The Meditation Types

Types of meditation

Using meditation you can employ the connection between the mind and the body to achieve specific developmental goals. Meditation is particularly good in reducing the stress that you encounter and develop in everyday life. When you decide to make meditation a regular part of your life, you need to decide which type of meditation technique and or philosophy best suits you. If you wish to learn more about Transcendental Meditation then check this page.

How you mediate can mean the difference between trying to become detached from your stress or from trying to build on the problems that are stressing you to form the basis of personal growth, often in a creative way.

There are many types of meditation, some ancient, some newer, each with its own, different style. Meditation teachers classify meditation as focusing on four different ways:

Focused on Concentration - this means basically focusing your attention on one object only. Totally concentrating on it. For example, concentrating on the flame of a candle, or simply focusing on your breath. See my Concentration example

Focused on Generation (generative meditation). This type of meditation helps you meditate to achieve a state of loving kindness by using your memory, your imagination and the sensations of your body.

Focused on Receptivity (receptive meditation). This means basically becoming receptive to any experience arising. An example of this is the zen meditation, zazen.

Focused on Reflection (reflective meditation). This meditation type involves constantly focusing on an object, but also being aware to whatever emotions, feelings and sensations come forth from the experience.

Meditation final step learning meditation

the FINAL, the last, the SIXTH step. In this step you breathe out peace and happiness, goodwill and bliss to all. May all be happy and full of peace and bliss. Think of all who dwell in the Northern lands and pray in the heart within: “may all who dwell in the Northern lands be happy and full of peace and bliss.” Then think of all who dwell in the Southern lands and offer the prayer “may all who dwell in the Southern lands be happy and full of peace and bliss.” Likewise, “may all who dwell in Eastern lands and all who dwell in Western lands, may they all be happy and full of peace and bliss.” Breathe out peace and goodwill to all. May all be happy and full of peace and bliss. All living things whether they be near or far, tall or tiny, rich or poor, educated or illiterate, whether they be born or are still in the womb unborn, may all, all, all be happy and full of peace and bliss. May those that love and those that for some reason or the other are unable to love you, may those that speak well of you, and those that for some reason or the other are unable to speak well of you, may all, all, all, without exception, be happy and full of peace and bliss. You are in them all. It is only when they become happy that you are happy. May all be free from disease, ignorance, sorrow. As you get up from this meditation, you will find that you yourself are happy and full of peace and bliss.

And now if you are ready, we shall begin with the meditation. Sit in a relaxed posture; as far as possible, the back, the neck and the head should be in a straight line. In the beginning you may find it difficult to bring them all in a straight line but do it as far as possible. Above all, be relaxed. Relax your body. Relax your muscles. Relax your limbs and now let us embark on this interior journey, a journey that takes us within, a journey that in due course may change our lives and fill us with tranquillity, with peace and bliss and make us instruments of GOD’S help and healing in this world of suffering and pain.

steps of meditation 6th step

Meditation 5th step

The FIFTH is meditation on your immortality. In the fourth step you have realized that you are not merely in your physical body. You are in all that is, in the experience that we call death. It is the body that drops down, the physical body. But you will continue to be, even when the body has dropped down, you will continue to be in every grain of sand, in every drop of water, in every ray of sunshine. Death cannot touch you. You are immortal. If you are at one with all humanity, then even if there is one human being alive, you are alive. If you are at one with all living creatures, then even if there is but one creature breathing the breath of life, you are alive. Yes, you are immortal, immutable, eternal, deathless!

Mediation Experiance

Although a considerable amount of the effects of meditation are reported to be positive, other studies are demonstrating that the case might not always be so. Meditation, if practiced unproperly or too intensely, can lead to considerable psychological and physiological problems. It is not uncommon for teachers of meditation to warn their students about the possible pitfalls of a contemplative path. In the case of Asian contemplative traditions there often exist major challenges connected to the way the particular tradition is to be applied to a Western culture, or a Western mindset. The import of eastern contemplative concepts into popular Western culture has not always been sensitive to, or familiar with the cultural matrix that the meditative concept originated from.

Muraqba, Meditation

Meditation generally involves discounting wandering thoughts and fantasies, and calming and focusing the mind. Meditation does not necessarily require effort and can be experienced as "just happening". Physical postures include sitting cross-legged, standing, lying down, and walking (sometimes along designated floor patterns). Quietness is often desirable, and some people use repetitive activities such as deep breathing, humming or chanting to help induce a meditative state.

Meditation can be done with the eyes closed (as long as one does not fall asleep), or with the eyes open: focusing the eyes on a certain point of an object or image, and keeping the eyes constantly looking at that point.