Many of the meditation practices that we’ve already looked at in this series can be practised without focusing on spirituality at all. You can watch your breath, do body scans and practice mindfulness as basic techniques to calm the mind and reduce stress. But centring prayer has a direct spiritual meaning and significance, and is… Continue reading How to Meditate: Centring Prayer
A mantra is a sacred syllable, word or phrase used in meditation to help focus and calm the mind. The mantra can be spoken or chanted out loud, or repeated as a thought in the mind. The idea is to focus on the meaning of the mantra as you chant, and doing this can have… Continue reading How to Meditate: Chanting Mantras
This is a guided meditation that comes from the therapeutic practice of psychosynthesis which was started by psychoanalyst Roberto Assagioli. It involves a process of gradually stripping away the layers of false identification to reveal the true nature of the Self underneath. Normally you identify with everything except your true Self – your body, emotions,… Continue reading How to Meditate: Self Identification Meditation
Vipassana comes from the Therevada Buddhist tradition and is also known as Insight meditation. It was the form of meditation practised and taught by the Buddha in order to attain enlightenment. It involves looking into the true nature of the mind to overcome suffering and discover who you really are. The word has two parts:… Continue reading How to Meditate: Vipassana
When we think of meditation, it usually conjures an image of Buddha sitting with a serene smile on his face. But meditation doesn’t always have to be practised sitting down. You can practice moving meditations while doing almost anything: running, dancing, doing the gardening or cleaning, and while exercising or walking. The practices of Tai… Continue reading How to Meditate: Zen Walking
The Body Scan is a guided meditation that’s easy to do and brings excellent results. It’s a good way to check in with your body to see if there are any changes you need to make to improve your health and wellbeing. It gives you a heads-up on grumbles and issues so you can make… Continue reading How to Meditate: Body Scan
Mindfulness is a form of meditation where you practise being aware of whatever is happening in the present moment without judging or thinking about it. If you’ve been watching your breath, then you’re already practising mindfulness. It’s one of the simplest and most powerful meditation practices because it can be done anywhere and at any… Continue reading How to Meditate: Mindfulness
