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Types of Meditation and Meditation Techniques:
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Nature Meditations
Chakra Meditations
Mindfulness Meditations
Buddhist Meditations
Sacred Chants Meditations
Musical Meditations
Nature Meditations
We have been living in perfect harmony with the nature for thousands of years, each of our bodily
systems have been tuned to function in harmony with nature. Since industrial revolution we have been
slowly moving away from the nature which has resulted in all sort of mental and physical problems.
For thousands of years we have been listening to the sounds of nature like birds chirping, river flowing, wind blowing
ocean waves hitting the rocks. These sounds take the body to the state of deep relaxation. We have selected the best of the
soothing and relaxing music and mixed it with the sounds from the nature. We have then added instructions
which will guide you slowly to the state of deep relaxation by breathing and positive affirmations. These positive affirmations
will sink deep into your subconscious mind and will help you handle stressful circumstances later.
Chakra Meditations
This is a very detailed topic and makes the foundation of many forms of spiritual practices in both Buddhism, Hinduism. Chakra concept is also used in other religions. On this page I will only give a brief introduction to them both from spiritual and medical perspective, though concepts are important but the main focus of this web site is to help you practice.
According to ancient Indian texts the Chakras are the energy centers in the body, located along the spine. There are seven Primary Chakras that are located from the base of the spine in the perineal region near anus to the top of the head. They are Sahasrara, Ajna , Vishuddha , Anahata, Manipura, Svadhisthana and Muladhara in order from top of the head to the base of the spine. Each of these Chakras is associated with a set of Vrittis (tendencies or psycho-physical propensities). These Vrittis give the scope for the mind to express a variety of feelings and emotions. These Vrittis can trigger the glands to secrete corresponding hormone. A simple example of a Vritti is 'fear' which is associated with Manipur Chakra located at the naval point. When you are fearful you feel the sensation of 'butterflies in stomach' around naval point, extreme fear triggers the 'fight or flight' response system of the body. Each of these Vrittis can be expressed both in positive and negative ways, both over-expression and under-expression of these Vrittis can be bad, you can take example of 'fear'. The Vritti of 'fear' has helped us survive for thousands of years, such that we could evolve to our current form. Persons whose Vritti of 'fear' is under expressed often engage in 'very risky behaviors' which can be bad, the people with over expressed Vritti even fear going out of house and have frequent panic attacks or have anxiety disorders. People with balanced Vritti of 'fear' take risk in a calculated way; they are calm, composed and peaceful. In summary they have a perfect balance in expressing the 'Vritti of fear' such that it works in harmony with body mind system. A Yogi with mastery over his Chakras gain full control on each of the Vrittis so that he become master of his thoughts, feelings and emotions, instead of being controlled by them.
Each of the Chakras is also associated with a major 'gland' in the body that secretes the hormones, for example Vishuddha Chakra is associated with the 'Thyroid' gland and Manipur Chakra is associated with Adrenal gland. The Thyroid is one of the biggest glands in the body and is located in the region of 'neck inferior' or Adam's apple in men. This is the same location that ancient texts designate for Vishuddha Chakra. The thyroid controls how quickly the body burns energy, makes proteins, and how sensitive the body should be to other hormones. Any imbalance in this major glad results in Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) and hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid). The Adrenal gland is another important gland, it sits on top of Kidneys, They are chiefly responsible for regulating the stress response through the synthesis of corticosteroids and catecholamine's, including cortisol and adrenaline (epinephrine), respectively. The location is pretty close to the location of Manipur Chakra as described in ancient texts. Any imbalance in Adrenal gland can result in abnormal stress response, in longer run which can result in serious bodily damages. An example of this is overactive adrenal will always keep high heart rate, body always filled with stress hormones resulting in damage to cardiovascular system.
The objective of balancing Chakras is to balance the expression of these associated Vrittis and slowly gain control over them. This will also mean that each of the glands will be restored to their balanced state resulting in a healthy body and mind system.
In this web site we will have meditations that use an ancient technique to help purify each of the Chakras. Each of the Meditations is ended with the sacred mantra or shloka in Sanskrit language. You might find the pronunciation of this Mantra a bit different from many of the recordings you might have heard, because this is recited in purest form, which is of utmost importance. I have been born and brought up in a traditional Hindu family and have formally studied Sanskrit, so I recite mantras and shlokas in their pure form. Sanskrit is a historical language of Indian subcontinent; it is one of the languages in which scriptures of both Hinduism and Buddhism are written. Sanskrit literature encompasses a rich tradition of poetry and drama as well as scientific, technical and philosophical texts. It is widely used as a ceremonial language in Hindu religious rituals in the forms of hymns and mantras. The Sanskrit language is poetic and recitations of Mantra generate very powerful vibrations that affect us at the level of subconscious mind. Each of the Chakra has a one letter Beej mantra, when this Beej Mantra is recited while focusing on the Chakra it creates very powerful vibrations that help purify and energize the Chakra.
To gain optimal benefit from this Meditation, you must sit with your spine erect; it will help with the movement of energy in your spinal cord. Time of practice is also very important, morning is the best time. Your stomach shouldn't be full, so try meditating before breakfast. Purity of mind and body is of big importance for this practice so following a spiritual tradition is also good; you can follow any religion that preaches the principles of peaceful coexistence, compassion and universal love.
Now just a few words on Kundalini awakening. Muladhara Chakra is the seat of Kundalini which is the latent cosmic energy or shakti that resides in every living being. When this Kundalini awakes it travels upwards from the Muladhara Chakra towards the Sahasrara, energizing all the Chakras in between. When Kundalini Shakti travels through the Chakras it causes lots of neuro-chemical processes to start in both Spinal cord and in the brain. This will create various types of very strong experiences, which are difficult to comprehend, it is generally known in scriptures as Yoga Maya. To really benefit from awakening of Kundalini and reaching the state of pure being, the person practicing have to overcome all these obstacles, this requires help of an enlightened Guru. This is a very delicate process and requires both body and mind in pure state through long spiritual practices. The person needs to also have all the Chakra in pure state and free of obstruction, before any efforts are made to awaken this dormant Kundalini Shakti. This purification process itself takes years of practice. So in short it requires direct supervision and active coaching from a Guru. There are many people who you will find claiming awakening Kundalini power using different methods, but you must be extremely careful with this, finding a 'True Master' is very difficult. Even if you get a 'True Master' getting individual attention and active coaching is difficult these days. The 'True Master' will first of all not claim anything, secondly he will not help awaken this dormant power until you are ready thirdly he will not seek any benefits out of this. An analogy to awakening Kundalini for an unprepared person is like connecting a 100 watt bulb directly to a million volt power line. On this web site Kundalini related Meditations are not covered, this is done on purpose. So my advice is to not to put dedicated efforts to 'awakening Kundalini', when you are spiritually pure, all your chakra's are balanced and your body is ready to sustain the 'awakening', Kundalini will rise naturally. The whole objective of spiritual discipline is to 'evolve' beyond physical body and attain the state of enlightenment, which is possible to achieve in this lifetime.
Mindfulness Meditations
All the Meditations in this room are based upon the 'Mindfulness', which is an ancient form of Buddhist meditation practice. This can be practiced without acquiring any understanding or concepts of Buddhism.
Mindfulness simply means paying 100% attention to simple day to day activities and being fully in the present moment. The attention is paid such that you are purely observing, without being judgmental. This Meditation practice initially uses the 'breath' as the primary event for observation. 'Breath' is chosen because of following reasons:
- The breathing is an automatic event that is always there, we breathe in for the first time when we are born and breathe out the last time when we die, everything in between that we call 'life' is inhalation followed by exhalation.
- Breathing is rhythmic, rhythm changes with emotions or events. When you feel relieved of some life threatening event you take sigh of relief. When you are exercising vigorously, you breathe in a fast and orderly way. When you are angry you breathe in a specific rhythm which is fast, shallow breathing, when you are sad or depressed you have a specific breathing pattern.
- Breathing is an act that has both tangible and subtle aspects. Breathing can be felt by movement of diaphragm and expansion and contraction of abdomen. In one of the meditations we ask you to put the hand on abdomen to feel the movement, this is very helpful for initial phases of learning mindfulness meditation. The 'subtle' aspects of breathing are feeling the breath entering through nostrils and leaving through nostrils, feeling the warmth and coolness of the air. So in the act of breathing we can go all the way from 'tangible' to 'subtle'.
- In Medical terms breath has link to autonomic nervous system, you can simply experience that while inhaling the heart rate goes up, while exhaling the heart rate gets reduced.
- In Yogic terms, 'Breath' makes up a major part of the 'life force' or 'Prana', movement of breath sustains the 'Pranic energy' (or other way round as well). Breath also has links to the nadis 'Ida'(Parasympathetic nervous system)and Pingala (sympathetic nervous system). 'Pranayama' is a specialized yogic breathing technique used to control the flow of 'Prana' and heal the body. This in itself is a big topic which I will cover separately.
Practice of 'Mindfulness' form of meditation brings in a heightened level of awareness and focus. You start becoming aware of your thoughts, emotions and their related sensations. Slowly you start understanding how these emotions arise, what type of behaviors they result in etc. As a simple example sometime you have an outburst of anger at some event, the trigger for that anger might have been a cascade of unpleasant events or experiences from the past. If you lack awareness you will never know what caused this. When your level of awareness increase by regular practice of meditation you can detect these events and experiences as they come and do not let them stick to your subconscious mind. You deal with them at the same time by paying 100% attention to them, this as a result makes you calm and centered in day to day life. Also becoming 100% attentive to what you do increases your productivity, chances of making errors reduce significantly thus helping you advance in your career.
'Mindfulness' concept extends to day to day events like eating, taking bath, talking, listening and so on. Let it be a part of your life, it improves each aspect of your life. Your life is made up of 'moments', paying close attention and living 100% in present moment can help you live it to the fullest.
Many times you might have heard of the phrase 'we only make use of a small percent of our mind, if you do meditation then you can increase the use of mind'. This is not scientifically correct, but in terms of 'Mindfulness' I will say that if you practice 'Mindfulness' you make full use of all your senses, brain and other physical abilities available to you, so you get much better result for everything you are involved with. 'Multitasking' has become part of modern life an extreme example is 'texting' while driving, which is extremely dangerous. In general 'Multitasking' is counterproductive, only a few activities should be multitasked after careful consideration. Whatever you do you must pay your 100% attention to, and then you will do it the best way and get satisfaction. 'Mindfulness' doesn't come in a day or month of practice or attending a retreat, you need to be persistent with learning, it takes considerable effort, but you will see slow changes in your day to day living. You will see changes in simple day to day activities like eating food, drinking you will enjoy these events more. I will end this topic with the example of consumption of wine. There is a difference in just drinking wine and sipping it with 100% attention becoming aware of aroma, subtle flavor, texture and enjoying each sip.
‘Living in Present Moment’ seems like a simple and yet mystical term, what exactly does this means? Does living in present moment means that you can’t plan or think of future? In a world where everything happens according to a plan living in present moment seems impractical. If you are an engineer making a building then the first thing is to plan out what will be done in each week or day for next couple of months or years, you need to think of not only future but from the past experiences so that same mistake is not repeated. So is the concept of living in present moment just for the people who have no significant works to accomplish?
All the above questions arise because of a misunderstanding of what the living in present moment is? Living in present moment is a very practical concept and it actually will result in better efficiency, better quality work and the best of your accomplishments. Let us start with the nature of stress, most of the stresses arise because there is some expectation of seeing some results at some time in future which can be somewhere from in next few hours to few day or years. Some of the stresses arise as a result of painful or traumatic memories of some past event and its projection to the future. Now let us do a little thought experiment by slowing down the clock and assume each second is stretched to couple of hours and we have all the time in the world to do analysis of that second. In each moment there are following possibilities (a) thinking about something from the past (b) thinking about something in future (c) thinking about something that is happening in present (d) doing some action. If you are doing an action (d) and are either thinking of the past of future (a)/(b) you are ‘not living in present moment’. If you are doing something and your thoughts are not about that action you are ‘not living in present moment’. If you are ‘only doing’ thinking about the past in an objective and impassive manner to draw some conclusions and learn then it is ‘living in present moment’. If you are ‘only doing’ thinking about the future for purpose of planning something in an impassive way then it is ‘living in present moment’. In both of these you are very objective and impassive about the ‘past’ and ‘future’ you are only using your mind’s power to learn from the past and apply it to the future so that evolution continues. In both of these you have to be very careful to detach yourself emotionally and be very objective. ‘Action’ can only happen in present moment. The next moment can only be defined by the present ‘moment’, the ‘life and the breath’ are only in the present moment, the ‘past is dead’, the future depends upon the ‘action’ you do in present moment. If your thought and action all are 100% in present moment then you are at your best.
There is no worry, anxiety or stress when you are 100% in present moment, it is meditation.
Emotional detachment from the past experiences and the future expectations is the key to living in present moment. 100% complete and intense expression of emotions and feelings and corresponding action in the present moment is a key to ‘living in present moment’ this liberate you from these experiences forever. This is why in ancient societies there were rituals (actions) for each human experience; some of these were intense expressions of feelings and emotions so that the person is liberated from that experience and moves on with the life.
A successful General in a war is the one who lives 100% in present moment. The General plans for an invasion by thinking of the past experience and drawing conclusions, both of these are done in an objective manner by detaching emotionally from the past and learning from the past. After the learning is done that event or experience is thrown in a waste basket. Then the plan of ‘invasion’ is made by projecting the present moment to future with the help of the learning from the past. Once the plan is made after multiple iterations and put into action, there is no thinking of the past or future, whatever happens, happens in present moment, thinking and action are both in the present moment.
When you are in a football game or in an athletic event you are in present moment, you express yourself 100% and enjoy. The enjoyment of life is in living 100% in present moment.
By being 100% in present moment, with your thoughts and actions going together you will accomplish more and enjoy your life more. Concept of multitasking seems tempting but it drains us out of energy and makes our actions less effective.
So here are the simple tips that can help you living in present moment:
1. While doing simple tasks, mentally remind yourself what the task is, for example while washing your hands remind yourself ‘I am washing my hand’. Many times you will notice that this simple reminder will interrupt your thought process about something from the past or future.
2. While doing simple tasks like the walking on a trail be 100% focused on that action, since walking is an automatic act there is little or no thinking, it becomes meditation.
3. When you are enjoying something be 100% with that experience, mentally repeat yourself of what you are enjoying. For example if you are eating something enjoy the texture of the food, eat slowly, enjoy the taste, the warmth or cold temperature of the food item, the color and aroma of the food. The experience will be fulfilling and you will notice that you had a filling experience with less food. Don’t eat and watch TV, read a book or do something, modern day living is full of these combinations and we consume more calories and enjoy less.
4. For a few minutes generally 15-20 minutes do meditation by focusing on breath, this is an exercise to train you to live 100% in present moment.
5. Learn to express yourself on life experiences good and bad both, in modern day living we are trained to suppress these expressions and emotions. This leaves us attached to the past, liberate yourself when the experience happens, and don’t carry it with you. We are trained to suppress the emotions and expression so much that sometimes it results in denial of the experience or event itself.
6. Learn from the past experiences but do so with 100% detachment from emotions. Plan for the future and after planning is done drop the expectations of the results, just execute the plan with 100% thinking and action in present moment.
Buddhist Meditations
All the Meditations in this room are based upon the Buddhist teachings. Whenever it is deemed appropriate ancient sacred mantras in Sanskrit language are used to enhance the power of the Meditation. Sanskrit is a historical language of Indian subcontinent, it is one of the languages in which scriptures of both Hinduism and Buddhism are written. Sanskrit literature encompasses a rich tradition of poetry and drama as well as scientific, technical and philosophical texts. All the Meditations in this section use the mantras and shlokas from the religious scriptures of Hinduism and Buddhism, some of them are neutral to religious philosophies like the shloka wishing well for everyone.
In each of the Meditations the meaning of Mantra is explained, Please make sure that you read that meaning and spend some time understanding that. It is important because it will help you descend to deeper levels of Meditation. I will recommend that you read the meaning, close the eyes try understanding the meaning of it then read it again. While listening to the meditation, you must focus on the mantra while it is recited, then when the Mantra stops and music starts, let it settle deep within you. The English translation is not done as part of the audio recording for making the mantra or shloka effective.
Sacred Chants Meditations
All the Meditations in this room use the ancient sacred mantras in Sanskrit language. Sanskrit is a historical language of Indian subcontinent, it is one of the languages in which scriptures of both Hinduism and Buddhism are written. Sanskrit literature encompasses a rich tradition of poetry and drama as well as scientific, technical and philosophical texts. It is widely used as a ceremonial language in Hindu religious rituals in the forms of hymns and mantras. All the Meditations in this section use the mantras and shlokas from the religious scriptures of Hinduism and Buddhism, some of them are neutral to religious philosophies like the shloka wishing well for everyone.
The Sanskrit language is poetic and recitations of Mantra generate very powerful vibrations that affect us at the level of subconscious mind. Mantra means the 'instrument of mind', it is often composed of lot of symbolism or concepts which is best understood at the subconscious level. The conscious mind understand and interprets the words in the language and assigns meaning to it. At the subconscious level this same communication happens through more subtle ways. For example if you are shown a fresh flower it will conveys the happiness, a withered flower conveys sadness. Similarly a lemon with water drops on top conveys freshness. The mantra recital also happens in many different ways, it can be recited vocally, it can be recited in a way that is inaudible and it can also be recited mentally. When a mantra is recited mentally, with full understanding to the deep meaning it becomes very powerful.
In each of the Meditations the meaning of Mantra is explained, Please make sure that you read that meaning and spend some time understanding that. It is important because it will help you descend to deeper levels of Meditation. I will recommend that you read the meaning, close the eyes try understanding the meaning of it then read it again. While listening to the meditation, you must focus on the mantra while it is recited, then when the Mantra stops and music starts, let it settle deep within you. The English translation is not done as part of the audio recording for making the mantra or shloka effective.
Musical Meditations
Music is a powerful healer of body and the mind. Relaxing and soothing music takes the body to the state of deep rest.
There have been studies showing positive influence of music on various health conditions, this positive effect is attributed to
stress reduction which lets the bodies healing power to work and heal the body.
Music Reduces Stress In Heart Disease Patients
(Science Daily)
Patients' Favorite Music During Surgery Lessens Need For Sedative
(Science Daily)
Music Thought To Enhance Intelligence, Mental Health And Immune System
(Science Daily)
Also music takes the mind to a state of what I
call 'deep silence' where the thoughts and other stressors do not interfere with the innate healing system of the body.
When coming out with this series of Musical Meditations we have worked diligently to select the most soothing and relaxing meditation music,
then we have added the instructions. The combination of the healing breath and relaxation music has resulted in the most relaxing and
soothing meditations for you to enjoy.
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