13 Ene A MEDITATION GUIDE: Techniques, Tips and Frequent Questions

After completing another seven day retreat filled of Nobel Silence, Meditation, Mindfulness Practices and Buddhist Philosophy in Sri Lanka, many questions on the subject came up while commenting the experience with different people, friends and clients.

Here below, I have gathered some of the frequent questions and reply to those at my best.

In this blogpost, you will also find some useful Meditation Tips as well as effective Meditation Themes and Techniques.

SO WHAT IS THE BEST TIME IN THE DAY TO PRACTICE MEDITATION?

There is no best time to practice meditation but it is believe to be more effective when practice early in the morning before your day starts or/and at the end of the day.

True is, any time is good to practice meditation, it can only bring endless benefits to you and your day. Some might include, feeling more present and connected to the here and now, totally in harmony with the environment and the people around you, feeling calmed and focused, as well as experiencing a tremendous sense of joy and gratitude.

HOW DO I KNOW WHICH TECHNIQUE IS RIGHT FOR ME?

The only way to find out about the technique that works for you, it is by exploring different techniques and practice them. Each meditation technique offers a different set of mental, emotional and physical benefits.

Here below I have listed some popular Mediation Themes and Techniques.These are the ones I have personally been practising and some teaching for a while now. The below meditation selection, has proved without a doubt to be very effective, easy to follow and practice for almost everyone, including beginners practitioners.

Mindful Breathing (with or without breath count)
Metta / Loving Kindness (toward yourself and others)
Karuna / Compassion
Mudita / Sympathetic Joy
Upekkha / Cultivating Equanimity
Cultivating Gratitude

How do I choose the right technique for the meditation session based on my emotional and mental needs? Ex. If I wish to increase focus and mind clarity, I would choose a centering technique such us Mindful Breathing and practice it before my day starts, right before any interactions.

HOW LONG SHOULD A MEDIATION SESSION BE?

As a someone new to the meditation practice start with 10 to 20 minutes sessions and add on more time as you develop your own meditation practice and techniques. At the beginning could be quite challenging for some people to event meditate for few minutes, the more you practice the easier becomes to do it for longer.

I personally really like the 30 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes just before bed time, the both very powerful in different ways.The morning practice helps you to start the day with a clear and sharp mind and the evening practice helps you to calm the mind, reduce thoughts and hyper mental activity, it is a way to indirectly let your mind and body know that is resting time, so that your nervous system can relax and other body systems can restore.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I MEDITATE?

There are no rules of how many times on the day one should meditate, I have met teachers that meditate two to three times a day and monks that meditate seven hours a day. In a modern society meditating more than twice a day can be challenging and almost impossible for some people. This is a very personal choice and it depends on each individual goals and needs.

Meditating frequently enough will allow you to built up your practice and make it part of your routine, the more you practice the easier becomes to reach that meditative inner space living within you. Realistically, when you meditate frequently all you are doing is training the mind to be calmed, stilled and focused, at the beginning one can experience the decluttering of thoughts process, with practice and time, you will be able to watch your thoughts passing by and perhaps experiencing a sense of easy and calm as the thoughts dissolve.

Personally and based on my experience, short sessions but more regular seems to be more beneficial than long sessions but less regular. But perhaps for you will be different, we are all individual and extraordinary human beings with different emotional and mental needs and desires, so there is not a rule set of how mediation should be practiced, just try it, experience it and stay with what woks for you.

I hope you will find this blogpost helpful.

Peace, Love and Light
Lally