Meditation is a part of Ashtanga Yoga described in the Yoga Sutras composed by Maharishi Patanjali in the context of Hinduism, India’s ancient style and learning. These eight limbs are Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi.
The meaning of meditation is to concentrate the mind on any one subject by holding it. Meditation is done with many objectives like mental peace, concentration, strong morale, research of God, thoughtless mind, control of mind. Meditation has been used in India since ancient times.
There are many types of methods according to the interest of the person to meditate, some of which are as follows:-
Dhyaan yoga Main Method
To meditate, sitting on a clean seat in a clean place, the seeker closes his eyes and pacifies his mind by removing all other resolution-options. And by imbibing God, Guru, idol, soul, formless Parabrahman or anyone, by fixing his mind in it, he gets absorbed in it. In which God or someone’s conception is done, it is called corporeal meditation and without taking the basis of anyone’s perception, a skilled seeker is absorbed by stabilizing his mind, it is called formless meditation in the language of yoga. The method of meditation is described by Shri Krishna in Adhyay-6 of Gita.
To meditate, one can sit in Padmasana, Siddhasana, Swastikasana or Sukhasana. A place that is calm and pleasing to the mind is conducive for meditation. The time of night, morning or evening is also favorable for meditation. Along with meditation, pranayama, namasmran (jap), tratak can also be used to concentrate the mind. In meditation, concentrating on the heart, concentrating on the center of the forehead, concentrating on the act of exhalation, concentrating on the presiding deity or guru, concentrating on it, contemplating the mind, concentrating on the soul. There are many methods. You can also pray along with meditation. Sadhak can meditate by following the guidance of his Guru and adopting any method according to his interest.
At the beginning of the practice of meditation, one has to face problems such as instability of the mind and the inability to sit in one place for long periods of time. After continuous practice, the mind can be stabilized and this problem is solved by the practice of sitting in the same posture. Ease of meditation is attained by virtue, good thoughts, yama, observance of niyama and sattvik food.
The mind becomes calm as the practice of meditation progresses, which in the language of yoga is called Chittasuddhi. In meditation, the seeker forgets his body, environment and also does not have any sense of time. After that Samadhidasha is attained. According to yoga texts, Kundalini Shakti can be awakened by meditation and the seeker gets many types of powers. Eight main types of powers have been described in Patanjali Yoga.
Types of Meditation | Dhyaan Yoga
Basically meditation can be divided into 4 parts
1. see
The sight or witness to see. There are lakhs of people who have gone on the path of accomplishment and salvation just after seeing it. This is called staying in the sense of sight or witnessing. You can see, but at present you cannot see. Too many of your thoughts, tensions and fantasies keep you disconnected from the present. Seeing and understanding (not thinking) the present consciously i.e. consciously is the witness or the visionary meditation.
2. Listening
Listening meditation. There are many who become hearing by hearing. It is said that Sunnah was attained only after hearing it. Very hard to hear. Listen carefully to the sounds coming from near and far. Close your eyes and ears and listen to the sounds coming from within. When this listening becomes deep, then gradually it starts to be heard – naad. That is, the vowel of Om.
3. Meditation on Breath
Pranayama meditation for breathing. Breathe deeply in and out with closed eyes, without pressing as deeply as possible, being aware and aware of the breath coming and going. That is the simplest and primary method of Pranayama meditation.
4. Eyebrow Meditation
Focusing on thinking with eyes closed can be called eyebrow meditation. Close your eyes and meditate on the forehead located between the two eyebrows and experience inner peace by remaining completely silent from outside and inside. To keep watching the darkness consciously is eyebrow meditation. After a few days, the light appears out of this darkness. First black, then yellow and then blue turning white.
There can be thousands of sub-types of the above four types of meditation. You can do these four types of meditation lying down, sitting, standing and even while walking.
Traditional 3 Types of Meditation
Now let’s talk about the traditional type of meditation. There are three types of this meditation-
1.Macro Meditation
The meditation of gross things is called gross meditation – like sitting in siddhasana with eyes closed and meditating on a deity, idol, nature or the heart chakra located inside the body is gross meditation. Imagination is important in this meditation.
2. Jyotirdhyan
The Kundalini is situated in a spiral in the middle of the mooladhara and the lingam. Jyotirdhyan is the meditation of the Jyoti form of Brahma at this place.
3. Subtle Meditation
Sadhak should meditate on Kundalini while performing the rituals of Sambhavi Mudra, this type of meditation is called subtle meditation.
Methods of meditation
1. Thousands of methods have been described in Yoga and Tantra of meditation. There are many rituals and rituals in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and sage sangat. The method and action are to break your physical and mental sleepiness so that you become meditative.
2. Lord Shankar had told 112 methods of meditation to Mother Parvati, which are stored in ‘Vigyan Bhairav Tantra’.
3. Osho Rajneesh has described more than 150 methods of meditation in his discourses.
Main 4 methods of meditation
1. Sitting in Siddhasana, first of all exhale the inner air through deep breaths. Of course, do it. Then close your eyes for some time and just inhale and exhale deeply. In this process, the mind will be calm and the body and mind will become happy by coming out of the body’s polluted air. By doing this daily, meditation will start to awaken.
2. Close your eyes and sit in Siddhasana. Then remove the tension from your body and mind, that is, let it loose. Remove tension from the face as well. Feel absolutely calm. Feel your entire body and mind being completely calm. All the organs from the nails to the head have become loose. Stay in this state for 10 minutes. This is enough to know the spirit of witnessing.
3. In any Sukhasana, close your eyes and sit calmly and still. Then take turns observing your body from toe to head. During this, keep on feeling that every part of the body you are observing is becoming healthy and beautiful. This is the secret of health. Prepare body and mind for meditation.
4. The fourth method is the revolutionary method which is being used by more and more people. This method is called to remain in the witnessing sense or in the sense of the observer. Of course, seeing is everything. Do not think while watching. You can do this meditation method anytime, anywhere. It can be used well while walking on the road.
Simple techniques to meditate in the early stages
These simple tips are just as effective for a deeper meditation experience:
Select the time and place.
Keep your stomach empty and sit comfortably.
Start with some exercise and deep breathing.
Keep smiling more.
Did you know that you can get a deeper meditation experience just by spending a little time preparing for your meditation?
Here are some tips to meditate in the early stages, which can help you to meditate at home.
Do you find it difficult to sit still with your eyes closed? Don’t worry about it, you are not alone like this. For someone who wants to learn to meditate, below are some simple tips. As you become regular in these practices, you will surely go deeper into meditation.
Get started with these 8 simple tips
1. Choose a convenient time
Meditation is really a time for relaxation, so do it according to your convenience. One should choose a time when there is solitude and you are in no hurry.
Sunrise and sunset times, when nature changes into day and night, are the most ideal times to practice meditation.
2. Choose a Quiet Place
Choose a convenient place with a convenient time where no one can disturb you. The calm and peaceful environment makes the meditation experience more blissful and relaxing.
3. Sit comfortably
It is very necessary to sit pleasantly and still during meditation. While meditating, sit straight and keep your spine straight, relax your shoulders and neck, and keep your eyes closed throughout the process. While meditating, you can sit comfortably in a quartet (alathi-palathi), there is no need to sit in Padmasana.
4. Keep the stomach empty
Time before meals is good for meditation. You may feel sleepy after a meal. Don’t try too hard to meditate when you’re very hungry. You’ll have a hard time doing it because of the hunger spasms and you might just think about eating the whole time. In such a situation, you can meditate two hours after the meal.
5. Start It With a Warmup
Warming up or doing subtle yoga for a while before meditation improves your blood circulation, removes inertia and restlessness and gives a feeling of lightness in the body. This allows you to sit for longer periods of time with stability.
6. Take a Few Long Deep Breaths
Before meditation, it is good to take deep breaths and exhale and do Nadi Shodhana Pranayama. Due to this the rhythm of breathing becomes stable and the mind goes into a peaceful meditative state.
7. Keep a gentle smile on your face
Bringing a gentle smile on your face will make you feel the difference in yourself. A constant gentle smile will make you feel relaxed and at peace and it enhances your meditative experience.
8. Gently open your eyes slowly
As you reach the end of meditation, don’t be in a hurry to open your eyes. When the eyes are opened, the mind starts running towards external things, so after meditation, open the eyes slowly. Take time to become aware of yourself and the environment.
If you are feeling lack of enthusiasm in life and your emotional problems are affecting your work then you must meditate. Meditation is very necessary to handle the problems of your daily life. Please fill out the form below to learn meditation.
Amazing Ways to Immerse in Deep Meditation
You may be practicing meditation every day, but have you at times noticed that when you sit down to meditate, your mind seems to be entangled in your world of thoughts? Learning how to meditate is the first step.
1. serve needy people
It is always satisfying to extend your hand to those who need help. When you approach people who need help, you feel happy and have a positive energy flow. The reason for the expansion of the soul is that when you serve and bring a smile to a person’s face, then you get very good waves and blessings. By doing service comes competence and with this ability you get deep experiences in meditation.
2. listen to the silence
When you look at the sunrise, keep your eyes on the vast and calm sky. As you do this, feel deep within yourself the silence, oneness with the rising sun, and the calmness of the morning. In these few moments of stillness and silence, you immerse yourself in the beauty of nature and forget yourself. These moments cannot be explained in words. Looking at the outer beauty in these moments, you are able to see the beauty within you. This happens because in silence, thoughts come to the mind less and the mind becomes still. Most of the time, our mind is busy in murmuring and our sensory organs are busy in gathering information. Due to this a lot of thoughts come in our mind and the impression of events starts on the mind. Silence complements meditation. When you are in silence, your mind slows down and you easily move into deep meditation. To easily experience both silence and meditation, you should do the Art of Living Part-2 program.
3. practice yoga regularly
Have you noticed that sometimes you feel very restless while meditating and you are unable to go deep into meditation? The reason for this is that working for a long time causes stiffness and pain in your body. Which makes you uneasy. By doing some yoga asanas, the stiffness of your body goes away and your restlessness ends. By this your mind becomes stable and you feel deep in meditation.
4. make a habit of eating a balanced diet
Think of the days when you meditated after eating fried and non-vegetarian food and then think of the days when you meditated after having a light and healthy meal. There is a great variation in the quality of meditation in the same stages. This is because your food has a direct effect on your state of mind.
As a meditator, your diet should include grains, green vegetables, fresh fruits, salads and soups, etc. Mainly take food which is light, easy to digest and provides high prana (life energy).
5. Incorporate Satsang into your lifestyle
It is a well-known fact that listening to different types of music produces different types of emotions. We are made up of about 90% ether element. That’s why music has a profound effect on us. Singing in a satsang purifies the emotions and you feel a sense of expansion within yourself. The small mind, which is constantly murmuring, becomes silent and when you meditate, you feel deep.
6. Make sure to meditate daily
Having discipline and honing your practice is the key to experiencing deep meditation. Continuous meditation at a certain time every day opens the way for deep meditation.
How do yoga and meditation help in self realization?
Mantra, meditation, yoga, chakra meditation, fasting, physical austerity, light meditation, concentrating on breathing, Kundalini yoga, etc. are all useful in controlling the mind and subtle kashas. But all these means are useful only until self-realization takes place. All these tools are not the end goal. A person feels bliss only as long as he is very attached to all these, but as soon as he is detached from them he reaches where he started. Only then will it be considered right when the mind is under constant control.
Nirvikalpa Samadhi means a state of complete silence even after having the title of thought, speech and behavior (sorrow coming from outside). Only the wise live in such a state of samadhi, where no mental or physical condition affects them and no vibrations arise. Moreover, only the kevaljnani can get you the real meditation (shukladhan) of the soul.
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