The origins of meditation date back millennia. Scholars believe it originated in India. It has roots in Hinduism and Buddhism.
Despite its ancient history, meditation is becoming quite the buzz word. Books like Peace Is Every Step by the late Thich Nhat Hahn have boosted the popularity of meditation. There are several types of meditation you can practice.
Meditation is a method of stress relief in many western countries. It is even taught in professional development courses.
What types of meditation can you practice? How do you do it? And what are the benefits of 10 minutes of meditation?
Read on to learn more about the different types of meditation. Learn about the benefits of performing 10 minutes of meditation.
Types of Mediation
There are several popular types of meditation. These include mindfulness, focused, karma, transcendental, and loving-kindness meditation.
Mindfulness Meditation
The popularity of meditation is increasing in the USA. You can use mindfulness at work and at home. It uses conscious breathing to relax you. You pay attention to your thoughts, senses, and feelings to center yourself.
It is ideal for stress relief, increasing focus, and viewing negative thoughts with objectivity. The ability to increase objectivity can reduce the effect of negative thoughts on the practitioner.
Focused Meditation
To do focused mediation, you pick an object or image, then focus on it for the duration of your practice. When your focus wavers, you guide your attention back to your focus object. It is ideal for increasing concentration.
Mantra based or Transcendental Meditation
This is when you repeat a special phrase in your head or out loud during your session. This phrase could aim to bring you peace, give thanks, or motivate you. It couples with techniques like conscious breathing and posture.
Transcendental meditation uses special mantra techniques. It aims to help practitioners overcome trauma and mental health issues. It is popular with celebrities.
Loving-Kindness Meditation
This is a method of practicing gratitude. It works for people, achievements, or objects. Most people focus on their loved ones and all they are thankful for. It strengthens personal connections and can ease depression when done right.
You can learn more about loving-kindness meditation here.
Basic Meditation Techniques
Find a space for meditation. You want a quiet place free from distractions. After meditating every day for a while, you may find you can do it almost anywhere. For now, though, find a peaceful place.
Find a Comfortable Position
You can sit cross-legged, in a lotus or half-lotus pose. Most people are comfortable in a meditation chair with back support. Set a timer for 10 minutes.
Basic mindfulness meditation is a good place to start. Sit back. Keep your back straight. Half-close your eyes. Turn your attention to your breathing.
Conscious Breathing
You want to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. You don't need to control your breathing. But pay attention to it. This is your anchor for meditation.
Some people find it helps to count in and out breaths. But do whatever works for you. After a minute or so, you should feel your body begin to relax and your thoughts slow down. Stay with your breathing.
Mindful Attention and Flow State
As your thoughts pass through your mind, watch them pass. If you find yourself carried away by thoughts, don’t worry, just return to your breathing.
Listen to the sounds around you. Few places are silent. Outdoor areas are excellent for this. Pay attention to the sounds of nature, of the wind, of the rustle of the trees. The patter of rain helps focus. What scents are there?
Pay attention to feelings in your body, but keep your main focus on your breathing. After a few minutes, your mind should clear. You should enter a state of flow. Meditation is personal and unique to each individual.
What Are the Benefits of 10 Minutes of Meditation?
You might think ten minutes of mediation is too short to have an impact. But the practice of “little and often” holds true here. Consistency is key. You need to meditate every day.
Meditating every day for ten minutes builds healthy habits. It will boost your physical and mental health, reduce stress, and can even make you a little bit smarter.
Reduces Your Stress and Anxiety
Meditation helps you become less reactive to stressors. Mindful practice helps you distance yourself from negative thoughts. You let them pass without reaction. The same is true for feelings of stress.
We all get stressed from time to time. 10 minutes of meditation a day can help you control these feelings. You will recover from them faster. You will be able to avoid negative reactions. Conscious breathing is key to mastering our reactions.
By learning to notice our breathing, we can use it as an anchor. Deep breaths can help calm you, fast.
Reducing your stress levels can help lower your blood pressure. It can help us look younger. It can help us relax.
Boost Your Focus With 10 Minutes of Meditation
Focus meditation is best for concentrating on one thing. Focusing on your breathing will boost your concentration. But mindful practice can help you focus in a different way.
You will learn to let distractions pass. You can carry on working while staying focused. Learning to listen to your surroundings will keep you grounded in the present moment.
Being in the here and now helps more than your concentration. You will enjoy activities with friends and families to the fullest extent. You won't be distracted by what's in your head. Even your work will benefit.
Meditation May Make You Smarter
Meditation can increase your brain matter volume. It can boost your neuronal activity. The brain growth and activation happens in many areas of your brain. The main areas that increase in brain volume are your insula and your pre-frontal cortex. These are critical areas for cognition.
Your pre-frontal cortex is where your higher brain functions develop. These include planning, decision-making, and impulse control. It is the logical area of your brain, and it is vital for clear cognition.
Your insula is where you process your thoughts, emotions, and sensory information. The act of mindful meditation focuses on these. So it is easy to see why meditation increases brain function in these areas.
Your posterior cingulate is another part of your brain that helps you focus. It has been shown that this area tends to have more brain matter in meditators. Due to the focus required to meditate, it is clear how the two link.
Want to see improved cognition, greater task focus, and an increased ability to plan? A daily meditation routine could be what you need.
Meditation Increases Your Self-Control
By sitting in your meditation chair and practicing, you boost your self-control. The simple act of making yourself sit still for ten minutes hones your self-control. But with meditation techniques, you learn much more.
With timed meditation you meditate until the timer beeps. That's it. This is excellent practice for waiting in line, in traffic, or for your bus. And then there's the deep breathing and mindfulness.
These are patience game-changers. Feel yourself becoming agitated? Breathe, pay attention to it. Let it relax you. You can even meditate while you wait for your turn.
By watching thoughts and feelings pass, you limit your stress levels. By becoming less reactive, you become more patient. You create distance between your stressor and your reactions. You watch them rather than react to them.
Your Daily Meditation Routine Helps You Sleep
Meditating before bed can work wonders for your sleep. You will be calm. Your body will relax. You will breathe in a way conducive to sleep.
After meditating for 10 minutes, many people feel they are back in the present. The day's stresses and worries are behind them. They interfere less with their sleep.
We have all been there. You have had a stressful day, too much caffeine perhaps. When you get into bed, your mind is racing, your body is tense. You can't relax enough to drift into sleep.
Meditating for 10 minutes is one of the best ways to avoid this. Well, the stress anyway. Caffeine is another story. But if you practice for ten minutes in your meditation chair, you should find yourself drifting off when you go back to bed.
What Are the Benefits of Meditation Chairs?
You need very little equipment to meditate. However a meditation chair with back support can work wonders for your practice.
Most people find it hard to sit cross-legged on the ground for long periods of time. Most of us grew up sitting in chairs, and our hips struggle to hold this position unsupported.
Forcing yourself to sit like this can cause joint problems if you push it. And joint pain makes it hard to focus. Yoga can aid your flexibility. But if you want to meditate for stress relief a meditation chair is for you. You will be much more comfortable.
You will find your meditation practice becomes more natural and enjoyable. The frequency you meditate will naturally increase. It is hard to commit to daily practice if you find it painful. For 10 minutes of meditation to really benefit your life it needs to be a daily practice.
Want to Make the Most of Your Meditation?
We hope you enjoyed learning about different types of meditation and what 10 minutes of meditation can do for you. Daily practice can help your mental and physical health. The key is you need to make it a habit.
Meditation chairs, like Ungloo’s line, make this easier. You can adjust them to your desired meditation position. You will have support whether upright, sitting, or kneeling. You and your meditation practice will benefit.
Get in touch today to find out how Ungloo can help you meditate.
