My experiences with different kinds of meditation
How did I get into meditation? As I kept facing different difficulties in life, it was hard to maintain peace of mind. I came across meditation five years ago. I didn’t do it regularly for long. But in this year, I have been relatively consistent (five times a week). Over the years, I have tried various kinds of meditations, and I’ll be sharing my experience with each type.
1. Guided Mindfulness Meditation
This meditation is about focusing on your breathing and acknowledging the clutter going on in your mind. Even if it is a guided meditation, it becomes difficult to focus just on breathing for 30 minutes. Eventually, your mind wanders here and there. With time, it gets easier. This is the best kind of meditation to declutter your mind. It helped me be aware of my thoughts. As you keep going through this meditation, thoughts come and go. You acknowledge the thoughts and get back at focusing on your breathing. It helped me accept my thoughts and being more aware of my mind.
2. Aumkar Yoga
The importance of chanting “AUM” has been stated in yogic culture and Hindu mythology. You can google it, and you will know the importance of it. I love this meditation because it keeps me engaged. It doesn’t allow me to wander through my thoughts. You sit in a particular posture, you chant, and you feel the vibrations in your whole body. I can’t state the benefits of this in words. It just feels blissful (like a blank space in your 24/7 sprinting mind). I have been practising this five times a week for many months. It has positively impacted me.
3. Heartfulness Meditation
This one’s a 3 step process- Relaxation, cleaning, and meditation (focusing on your heart).
In 2020, I struggled with insomnia, and my friend, Ranjana Sudalai, suggested this meditation. This is a 3 step process that is very specific in its approach, and I must say it’s very effective. I regularly do the relaxation part because it helps me relax my body instantly (especially after a busy day or a workout). The cleaning part is a unique way of meditation. It requires imagination, and I can’t explain how, but it works to clean the impure thoughts in mind. Heartfulness meditation is a simple way to inner-connect with yourself.
4. Vipassana Meditation
I have wanted to do the ten days Vipassana Meditation course at Igatpuri (Vipassana International Academy). Vipassana meditation is one of the most ancient techniques of meditation.
Vipassana is a traditional Buddhist and Indian meditation technique for enhancing mindfulness.
In Pali, an ancient language of Buddhism, the word “Vipassana” means “seeing things as they really are.” The literal translation is “special seeing.”
My friend, Gaurav Chandak, shared his ten-day Vipassana Course experience with me, and I was fascinated by it. I have been practising this 30 min vipassana meditation for many days. It helped me accept and see things as they are. This helps in being in the present moment. I look forward to doing the course at Vipassana Igatpuri Centre.
What is Meditation for me?
After trying all these methods and listening to various thought leaders, meditation is being in the present moment and being fully aware of it. It’s just awareness at every moment, no matter what you are doing. In search of this question (what is meditation?) I came across this video, and it helped me understand meditation in a better way.
Meditation has helped in experiencing life in a better manner. And meditation should be done for its own sake. Not for any particular purpose. Do any meditation but do it regularly, let the compounding happen. There is no better way to meditate. Try it for yourself and see what suits you. I would encourage all the readers to meditate regularly. Meditating at least thrice a week has proven to increase happiness if routinely done (The Science of Well being by Yale University). Everyone can and should meditate. I want to end this by sharing a tweet from Naval Ravikant.
