might help.
Quieten your mind
Once you’ve trained your mind to focus on just one thing at a time, the next step is to keep your mind empty and just clearing it from all the negative thoughts. This requires a lot of discipline and cannot be achieved in just one day, as it’s the pinnacle of mediation. But with everyday practice, you can achieve it. After focusing on a single point, as mentioned before, you can train your mind to be silent.
Meditation addresses in Kathmandu
• There’s a meditation class that runs from 6 pm to 7 pm everyday at Himalayan Buddhist Meditation Centre in Thamel. It’s free and anyone can participate.
• The Mahayana Buddhist Himalayan Yogic Institute, Baluwatar, conducts regular evening meditations and hosts a revolving schedule of daylong workshops and courses in Tibetan Buddhist meditation.
• Nepal Vipassana Centre also runs 10-day courses on Vipassana. Daily meditation begins at 4.30 am for the full 10-day schedules.
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