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What is The Goal of Meditation?

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You’ve probably seen, heard, or been told about the benefits of meditation on the mind, body, and psyche. But what exactly is meditation? And what is the goal of meditation? Knowing and understanding what you’re doing when you meditate and why it matters will go a long way in expanding and sticking to any meditation practices you choose to adopt.

What is Meditation?

Meditation has been practiced for many generations and cultures worldwide, with its history spanning thousands of years. Simply put, meditation is the act of tuning out all outside stressors, sounds, and stimuli, and focusing on eliminating any thoughts or internal conflicts that may be causing stress.

Meditation is the practice of calming your mind and just being. It’s the pursuit of calm, quiet, and the opportunity to connect with your inner self.

Benefits of Meditation

Meditation allows you to give yourself the gift of experiencing balance, peace, and calm. This allows you to prioritize your own emotional well-being and overall health, if even for just a few quick moments each day.

The best part? The benefits of meditation reach far beyond your meditation session. In fact, just a few dedicated minutes of meditation per day can alter your entire mood, outlook, and approach to the day.

The benefits of meditation are far-reaching and can improve both your mental and physical health in measurable ways. Mentally and emotionally, regularly meditating can help you gain perspective in stressful situations, increase your self-awareness, reduce negative emotions, improve your patience and tolerance for others, and keep you focused and present in the current moment, rather than lamenting the past, or worrying about the future.

Physically, meditation has been shown to lower your resting heart rate and blood pressure and improve the quality of your sleep. It may even have a positive impact on a wide range of medical conditions, from anxiety and depression to cancer.

Different Types of Meditation

When you think about meditating, you probably picture a person sitting cross-legged on the floor, in silence, with their eyes closed. While this is one valid type of meditation, it is certainly not the only way to meditate.

Meditation is a personal journey, and what feels right and comfortable for one person may not hold true for someone else. It’s important to try different types of meditation to find the one that makes the most sense for you at this particular juncture in your life.

Guided Meditation

When embarking on your meditation journey, you may find it easier to participate in a guided meditation, rather than sitting in silence, trying to figure it out yourself. Usually led by a teacher, guided meditation encourages you to use many of your senses to visualize a place or situation that you find safe, comfortable, or relaxing.

Mantra Meditation

In a mantra meditation, you focus on a single word or phrase that has meaning to you, repeating it over and over again. This can be done silently, repeating the mantra in your head, or aloud, by chanting, singing, or repeating the mantra aloud. This can be done individually, or in a collective group. Group mantra chanting can be very powerful and effective for many – give it a try when you feel comfortable doing so.

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation encourages you to focus on what you’re experiencing during a meditation, like the in and out flow of your breath, the sensation of the floor underneath you, and any breezes or air flow you might feel.

In mindfulness meditation, you can acknowledge any thoughts or emotions you may be experiencing, but the goal is to let go of them without judgment. Simply note that they’re there, let them go, and move on.

Tai Chi and Qi Gong

Tai Chi and Qi Gong are two types of moving meditations. Rather than sitting still, each of these techniques follows a series of movements, poses, and postures that encourage deep breathing, focus, and a clearing of the mind.

Yoga

While many think of yoga as a form of physical exercise, it was initially created as a type of moving meditation. The postures and breathing patterns explored in yoga are designed to help you quiet your mind, focus on your breath, and connect with your body, blocking out any external noise, stress, and pressure.

Elements of Meditation

While meditation can take on many forms, there are universal elements of meditation that are present in any type of meditation. Most importantly, meditation is about focusing your attention. This isn’t any easy task, and not one that will happen overnight, but all meditation encourages you, the practitioner, to focus on the here and now through homing in on your breathing, a mantra, or even setting your sight on a certain symbol or object.

An important element to meditation, especially when just getting started, is having a quiet space to practice in. If possible, create a dedicated meditation space in your home. This can be as elaborate as a meditation room or garden, or as simple as a quiet corner where you can sit with yourself for a few uninterrupted moments.

Wherever you choose to meditate, make sure you are able to be in a comfortable position that will allow you to fully focus on your meditation. This could be sitting in a chair, sitting on the floor, or lying down, depending on what feels best and most natural to you.

Finally, always be sure to bring an open mind and a positive attitude to your meditation. The more open you are to the experience, the more benefits you’ll be able to get from your practice.

How to Start Meditating

It can be confusing and overwhelming to try and start a meditation practice on your own, especially if it’s something you’ve never done before. A life coach like Jonette Dyer can help you establish a meditation routine and practice, through her personal coaching services. This is one of the many reasons individuals seek out a life coach.

While life coaching is not the same thing as therapy, it can help you achieve some of the same end goals, like improving self-esteem and self-confidence, identifying your core values, and developing a toolbox of skills, including meditation, that will help you navigate life and achieve your goals.