What is meditation?
There are many forms of meditation, most of which help you cultivate mindfulness. Practicing one of these methods will help you to become more mindful, or ‘in touch’ with reality. It does this by training you to keep your awareness in the present moment, rather than getting lost in thought.
Meditation usually uses an object of focus to anchor you the present moment. This is often the the breath, but it could be a sound, a sensation or anything in the present moment that you focus on.
As humans, we’re constantly overthinking things, wondering what’s going to happen tomorrow, or ruminating on the past. We do it all the time — we’re always talking to ourselves in our heads. These thoughts arise spontaneously and automatically. It feels like we are controlling them, but we’re not.
When we become aware of this mental chatter, we can view our thoughts as something that happens to us. When we stop referring to them as though they are us, we find out that there is only the present moment.
When you identify with your thoughts too much, you begin to get caught up in them. Eventually they can take over.
Meditation isn’t about trying to ‘clear your mind’ or to stop thinking. You’re just training yourself to notice that the noise isn’t you; it isn’t your identity.
Starting a regular habit of meditation will help cultivate an awareness of the present that you will soon begin to notice in your day-to-day life.
Meditation can help develop clarity, improve concentration, reduce stress. Practicing meditation will help you observe mental phenomena, and learn the patterns and habits of your mind.
Different scientific studies have shown positive effects related to meditation, such as a greater sense of empathy for others, an increase in positive thinking, development of emotional well-being, and reduced anxiety, depression, and pain.
There are a lot of different methods you can practice, and they can be formal or informal. The Medito app will help you learn some of them. Most of these methods originated a long time ago in Asia and India.
It’s a good idea to meditate daily. It will help you develop a habit and you will quickly realise the benefits of this practice.
There is no perfect way or place in which to meditate. Your intention in your meditation is far more important than the physical setting.
Formal practices might tell you to be in a specific place and follow specific rules. When talking about formal methods, we will try to do our best to honor them and to respect the traditions surrounding them.
One good thing about meditation is that it’s flexible. There are lots of different types of meditation, and you can choose the one that works for you.
Using Medito will help you to learn about meditation and develop a regular and effective practice that suits you.
Download Medito for free from the App Store or Google Play.