What is meditation?

When in articles it is a question of a relaxation, stress removal, an exit from depression and similar, I often recommend you to meditate.

Those who are seriously engaged in yoga or oriental spiritual practices, know perfectly well, what is the meditation of and how to apply it in life.

But most Ukrainians and Russians are skeptical about meditation, considering it something alien, complex and useless.

So it or not, we'll try to figure it out today.

In any incomprehensible situation, remember what meditation is

My girlfriend Marina has been practicing yoga and meditation for 5 years now, not only attending classes sometimes, but doing yoga as part of her life and last year even lived a month in an Indian ashram.

She says that she was attracted in yoga not so much by the fact that with her help one can make her figure beautiful, and her posture graceful, but what she learned to meditate and master various breathing techniques.

Having started seriously doing yoga, the girlfriend not only found out what meditation is, but mastered this practice impeccably.

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Marina claims that she forgot what stress and depression are, and the state of irritability and anger has learned to shoot with two or three breathing exercises.

The most difficult moments in her life were helped by meditation.

Marina advises everyone to understand what meditation is, especially if your life is filled with stress, a number of problems, has a too fast rhythm and you do not have enough time to rest.

You can also master meditation yourself if you feel the strength, but at the initial stage it is better to look for a spiritual mentor who will coordinate you.

What is meditation: the origin and interpretation of the term

When referring to a dictionary, the term "meditation"( from the Latin word meditatio - meditation) explains how:

is a kind of special exercise used in spiritual practice for the purpose of healing or relaxation;
is a specific trance sensation that includes a meditator, which makes special exercises for meditation;
deep reflection on a topic, object, divine truth, etc., when it is possible to eliminate external stimuli, such as light, noise, smells and so on;
the ability to internally focus, disconnecting from the real world.

From myself I would add one more indication of meditation: spiritual practice that helps to withstand stress, depression, irritation, anger and other negative factors, without which it is impossible to imagine the life of a modern person, especially a resident of a megapolis.

Meditation - this is not a physical, but a thought process, it's not for nothing that it comes from the lat.the verb meditari, which can be translated as "give birth to ideas," "think," "indulge in meditation."

The term "meditation" has an ancient origin.

In the Torah one can find the word "haga"( הגה), which directly and means "meditate".When the Holy Scripture was translated into Greek, then הגה became a meditatio.

The description of meditation is found in the writings of Hindu, Chinese and Buddhist philosophers, who were created before BC.e.

You see, so ancient sources of the term "meditation".

What else would be interesting to tell you about meditation?

I did not set myself the goal in this article to teach you to meditate.

Firstly, it is quite a difficult practice and to master it yourself, only by studying the theory, there can be one.

Secondly, I am not a specialist in this field, preferring meditations to more active workouts: power and cardio, calm, measured yoga and meditation are not my story.

The purpose of my article is to give you the theoretical basis of this wonderful spiritual practice, to tell about the origin of the term, about its different notations, about how meditation conquered the whole world.

It is believed that meditation was widely spread in ancient India, because in religious and spiritual treatises, dating back to the XV century. BC.e., there are references to repeated chants in order to propitiate the gods and to be closer to them one step closer.

From India meditation began to conquer other countries of the East.

For example, in 653, the Japanese first opened a special room, where you could learn to meditate.

And here is the first real instruction on how to master this spiritual practice, appeared in China in 1227.

Today, meditation, as a way of relaxation, is used in various countries of the world.

The championship palm still belongs to India, but Europeans, Americans, and Slavs are not shy to relax with her help.

For example, if you believe the latest research of American scientists, then on average 20 million Americans for a year at least meditate.

What do you need to start meditating?

So that you understand whether this spiritual practice is suitable or not for you, I, guided by the advice of Marina and her spiritual master, will tell you what it takes to meditate:

Time.

Beginners should meditate twice a day( in the morning and in the evening), giving this lesson no more than 15 minutes, otherwise it will simply disgust you until you learn to completely relax.
Place.

Those who are just beginning to learn meditation, you need to choose the most comfortable and quiet place for training.

If you do not want to go to a special room, then you can practice at home by disconnecting all the telephones and shading the windows.

When you learn to meditate in your home environment, you can complicate your task, doing something in a public place where you have to abstract yourself from the noise.

How to calm down after stress?
Posture.

Naturally, the classic for meditation is the lotus posture, but you can also take another convenient position, the main thing is that your back is flat and the air can freely pass through the lungs.
Mantra.

This is a constant repetition of words with a measured intonation.

Do you want to use classical mantras, for example, "Om" or "Hare Krishna", but prayer in your native language also suits.

Instead of chanting the mantra, one can focus on breathing during meditation.
The ability to visualize images.

You can meditate, imagining abstract abstract images, for example, a silver waterfall or a fiery flower, or you can draw a very specific picture in your mind, for example, by transferring yourself to your ideal place where you feel completely safe.

About what meditation is and what kinds it is,

5 tips for those who want to learn more about what meditation is

If you are seriously interested in this spiritual practice and decided to learn to meditate for the goal,then my advice to you - go to the nearest center of yoga, they will teach you everything.

To those who intend to learn meditation independently, I give 5 recommendations from the teacher of my friend Marina:

Do not rush things.

You can not get into the trance for the first session.

Most people need many hours of training to learn how to meditate.
Do not strain during the session.

Do not get annoyed if you can not get rid of some idea.

Just turn your attention to something else, the visualization technique should help you.
Do not meditate before going to bed and immediately after awakening.

You need to approach meditation with full awareness of what you want to do.
Do not overeat before and / or after the session, but you should not be hungry for meditation.
Do not start to panic if you are not able to relax for a long time.

Someone needs more time to learn the practice, and someone is not able to comprehend it on their own.

All sooner or later it will turn out if you really want to learn how to meditate.

I think you understood perfectly, what is meditation , and do not ignore this spiritual practice in order to relax, calm down and fight stress.