Introduction
“Meditation is being in tune with our inner universe”.
Meditation is the discovery of one’s inner self. It is the act of becoming aware of our thoughts and emotions and find out ways to move away from them without being stuck. It is the union of mind, body and soul. It helps in relaxing the mind and control the negative thoughts that surround you. It is like healing yourself to experience serenity and tranquillity. The history of meditation ways back to the ancient era where mediation was one of the most powerful tools suggested by the Ayurvedic physicians for maintaining a balance between mind and body.
Ayurvedic Meditation involves the use of Ayurvedic principles to help in relaxing the mind to create a balance between brain and body. Ayurveda has been in practice since 5000 years ago from the time of our sages. It is still prevalent as one of the most popular and powerful for the health of the mind and body. Ayurveda is a science of life. Ayur means ‘Life’ and Veda means ‘Science’. It helps people in realising their worth and staying cheerful and calm in life. Ayurveda has been used to cure illness and diseases as well. Many Ayurvedic medicines have been made by the physicians in the old days to cure illness.
It is popular even today, and people make use of it. But the principle of Ayurveda is that illness can be treated by creating awareness among yourself, maintaining a balance and controlling your mind. Meditation can achieve this. Through Meditation, the mind can be freed from all kinds of ill thoughts, and mind can be refreshed. This whole process will help in balancing the body and decrease your stress levels and increase your circulation of blood. Meditation is one of the practices being prescribed by Ayurvedic physicians to provide peace and calmness to the mind.
Making Meditation a part of your lifestyle will help keep you fit and healthy. It should be practised as a habit and will keep you away from various diseases and illnesses. Meditation has a plethora of benefits for your health. It helps in lowering the blood pressure, strengthens the immune system, relieves tension and pain and increases the energy levels. It boosts concentration, develops creativity, maintains stress levels, provide peace to the mind and leads to a happy and contented life. It helps in the overall well-being of the individual. Ayurveda since ancient times has helped in maintaining an equilibrium between mind and body.
Therefore, following the principles of Ayurveda along with Meditation, one can avoid diseases and feel the presence of the almighty and spiritually connect with God.
One of the asanas named Vipassana has been one of the oldest techniques of Meditation in Ayurveda. Vipassana means to believe in real and not the virtual world. It was practised and taught to people around 2400 years ago to cure all kinds of diseases. Transcendental Meditation is also being practised and recommended by Maharishi Ayurveda to reduce stress levels among people and achieve a state of consciousness.
Meditation also depends on the state of our mind. There are different types of meditations, according to the mind-body type or doshas. As per Ayurveda, there are three kinds of doshas that exists- Kapha, Vata and pitta. Vata is the dosh related to air, Kapha is the Dosha of earth and pitta is related to fire. All these doshas are connected with the elements. It is therefore very important to know the appropriate meditation technique to get rid of these doshas. Let’s find out what these Doshas are and then work out the meditation techniques best suited for your ‘prakruti’ or mental state.
Vata is an air element with good innovative and imaginative skills. Vatas have difficulty in finding internal peace as there is a lot of energy surrounding them. They are easily distracted and becomes difficult to meditate.
Pitta is a fire element and is super active, productive and organised. It is therefore very difficult for them to sit in Meditation for long. They are always doing something or the other and utilise their free time to plan their next move and action.
Kapha is an earth element. They are serene, grounded and giving. They cannot meditate for a long time as they will fall asleep. They need Meditation that is lively and interactive to kill their boredom.
After a basic understanding of the three types of doshas, we are sure you would be able to relate with one of these as your state of mind most of the times. Therefore, it is required that certain meditation tips and techniques suitable for your Dosha be practised and the state of mind can be brought to peace and balance.
Vata- For the Vata minds, the best way to stay focused is by chanting mantras or saying something positive to oneself always. Staying positive and close to God can help in meditating in a better way.
Pitta- being productive, pitta minds feel that Meditation is a waste of time but owing to the benefits it has, it is not a bad option to meditate for a few minutes daily. Start by trying with the basic pranayama and kapalbhati. This will help in boosting concentration and staying focused.
Kapha- Kaphas need liveliness and entertainment in their lives. So, practising Mudras that involve hand gestures, moving Meditation like walking and dancing can be a good option for the Kapha minds. This will help retain their energy and stay active and more focused while meditating.
Apart from this, we have some beginner’s hacks for Meditation to be more effective and focused. It is not always possible to go outside and take classes. Hence, practising Meditation from home can be quite comfortable and relaxing. By practising daily, one can eventually master the skill of Meditation and reap amazing benefits from it. Let’s discuss some meditation hacks and tips on how to practise and stay focused while meditating at home.
Practising Meditation as a daily routine and deciding on a place and time to meditate.
Choose a time where your mind is completely relaxed and free from all worries generally early morning.
Sit straight peacefully and calmly with your back, neck and head aligned.
Keep control over your breathing. Follow a rhythmic breathing pattern of inhalation and exhalation.
Wearing comfortable clothes while meditating also helps.
Read books or watch YouTube videos which will help you better connect and awaken your senses.
Try to keep your mind free from all negativities and concentrate your mind towards Meditation will be very effective.
Conclusion
Meditation is the food for the soul. There are different meditation techniques available. Choosing the one that best suits you and practice it daily. During the times of COVID 19, it becomes all the more necessary to practice and follow such routines which keep stress away and instils positivity and happiness around. Practising Meditation, combined with the principles of Ayurveda, can be more advantageous and keep you healthy and fit. Along with this, a balanced diet and a sound sleep help in keeping the mind and body healthy and energetic.
