Throughout history, meditation has been an integral part of many cultures. Records indicate that meditation was practiced in ancient Greece and India more than 5,000 years ago. In the Buddhist religion, meditation is an important part of their spiritual practice. Different forms of meditation are practiced in China and Japan, and Christianity, Judaism, and Islam have traditions similar to meditation.
The word meditation comes from the Latin meditari which means: exercise, turn something over in one's mind, think, consider. It is defined as consciously directing your attention to alter your state of mind.
Meditation is one of the proven alternative therapies that in recent years have been classified under mind-body medicine therapies. It is continuing to gain popularity, as more and more health experts believe that there is more to the connection between mind and body than modern medicine can explain.
Benefits of Meditation
According to researchers, meditation has been shown to aid the immune system and improve brain activity. More and more doctors are prescribing meditation as a way to lower blood pressure, to improve exercise performance, to help people with asthma to breathe easier, to relieve insomnia, and generally relax everyday stresses of life. Many hospitals now offer meditation classes for their patients because of the health benefits.
Traditionally, meditation has been used for spiritual growth, but more recently has become a valuable tool for managing stress and finding a place of peace, relaxation, and tranquillity in a demanding fast-paced world.
Benefits resulting from meditation include: physical and emotional healing; easing stress, fear, and grief; improved breathing; developing intuition; deep relaxation; exploring higher realities; finding inner guidance; unlocking creativity; manifesting change; emotional cleansing and balancing; and deepening concentration and insight.
Meditation elicits many descriptive terms: stillness, silence, tranquillity, peace, quiet, and calm. All counter stress and tension. Lama Surya Das in his book Awakening The Buddha Within says, Meditation is not just something to do; it's a method of being and seeing an unconditional way of living moment by moment. In other words, learning to live in this moment because this moment is all we have.
Henry Winkler is quoted as saying; A human being's first responsibility is to shake hands with herself. Meditation is an opportunity to shake hands with ourselves in a safe, simple way and to balance our emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual well-being
Preparing for your Meditation Journey
Meditation is a practice that can be embraced by anyone, regardless of age, background, or physical ability. It’s not just about achieving some mystical state or emptying your mind completely.
Instead, it’s about cultivating a skill – the ability to focus your attention and find moments of inner peace amidst the daily hustle. All you need is dedication and consistency.
Consistency is crucial when it comes to reaping the benefits of meditation. Just like physical exercise, meditation requires regular practice to strengthen the mental "muscles" responsible for focus, self-awareness, and emotional regulation. Set aside a specific time each day to meditate, ideally during a period when you are least likely to be disturbed or preoccupied with other tasks. Even just 10 to 20 minutes of daily practice can have a significant impact on your overall well-being.
One of the key elements to forming a successful meditation habit is finding a suitable environment that encourages stillness and focus. It's essential to select a space that is relatively quiet, free from distractions, and comfortable. The ideal setting may vary depending on personal preferences, but it's important to find a space where you can consistently practice meditation without interruption. This could be a dedicated room in your home, a quiet corner in your office, or even a peaceful outdoor space.
Meditation techniques for beginners
There are many techniques you can use to get started. Meditation is the opposite of what most of us engage in throughout the day so it can be difficult to learn how to turn off your mind if this is something you are not used to doing.
Here is a list of 7 meditation techniques that I believe are great for beginners:
✨Breathing Meditations
Begin by emptying your lungs.
- Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds.
- Hold your breath for 7 seconds.
- Exhale firmly through your mouth, pursing the lips, for 8 seconds
- You may repeat this breathing cycle up to 4 times.
This type of simple technique is rejuvenating for your nervous system. If it makes you feel a little dizzy, don’t do any more than 3-4 breaths at first. This kind of breathing acts as a natural tranquilizer.
Practicing this kind of simple breathing practice can completely shift your focus and your state of mind.
✨Mindfulness Meditations
Mindfulness meditation is all about being present in the here and now and not getting distracted by thoughts about the past or stressing about the future.
Practicing mindfulness might include mindful breathing, guided imagery, or even something like a body scan meditation where you tune into your body.
In typical mindfulness meditation, you might take the time to breathe deeply or even scan your body, working your way up from your toes to the top of your head.
Essentially, anything you do with all of your focus and attention could be considered a form of mindfulness.
✨Focus Meditations
A focus meditation involves focusing on an object like a flower or a candle and taking the time to examine it to the fullest extent.
You can select anything that stimulates your senses. For example, if you chose a yellow rose, you could sit and stare at the rose and imagine yourself touching it and feeling its velvety texture. You could also pay attention to any lines or creases in the rose or immerse yourself in the colour yellow.
A focus meditation is all about zeroing in on the details of something so much so that you don’t see anything else.
You can start by choosing an item of focus like a candle and sit comfortably in front of it. As you breathe in and out, notice how the flame flickers or how the flame is made of several different colours. Focus on the smells, the sounds, and experience what it’s like to immerse yourself in the candle.
This kind of practice helps you deepen your focus while you hold your attention. You might be surprised at how effective a meditation like this can be.
✨ Walking Meditations
Walking meditation is derived from Zen Buddhism and it is also known as kinhin, a practice in which practitioners walk around the room while holding their hands in shashu: holding one hand closed in a fist behind the back and the other hand closed within the fist. During the walking meditation, steps are taken after each full breath.
There are many modern variations to walking meditation and walking meditations can be very rewarding and relaxing. The idea behind a walking meditation is to walk in silence as you observe everything that is going on all around you.
For example, you could notice the leaves on the trees if you are outside, feel the warmth of the sun or pay attention to the sound your feet make as they hit the pavement or surface.
For people who have trouble sitting still for a regular meditation practice, walking meditation can be very healing.
✨Mantra Meditations
A mantra is a sacred sound that is used to override linguistic thought.
Mantras are yogic devices based on sacred sounds that evoke specific psychological states. The mental or verbal recitation of the mantra is used to enhance focused awareness and eliminate linguistic thought.
Mantra meditation involve the repetition of a sacred sound, known as a mantra, to gain focus or clarity.
The mantra can be chanted aloud or repeated silently. Many cultures utilize mantras but the Buddhist faith may be the most well known. Chanting is an age-old practice that has been used for millennia.
A few commonly known mantras are Ohm and Aham Prema, which means divine love.
If you want to practice mantra meditation, simply sit quietly and ground and centre yourself as you repeat your mantra over and over.
✨Guided Meditations
There are hundreds if not thousands of guided meditation techniques and this type of practice can be very rewarding.
Guided meditations involve the usage of imagery and visualisations and they can be very helpful for those who find typical meditation techniques challenging.
Guided meditations can take you places you can only imagine and they can even be used for personal development issues and healing. Very similar to hypnotherapy, guided meditations are extremely beneficial and useful.
You can practice a simple guided meditation by sitting quietly and imagining yourself walking along the beach or by listening to a free recording on YouTube.
✨Progressive Relaxation Meditations
Progressive Muscle Relaxation is a very classic type of meditation, which basically involves the tightening and loosening of various muscles up and down your body.
You could do a progressive muscle relaxation by squeezing and releasing the large muscles of the body, either starting at the top of the head or the bottoms of the feet.
This type of meditation can be very soothing and relaxing especially before bedtime and it’s a simple practice that even children can do.
This is by no means a comprehensive list and not all of the techniques are meant for everyone. These practices each require different skills and mindsets, so only you will know what is right for you.
Meditation is not a magic pill. It won’t erase all your problems or eliminate every stressor. But what it will do is change the way you experience those problems and stressors. It gives you the power to pause, to breathe, to see clearly, and to respond with intention.
Taking time to focus on those small shifts in awareness, create, real, measurable changes in your brain—changes that improve your focus, resilience, compassion, and well-being.
You don’t have to be a monk. You don’t need a mountaintop. You just need a few minutes a day, a quiet space, and the willingness to begin.
Because every time you sit down to meditate, you’re not just calming your mind. You’re rewiring your brain—one breath at a time, and bringing you the inner peace you might be craving.