Do you feel that life gets a little too out-of-control sometimes? Anger, sadness, jealousy or anxiety sometimes incapacitates you. You feel you’re disorganized and forgetful more often than not. You find it hard to concentrate when you need to focus the most. Life just seems to pass you by and you occasionally wonder, “What is the point of life, really?” It’s okay if you feel that way, as it is human nature, yet a meditation teacher would say you don’t have to feel this way. Through meditation techniques, you can free yourself from negative emotions that arise and find a deep sense of calmness and self awareness.

Most of the modern techniques for mediation fall into one of two categories: Zen-based forms (which involve insight meditation) and Hinduism-based forms (which involve concentrative meditation). With Zen-based meditation, like vipassana or mindfulness meditation, you will become aware of the passing of thoughts and feelings, without becoming emotionally involved. The person meditating sits quietly and allows any thought to pass through the mind, while gently redirecting the focus to the here and now. Breathing and observing body sensations helps to block out distractions to achieve perfect concentration, although there is always a consciousness about the process of achieving meditation.

The concentrative method of meditation focuses the attention on a particular subject, such as one’s breath, an image or a sound. The idea is that clarity will be at the end of the tunnel. This type of meditation absorbs the mind on the continuous rhythm of inhaling and exhaling. While absorbed in that thought, breathing becomes even slower and deeper, as the mind becomes more and more aware. Transcendental meditation and yoga nidra (sleep of the yogis) are Hindu-based concentrative, meditation techniques and methods that encourage a retreat into the inner self.

When learning meditation techniques, it’s a good idea to read a few books on meditation to learn the history behind this spiritual practice. Many people find they are busy but would like to devote 10-20 minutes per day to the study of meditation, so they purchase a meditation CD or DVD for help getting into the mood. Naturally, the best way to attain enlightenment is by taking meditation classes that are led by a trained teacher. You can find a center near you at www.shabhalasun.com.

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