Meditation Techniques: Types and Benefits

Meditation is no longer confined to the Himalayas. An increasing number of international celebrities, sports persons and business professionals are benefiting from various meditation techniques. These techniques should be practiced depending upon your personality type. Some meditation techniques involve in-depth concentration, while some others aim at inner peace through the free flow of thoughts.

Meditation Techniques: Main Types

Meditation or dhyaan is an art practiced to gain inner peace amidst worldly turmoil. Effective meditation can be achieved through the following techniques:

Mantra Meditation: Mantra refers to the repeated recitation of certain sounds to achieve a meditative state. The vibrations created through mantra meditation attract divine forces by influencing the ‘chakras.’ Mantra need not be specific to a religion. This means that you can choose your own mantra that appeals to your mind. While you can do mantra meditation on your own, it is ideal to practice it under the guidance of a guru, since this has proved to yield better results.

Trataka: Very useful in increasing concentration and visualization abilities, trataka involves the steady gaze at an object. This is an effective yoga cleansing technique and builds the power of intuition.

Chakra Meditation: The human body has seven chakras (wheels) that serve as connections between the spinal cord and other major organs. One has to discover the chakras through Chakra Anusandhana to gently awaken them. People whose lifestyles do not include a great deal of physical activity should not practice chakra meditation without proper guidance.

Meditation Techniques: Benefits

Here are some benefits of meditation:

Health Benefits: The state of mind influences our physical health in many ways. Also, inner discord often occurs due to physical ailments. Meditation reduces stress levels, which in turn prevents the likelihood of heart disease. Meditation also has the power to relieve you of pain. It calms your mind by healing stress related ailments, sexual problems and improves the nervous and digestive systems.

Spiritual Benefits: As you meditate on a regular basis, your journey to connect with your inner self begins. Meditation leads you to the path of inner awakening and raises your consciousness to universal truths.

Psychological Benefits: Meditation is particularly helpful in decreasing anxiety and irritability. It also improves the memory and learning ability. Meditation increases harmony of the brainwaves, resulting in higher IQ, moral reasoning and creativity.

A vital factor for beginners to reap the benefits of meditation is learning the techniques from a professional guru. Himalayan Yogi Bharat Thakur teaches meditation techniques and artistic yoga in cities across India and aboard. For more information, log on to http://www.artisticyoga.com