“Meditation is evolution’s strategy to bring out our full potential.” – Tara Brach
I’ve been practising meditation for so long that I assume that everyone vaguely interested in spirituality meditates and knows how to meditate. I have been surprised a couple of times lately when people have told me that they don’t meditate, or they don’t know how to meditate.
In my experience, meditation is one of the most important keys to mental health and well-being.
Benefits of Meditation
From what I’ve seen, a lot of people say they can’t meditate as they can’t stop thinking. Meditation is not about stopping your thoughts, it’s more about observing them. I’ve been meditating for around 12 years or more now and most of the time my mind is still pretty active. I’ve had a few experiences of deep meditation where I’ve gone into a kind of trance. Those experiences have been amazing, and I’d love to have them more often. Unfortunately, they are the exception rather than the rule, but I believe that any meditation, no matter how active or quiet our mind, is still beneficial.
I am generally calmer and Happier when I am regularly practising meditation or Buddhist chanting. I aim to do both every day.
There are even studies that indicate meditation can reduce crime! An article in Sage Journal entitled “Societal Violence and Collective Consciousness: Reduction of U.S. Homicide and Urban Violent Crime Rates” states:
“A number of published studies have examined this predicted effect for crime and violence reduction at the city, state, national, and regional or international levels. (In the research studies, this effect has been termed the Maharishi effect after Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who predicted it as early as 1960 based on the Vedic knowledge.) The early studies examined the percentage of Transcendental Meditation participants in cities in relation to crime rate changes using annual data. The first published study found that when small cities reached 1% of their population instructed in the Transcendental Meditation technique, they showed a reduced rate of FBI Part 1 crimes the next year and a decreasing trend the following years, compared with matched control cities. 7”
Meditation can also help with the law of attraction. I remember the law of attraction teacher Abraham Hicks saying that trying to manifest what you want without meditating is like hoovering the whole house but not plugging in the hoover. I get creative ideas, solutions to problems, or “aha” moments when I’m chanting or meditating.
Types of Meditation
Breathing Meditation
One way to meditate is to simply observe your breath. Let the thoughts come and go. You can’t stop the thoughts. When you notice the thoughts, come back to your breath or whatever it is that you are focusing on. It will get easier, and you will be able to do it for longer periods of time. You will come back to centre more often. Let go of any expectations about how you think it should be or how you think it should feel.
Guided Meditations
Guided meditations are a great way to get started. Previously I wasn’t a fan of guided meditations as I felt they don’t give the brain a chance to stop. However, I’ve recently discovered the Waking Up App, which I found to be really helpful to learn meditation and mindfulness. I have found I go quite deep during these meditations, even though they are quite short.
I really like the six-phase meditation from Vishen Lakhani at Mindvalley. Vishen claims that this is the only meditation practice you need.
Mindfulness Meditation
In mindfulness meditation, you become aware of your five senses and everything around you. What can you see, hear, feel, smell, taste?
Mindfulness is so much more than meditation though. It is a valuable tool to stay centred and grounded. It’s good to stop throughout the day and be mindful. The Lotus Bud App is really good. It plays a bell at random intervals, reminding you to stop, pause, and be mindful. It can be particularly beneficial during times of stress or overwhelm.
Yoga Nidra
I love yoga nidra, commonly known today as yogic sleep. Yoga nidra meditations help me to go quite deep. It is so effective because, as stated by WebMD, yoga nidra “allows you to access delta brainwaves, which are responsible for the healing and restoration that happens in your body during deep sleep. Activating delta brainwaves during yoga nidra allows your mind and body to rest while you’re awake. ”
There are lots of yoga nidra meditations on the Insight Timer app, as well as on YouTube.
Walking Meditations
I love to meditate while walking in the countryside or by the sea. I combine walking with mindfulness. This is a powerful way to connect with the beauty of Mother Earth. Again, the Waking Up app, Headspace app, and Insight Timer app have walking meditations to get you started. Walking can be quite meditative and can be an effective way to gain clarity.
Chanting
Many people, especially Buddhists, practise chanting meditation. Sounds can be very healing. I first came across chanting when I practised Zikr in Egypt. Zikr is a Sufi chanting meditation and is one of my favourite spiritual practices. Unfortunately, I’ve neglected this since returning to the UK as there are no Zikr groups local to Ipswich that I’m aware of.
I now chant as part of my Buddhist practice every morning and evening. I chant “nam myoho renge kyo” which I understand means: I devote my life to the mystic law of cause and effect.
A Course in Miracles Meditation
Someone recommended I read A Course in Miracles when I was quite new to the spiritual path. They said that it’s quite deep, so start with. What I found was that A Path of Light was also quite deep and to be honest, it was a bit of a head f*ck! I have tried A Course in Miracles a couple of times since and always struggled with it.
What I did find useful is Marianne Williamson’s book, A Return to Love, which explains A Course in Miracles in layman’s terms. I later started doing the daily lessons from A Course in Miracles workbook with Williamson’s “Mornings with Marianne” programme. The daily lesson includes a short meditation. Marianne reads the lesson of the day and then explains it. I absolutely love it. It does what it says on the tin. It really is miraculous, and I highly recommend it. It’s been a game-changer for me.
Journalling
Journalling is a type of meditation in the sense that is a brain dump for everything that is going around in your head. It can also be useful to journal before you meditate as it can help to quieten your mind.
Sound Meditation
I’ve noticed that focusing on a sound or sounds can help me to quiet my mind. I play my meditation playlist or focus on everything I can hear. Sounds can be distracting but if you focus on them and absorb yourself in them, they can be a tool to help you go deeper. Focus on the sounds and then focus on the sounds beyond the sound.
Colouring
When I have more time, I like to spend time colouring. This can be very meditative and calming. I play my Meditation playlist while I’m doing it.
How to Start Meditating
A Zen proverb says, “You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day – unless you’re too busy, then you should sit for an hour.” Although this is probably true, in reality, it can be difficult to fit in time to meditate, especially if you’re busy.
I suggest starting off very small. The main thing is to start. I started with just five minutes and built it up from there. Pick one of these techniques and try it out. There are lots of apps out there that can help you get started. I recently started using the Waking Up app and I found it was a great way to improve my meditation practice, as well as enhance my mindfulness techniques.
If you are too busy, try to find a way that you can fit a meditation practice into your daily life. You could meditate while you are washing up, doing the housework, having a shower, driving, walking, etc, if you do those things mindfully. Obviously, be careful if you do this while driving.
My Meditation Practice
On a good day, I get up at 6 am. I sit with my coffee for five minutes of quiet time where I don’t do anything except sip from my cup and cuddle my cat. In the warmer or lighter months, I do this in the garden. I then do some tapping or journalling for around 20 to 30 minutes. After that, I chant for about 30 minutes and combine that with the six-phase meditation. I walk to work and when I arrive, I walk around the park while I do the A Course in Miracles meditation for the day. I chant briefly as soon as I get home from work. I then usually do one of the previously mentioned meditations in the garden or in the bath.
Important
Please note the following important points:
- Start off small as I mentioned above.
- The practice I mentioned is what happens on a good day and I rarely manage the whole lot. I try to at least chant, even if that’s all I do.
- Find ways to make it easy, enjoyable and fit it in to your life.
I have been meditating for years and I still find it difficult. What about you? What’s your experience of meditation? If you are new to meditating, which of these techniques are you going to try out? Let me know in the comments or in the Happiness Club Facebook group.
Fed up with feeling fed up? Take action to learn to be Happy and get what you want with the book Happiness Club: Learn to Be Happy and Get What You Want .
This post was originally written for Happiness-Club.co.uk a few years ago and I updated it in 2024 for the book Happiness Club: Learn to Be Happy and Get What You Want.
