Meditation; How to always manifest the results you desire.

Meditation refers to the practice of engaging in deep thought or reflection.

As a practice, it is believed to have its origin in India.

Some meditations go on to include the use of music, mantras, affirmations, and meditation tracks, depending on the practitioner’s preferences.

But meditation can also be simple, it doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to accomplish the real purpose of meditation, which is usually to calm one’s mind and increase spiritual awareness.

Meditation Benefits

Meditation has a variety of benefits to the human body and mind from spiritual, emotional, and physical aspects. They iclude:

• Reducing stress and anxiety. By calming the mind, one is able to think more clearly. Without biased judgement, one can find the power and strength from within to cope with the situation knowing that whatever it is bothering them, will surely come to pass. Because nothing is permanent in this world, not even our troubles.

• Meditation brings more joy and happiness into one’s life. During some meditations practitioners get to visualize their dream lives , goals, happy memories, give out love and kindness and do a variety of mental exercises that make them happier. Research shows that being happy and grateful for something places someone on the frequency of receiving that for which they are grateful.

This is what makes gratitude meditation a particularly very powerful one.

• Meditation calms the mind and body hence improving mental health and overall health.

• Meditation increases one’s spiritual awareness or call it intuition. One finds it easier to listen to the still small voices that come from within. We are spiritual beings and once we gain more awareness of the supernatural, then everything starts to fall into line. We begin to experience the love, joy and happiness that we seek and also get to find inner peace.

• And as our lives get better, we become more pleasant while dealing with other people, we learn to love and respect others more. We develop tolerance toward others and learn to celebrate our differences rather than let them get in between our relationships.

• Another amazing benefit of meditation is it unlocks the power to manifest the life of one’s dreams. Research shows that your dominant thoughts will create your life. If your thoughts are one of a happy and fulfilled life, that is the one you will get to live, and the reverse is true. Meditation achieves this by connecting the sub-conscious mind to infinite intelligence. In this relaxed state, new ideas can be born , new frequencies learnt and mastered hence bringing about the lives we desire.

Having known the benefits you might be wondering if you can as well benefit from such a simple yet rewarding practice and answer is YES. You can do it. Anyone can do it. And the good news is you don’t need any special equipment unless you want it of course.

I also like to emphasize that you can practice meditation anywhere: at home, on a bus or train, while taking a walk, by the sea, in your living room or in your bed, wherever.

Forget about all the pictures you see on the internet of people meditating on fancy beaches, by the seaside, and in many other fancy settings. It’s just an Instagram generation. You can do it within your means and according to how you like it.

Components of meditation

Different meditation types differ on various components, but every meditation comprises a few basics, which include focused attention, a calm environment, comfort, open-mindedness, and slow breathing.

1. Focused attention:

This enables you to take your mind off the distractions around you as you meditate and concentrate on a specific moment, object, affirmation or mantra, your body, giving out love, or even on your breathing. The item of focus usually depends on the goal of the meditation.

2. A calm and quiet environment:

Most meditations, especially for beginners, encourage the practitioner to be in a quiet environment. This helps you concentrate on yourself and your thoughts. The last thing you want is being taken up by distractions.

3. Comfort:

Getting into a comfortable position is also very important. This helps calm your mind easily and lets you put all of your focus on the object of meditation.

4. Open-mindedness:

An open mind and positive attitude are encouraged; let your thoughts pass through your mind without judgment.

5. Slow breathing:

Observing even-paced breathing can be a great way to turn your mind off various thoughts and get it to concentrate.

Types of meditation

The various types include mindfulness, Transcendental, Vipassana, Yoga, Zazen, Guided, qigong, Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Relaxed meditation, Gardening, Mantra meditation, Buddhist, Breath-Awareness, Sound bath, Maitra, Focused Attention, Chakra, Daoist, loving-kindness, Gratitude, and Tantra meditation.

1. Mindfulness meditation, also referred to as Samatha: Just like the name goes, the focus is to stay present in the moment. Forget about the past and worry not about the future. Just be in the here and now.

Yes, your mind will wander from time to time, but just bring it back to the present moment. This type may usually comprise breath awareness and body scanning.

Some of the benefits include the fact that it allows you to observe your thoughts but emphasizes no judgment of them.

Mindfulness meditation also helps improve concentration levels and focus and reduce stress- together with stress-caused ailments.

2. Focused attention:

This type involves concentrating all your attention on a specific object or thought; ignoring all distractions around you is a must.

The purpose of focused attention meditation is to get you on the frequency of whatever it is you intend to attain and really experience it. It may be your breath, an imagination, a goal, or something you really desire to experience. Its benefits are similar to mindfulness meditation.

Many meditation practices include focused attention as one of their pillars.

3. Visualization meditation:

This concentrates on manifesting different things one may desire.

Practitioners imagine whatever they want to achieve and try to feel happy as though they have received it. It could be the life of their dreams, a house, a baby, a spouse, name it, anything of one’s desire.

This is my favorite type of them all.

4. Guided Meditation:

Also referred to as guided visualization or guided imagination. It is focused meditation but called guided as practitioners usually implore the help of a guide or teacher, someone familiar with the process.

It may be more complex depending on the goal of the meditation.

5. Breath-Awareness meditation:

The goal here is to focus on one’s breathing; that’s all. Sounds simple, right? You might be mistaken. Thoughts keep coming to the mind, and the only way to concentrate is to keep repeating to yourself, breathe in, breathe out, or counting your breaths as you inhale and exhale.

This type of meditation is helpful in stressful situations, can improve focus, and also reduce anxiety, hence promoting emotional stability.

6. Transcendental meditation:

This type involves reciting a personally picked mantra ( depending on the goal of the practice) in a specific way. Usually, the purpose of transcendental meditation is to bring about that which you desire to see or obtain. Repeating the mantra or affirmation helps you believe it. After belief comes the materialization of whatever you desire, in the case of a material want.

7. Mantra meditation:

It follows all basics of meditation and is very much similar to transcendental meditation. This particular type involves repeating a certain word or phrase and is more commonly practiced in certain religions and faiths especially in India. Mantras are usually calming words or pre-determined words depending on the reason for practice.

8. Vipassana meditation:

The literal translation of vipassana is to see things as they really are. More like self-evaluation. It helps you identify why certain things happened the way they did and how to prevent undesirable reoccurrences and, hence, get better results out of life.

9. YOGA:

Yoga is a very wide topic and has very many styles, but allow me to talk just about yoga meditation. The end goal of this type is usually to heal the body.

Yoga specifically aims at strengthening the body and nervous system, together known as the neuro-muscular system. Just like other types of meditation, it involves focus and comfortable posture and is carried out in a quiet environment.

10. Loving Kindness also known as Maitri meditation:

Here, the practitioners give out positive thoughts of love, joy, kindness, etc. These positive feelings are first directed towards themselves and then to other people they love or even hate. Yes, you read that right.

The purpose of this type is first to help one feel better about themselves, and then about others too. It also helps one to let go of hurtful situations, bad memories and hate to those who might have hurt the individual in question.

11. Zazen:

Also known as Zen meditation. It has its origin in Buddhist psychology and it encourages the practitioners to have a general awareness of their inner self.

This, in turn, helps them tap into their unconscious minds. It requires patience and much practice to master and is usually not the first choice for beginners. It improves concentration levels and focus immensely.

12. Qi gong:

It has its origins in China and is a combination of mindful breathing, attention, and slight movement. Qigong involves mentally moving energy throughout your body.

Benefits include improved focus on daily activities, reduced anxiety and stress levels, and increased balance.

13. Progressive muscle meditation:

The aim here is to feel more relaxed and calm by releasing all the tension you might be holding in your body. It involves the use of different techniques depending on which muscles one intends to relax.

This type combines the benefits of basic meditation in addition to improving sleep and reducing pain, improving blood flow throughout the body, and many more benefits.

14. Relaxation meditation:

The sole goal here is to relax, just like the name of the practice says. It is suitable for people dealing with high-stress situations as breath awareness is also an important aspect here.

One can also implore the use of music, usually soothing music or their favorite type of music, to help them relax more, which brings us to sound bath.

15. Sound bath meditation:

This makes use of music to help practitioners relax more. Sessions are usually conducted by trained instructors and last about an hour to one and a half.

This type of meditation is a bit complex, and one needs to experience it for oneself.

16. Buddhist meditation:

Most of the meditation practices we know today have their origin in Buddhism. Practitioners believe it leads to spiritual liberation.

Buddhist meditation, in particular, involves various techniques; for more details, click here.

17.Gardening;

This in particular is great for nature lovers and enthusiasts. It may also involve a lot of movement, or none, depending on one’s preferences.

Being mindful while doing the gardening- from touching the soil or flowers to planting seeds or plants and caring for them is very relaxing for some people. It is a great way for them to connect with their inner selves.

People who practice garden meditation usually love to plant scented plants or flowers and colorful ones, too, and are very passionate about the earth, soil, water, and nature.

18.Chakra meditation:

The body is said to have 7 chakras- energy levels which include the head(crown chakra), third eye chakra, throat chakra, heart chakra, Solar Plexus chakra, Sacral chakra, and root chakra.

This type of meditation focuses on these chakras. Each of these chakras, when tapped into, is believed to have a unique benefit from the other. For in-depth information, check this out.

Practitioners believe it clears blocked chakras and allows energy to flow freely throughout the body, which in turn brings about healing properties.

19. Daoist meditation, also known as Taoist meditation: Having its origins in China, its practices are associated with their philosophy and religion. It emphasizes visualizations, energy flow, breathing, and different healing techniques.

The goal is increased flow of inner energy. Practitioners believe that it unites the body, mind, and Spirit and also connects them to the Universe and nature.

20. Tantric meditation:

This is very similar to chakra meditation and involves concentration, breath awareness and movement. It is said to move tantric/ sexual energy through the body. Practitioners believe this brings about enlightenment, healing and transformation.

I must confess I find tantric meditation interesting. That goes without saying it is closely related and associated with tantric sex. It is said to help people healing from life-long traumas by letting go of stress and tension.

21.Gratitude meditation:

This type involves all the basic aspects of meditation. The special part is practitioners practice feeling gratitude for all life’s big and small blessings. Feeling grateful is absolutely the way to bring more into your life.

There many types of meditation depending on the desired end result therefore be notified this isn’t all there’s to know about meditation though this is pretty much it. But for now having known the different types of meditation let’s move onto the most important part which is how to meditate.

How to meditate

First, find a quiet place free from distractions. This will make it easier for you to concentrate, especially if you are a beginner or haven’t been meditating much before.

Then, secondly, get into a comfortable person. It may be sitting with your legs folded inwards, outwards, forward, or simply lying on your back. Whichever works for you is what we shall go with. That will help you concentrate your attention on the practice, whichever type you choose depending on what you intend to accomplish.

3. Concentrate:

First, focus on your breath, then move your concentration to a specific object of your choice, depending on the reason for meditation. Fill your mind with intentional thoughts. Don’t let it drift away too long.

Lastly, go on to carry out whichever type of meditation you’re comfortable with. Yes, it’s that simple.

Conclusion

You might need to set a specific time to meditate so as to make it a habit and gain lasting results. Then also remember to set a time limit for yourself. In the beginning, you can start with 10 to 15 minutes and increase them as you get better at the practice.

Also, be sure to bring your mind to focus when it wanders off. That is what meditation is all about- FOCUS.

Personally, I love to meditate daily, and I do it more often when I am not really feeling the best about myself that day. In case you are not feeling the very best about yourself lately, try checking out these articles about self-esteem and self-worth; they may prove helpful.