Science tutorial: benefits of meditation? How to meditate?

This Taoist contact meditation training about 2009, spent 2000 yuan to participate in a training course. Later, by chance, I used my vacation time to retreat at Danxia Mountain in Shaoguan for 1 week. Slowly I realized that meditation originated from religion, such as Tibetan Buddhism's observation of the breath, the retreat during the training, its method of steps and psychological meditation is almost the same.

Meditation does not need to change your beliefs, you just take it as a method of mental health, learn to practice it again when you have time, and make it part of your life, you will find that the original meditation has so many benefits.

The visible benefits of meditation are: stress relief, cultivation of positive emotions, exercise of lucid consciousness, improvement of memory and concentration, the ability to have free control over self-awareness, and maintaining inner peace.

Meditation can also be used to treat illnesses, including internal organ injuries, wound healing, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, agoraphobia, high blood pressure, and skin diseases. As to whether or not you have this power, it all depends on your level of practice. I checked the literature, a study found that people who meditate for a long time, their brain gray matter increases, visible consciousness changes the material.

Today, this Taoist summarizes nearly a decade of meditation experience, and selflessly shares it with those who are in love. Inappropriate places, please also promptly criticize and correct, in order to improve.

1, choose a quiet environment. Meditation should be carried out in a calm mood, choose a relatively quiet place, the purpose is not to be disturbed by environmental stimuli. I usually meditate before going to bed, lying in bed, after turning off the lights, and fall asleep without realizing it. That's why meditation also works very well for people with sleep disorders. When I go out for a trip, after lunch, I can even meditate on the grass for 10 minutes to relieve both sleepiness and fatigue, and then go on to play in the afternoon.

For starters, you should mute your cell phone. Almost everyone can only last 1 or 2 minutes at first, there are too many distractions that disturb them. But don't give up, take your time and after a week you will be able to reach 5 minutes. I can clearly tell you that if you stick to it for more than 21 days, meditating for 20 minutes at a time is not a problem.

Of course, meditation doesn't require a completely silent environment, so there's no need to wear earplugs and an eye mask. The roar of the lawnmower outside and the dog barking at the house next door won't prevent effective meditation. In fact, being aware of these noises and learning to ignore them and focus on the meditation is an important part of successful meditation.

2. Wear comfortable clothing. That is, wear loose clothing for meditation, and try to take off your shoes wherever you can. Keep warm in winter. Where it is not convenient to take off your clothes, unbutton your shirt collar and loosen your belt.

3, when to meditate. This is no time limit, morning, evening, after work to choose a middle time, once you start to meditate, you have to insist on meditation. Don't give up because you don't feel the effect, you need to keep practicing for a long time if you want to meditate successfully. Whether you need to set an alarm clock to remind you to end your meditation is not yet a question for you to consider, because you have not practiced to that stage.

4. Stretching. Because meditation requires sitting still in one place for a period of time, it's best to minimize tension and fatigue in various parts of your body before you even sit down. Spending a few minutes doing some stretching exercises will help you relax your body and mind in preparation for the meditation that follows. This will likewise help you to relax your mind while meditating, rather than focusing on one or two sore joints and muscles.

For those who spend a lot of time sitting in front of a computer, remember to stretch your neck, shoulders, and lower back. For those who take the lotus position for meditation, take care to relax the legs, especially the inner thighs.

5, choose a comfortable sitting position. It is very important to relax your body during meditation, so you should find a posture that best suits you. The traditional meditation is to put a cushion on the floor and sit on it in a lotus or half-lotus sitting position. Unless your legs, hips and lower back are very supple, it will take some effort to straighten your back and stay upright when you hold the lotus position. Choose a posture that keeps your center of gravity up and your back square.

My experience is that meditation is only a form, meditation and tranquility are fundamental. My master once told me that meditation is the practice of mindfulness, and that modern people are overthinking, have too many desires, and labor their minds to the detriment of their souls, which leads to cerebral fatigue, mental anxiety, depression, and so on. Meditation is unique to Zen Buddhism, the purpose is to control the mind one, empty mind without residence, into the state of meditation.

And for ordinary people you, just sitting with legs crossed, you can not do, but this does not affect your meditation.

The traditional meditation gesture consists of resting your hands on your folded legs with your palms facing upwards and your right hand on top of your left hand. However you can also leave your hands resting naturally on your knees or hanging at your side, as you prefer.

1. Tune in, that is, focus on your breath. This is the most basic and universal of all meditations. My method of regulating the breath is to focus on the breath with eyes closed, feel and experience the gas slowly inhaled from the nostrils, to the chest, to the abdomen, until the dantian area, hold for 5 seconds, and then focus on the turbid gas slowly discharged from the body. You can also choose a point above your belly button and focus on its dynamics as it rises and falls with your breath. Don't intentionally change the rhythm of your breathing, just breathe as you normally would.

You just need to know and be "aware" of the breath, without any "thinking" or judgment about it (e.g., this breath is shorter than the last one).

You can try to visualize some images to help you meditate, for example, imagine a lotus flower on your stomach, with its petals opening with each breath.

Don't be afraid if you start to have too many distractions - after all, you're just a beginner, and meditation, like anything else, requires practice to make perfect. You just need to pull your mind back again, focus on your breath, and stop thinking about anything else. Set aside those fragmented thoughts and collect your mind.

2. Repeat a mantra. Mandala meditation (later this Taoist will expand to explain the 12 types of meditation), is also a common form of meditation, that is, in meditation over and over again to repeat a mantra (a single word, word or phrase), until you converge the mind, into a deep meditative state. My mantra is: calm the mind, wellness of body and mind. My master had me recite the Six Character Mantra back in the day, and it worked well.

But to speak meditation to regular people, you'd better recite your own familiar, short, positive mantra.

Repeatedly chanting a mantra helps with meditation, making the word or phrase you're chanting seep into your thoughts. If you get distracted again, don't worry, just shift your attention and focus on the mantra again.

Once you've entered deeper consciousness, you won't have to keep repeating the mantra over and over again.

A word about mantras. Those who study psychology know that the conscious mind can change the subconscious mind, but the subconscious mind cannot change the conscious mind. If you recite a mantra often, it will change your subconscious mind, and even when you don't care, the subconscious mind will play a role. So mantra exposes your life, with your mantra, I know where your life is going.

3. Focus your attention on something. As with the silent mantra, you can choose to gaze at something and focus on it to bring you into a certain level of deep consciousness. This is one of the ways to meditate with your eyes open, and many people find that if they find a place for their gaze to fall, then it will be easier for them to enter deep consciousness.

You can choose to gaze at anything, but many people find it most comfortable to gaze at a single flame on a candle. You can also choose things like crystals, flowers, images of saints or statues - such as a Buddha statue and so on.

Place something like that at your eye level so that you can look at it with your head and neck completely relaxed. Gaze at it until the field of vision beyond the focal point blurs and it is all that remains in your field of vision.

If you focus on something like that, without external distractions, you will feel yourself entering a deep calm.

A student asked me about the comfort he felt when he was meditating and imagined a beautiful woman in tulle climbing on top of him, kissing her on the cheek and caressing his body. I told him that this was an evil thought, and not only could he not feel at ease, but he would also let his essence drain away.

4, learn to imagine. Psychology is called imagery training, engaged in sports is no stranger to this. Imagination is also a common method of meditation, using this method in the mind to simulate a peaceful scene, gradually explore it, until you get complete peace. You can simulate the scene to your liking; it doesn't have to be as realistic as you imagine, and should be adapted to your own situation.

You can imagine a warm beach, a flowery meadow, a quiet forest or a cozy living room with a fire. Whatever scene you visualize, turn it into a sanctuary for your soul.

Once you've entered the sanctuary, you're ready to explore. You don't have to "create" your surroundings, because they already "exist". Let your mind go ahead of you.

Pay attention to the sights, sounds, and smells in the Sanctuary - feel the gentle breeze on your face, the heat of the flames warming your body. Stay in the Sanctuary as long as you like, letting it naturally expand and become more real. If you wish to leave the Sanctuary, take a few deep breaths and then open your eyes.

Remember, the next time you do an imaginary meditation, you can come back to the same place, or you can imagine a new scene. Any scenes you visualize should fit your own situation, and they are a reflection of your individual personality.

5. Body scanning. This is a new term, but it is actually used in mindfulness training, as well as in meditation. Body scanning refers to consciously focusing on a body part, scanning the whole body one by one, and consciously relaxing them. This simple method of meditation will relax your body as well as your brain.

Close your eyes and choose a body part to start with, usually the toes. Focus on receiving the sensations from your toes and consciously relax any tight muscles. After completely relaxing your toes, turn your attention to your entire foot and repeat the relaxation steps.

Follow this method to relax each area one by one from the bottom up; feet, calves, knees, thighs, thigh roots, buttocks, abdomen, chest, back, shoulders, arms, palms, fingers, neck, face, ears and top of the head for as long or as short a time as you like.

After you have relaxed each area, focus on your entire torso and enjoy the pleasure of complete calm and relaxation. Finally, take a few minutes to rest following your breath before ending the meditation.

6. Try heart chakra meditation. The heart chakra is one of the seven chakras - or seven energy centers - of the body. The heart chakra is located in the center of the chest and corresponds to love, compassion, peace, and tolerance. Heart chakra meditation can help you feel these emotions and channel them into the outer world.

First, close your eyes and rub the palms of your hands together until heat and energy are generated. Then place your right hand over the center of your chest where the heart chakra is, and your left hand over it.

Take a deep breath in and on the exhale whisper the word "Yum", the ****ing syllable that corresponds to the heart chakra. Visualize a glowing green energy coming out of your chest and into the palm of your hand.

This green mass of energy is love, life, and the other positive emotions you are feeling in this moment. When you are ready, remove your hands from your chest and release the energy in your palms to convey it to the people you hold dear and to the world.

Feel your body from within. Can you feel the energy field inside your body, especially in your arms and legs? If you can't feel it, that's okay. But think about this: why are we able to drive different parts of our body? It's because there is a flowing energy field inside our body. Focusing on the energy field inside your body will not only help you stay in the present moment, but it will also allow you to feel your presence and the life force flowing through your body.

7. Try walking meditation. Walking meditation is also a method of meditation in which the meditator feels the close connection between his body and the earth by experiencing the gait of walking. If you plan to have a long sitting meditation, then alternating some walking meditation will be a good idea.

Choose a place that is suitable for walking meditation, the fewer distractions the better. It doesn't have to be wide, but you can walk at least seventy paces straight up without turning. If possible, take off your shoes.

Keep your head up, eyes straight ahead, and hands clasped in front of you. Take a slow, unhurried step with your right foot. Don't worry about any sensations coming from your feet, and focus as much as possible on the act of walking. After taking the first step, take a moment and then take the second step. Under no circumstances should you move both feet together.

When you reach the end of the walk, stop and return to a standing position. Subsequently, step out right foot first and turn around. Return the way you came, and again, walk as you did before, slowly and calmly.

During the walking meditation, try to focus on the movement of the feet and not on anything else, just as you focus on a single breath during the breathing meditation. Sweep away the distractions in your mind and feel the relationship between your feet and the earth beneath them.

1. Practice meditation in your daily life. Meditation is not bound to a fixed form, you can practice meditation in your daily life at any time.

For example, when you're feeling stressed, take a few seconds to focus on your breath and clear your mind of negative thoughts or emotions.

You can also practice meditation while eating, feeling the food in your mouth and the experience of eating.

Whatever you do in your day, whether you're sitting in front of a computer or sweeping the floor, try to feel as much as you can about the movement of your body and what you're experiencing at that moment. This is called living in meditation.

2. Choose a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle improves the quality and effectiveness of meditation, so try to eat a healthy diet, exercise moderately, and get enough sleep. Before meditating, try to watch less TV, do not smoke, do not drink, because these behaviors will paralyze the brain, can not ensure that to carry out successful meditation should have a clear consciousness.

3. Read philosophical books. As long as you have a certain culture, try to read as many philosophical books as possible, which is absolutely beneficial to develop ideas and horizons.

4. Attend a mentor meditation program. If you have too little understanding and don't really know how to meditate, then take a meditation course guided by a senior teacher. Of course, the lectures given by this Taoist don't charge any fees, and they also provide free vegetarian meals.

5. Make meditation a part of your life. You will find that you are calmer, happier, and more awake after engaging in regular meditation.

6. Wanting to be fast is not enough. Meditation does not turn you into a master of attainment overnight, only pure meditation without utilitarianism can get the best results.