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The Funny Things About Mediation: Art of Concentration And Applications

The Funny Things About Mediation: Art of Concentration And Applications

The Funny Things About Mediation: Art of Concentration And Applications

Tuesday February 05, 2019,

7 min Read

Meditation also cleans our mind, as if a bath cleans our body. 

A clean and calm mind is open to new ideas; its owner does not have problems with accents and awareness of the current moment. Why then do we neglect the possibility of such a reboot? In the modern chaotic world, it has become merely necessary. At the same time, due to the high pace of life, we cannot afford long hours of daily spiritual practices leading us to the mysterious world of balance and self-knowledge.

Meditation can be very different, not only the perfect calm posture and concentrating on breathing. By combining various unusual meditative practices, you can get not only rid of stress but also discover new facets of your consciousness.

Art of concentration

As the world changes, so may the techniques of meditation do. Meditative practices aim is to find balance and developing awareness, so they can take on new forms to satisfy the needs of the modern person.

According to Zen Buddhism, the basis of meditation is concentration. Awareness of yourself in the present time and place. You can and should practice not only in a calm posture and with conscious breathing, but in everyday life, in your attitude to life. The inability to concentrate on one's feelings is a common phenomenon. Someone lives in the past and cannot let him go; the other is too concerned about the future, not solving current problems. As a result, life passes by. Zen Buddhist meditation encourages you to give yourself entirely to what you are doing, discarding unnecessary thoughts.

This approach provides us with the ability to concentrate, good concentration; increased productivity at work; increased productivity in solving life problems; easy way to prioritize; ability to live here and now and be happy without work with a psychologist; feeling of fullness of life; increase of stress resistance; awareness of their own purpose.

           The famous expression «When lunch of mine is at its peak, I'm deaf and mute, so please don't speak,» which belongs to Zen Buddhist mentor Shunryu Suzuki, describes the whole essence of the practice and the entire teaching.

Such non-standard meditation in everyday life will teach you to keep concentrating and discover new facets of your feelings for longer. Living «here and now,» you will understand where it is to move, and what brings suffering that you did not notice before because you were distracted by dreams or vanity.

Whatever you do, do just that. And during physical labor, to which even washing up can be attributed, if your consciousness does not soar somewhere else, you will feel a surge of strength and tranquility, as happens after yoga or meditation - your consciousness, your brain will rest and change.

Non-standard meditation for every day

Do not force yourself give a reflection at least a few minutes a day. Experienced yoga teachers advise for beginners 10 or 15 minutes every day. However, you can start with 2 minutes. The main thing in meditative practices is regularity and constancy. Let it be the same time every day. Better – in one place. Otherwise, alternate the following non-standard meditative practices sometimes refer to classical meditation and enjoy the process. 

Koan Meditation 

The essence of this unusual practice is to think with your heart, not with your mind. To do this, ask questions that logic and facts do not work with, and try to answer them - without hesitation, intuitively, but feel and imagine each answer, dwell on it, «pass» through yourself. 

For example:

"What is the sound of one hand, if cotton comes from the contact of the two?" This sound does not exist, but what is it? What was the face of your parents before you were born?

Meditation with a stone

Take a stone, and it will be better colored and purchased for this very purpose: onyx, agate, turquoise, etc. Close your eyes squeeze the rock in your fist. Fully concentrate your mind on the foundation, on how you feel it. When other, chaotic thoughts enter your head, direct them to rock and thus get rid of them.

Trataka

Meditation with open eyes, during which youis turn your gaze on a specific object. You concentrate only on the vision, on looking at the subject, the general background, the sounds slowly disappear. A popular form of this meditation is fire meditation. Light a candle set it in front of you and concentrate on its flame. Feel his movement, even try to merge with him, but carefully - from time to time, mentally return to your body. Fire purifies from feelings and offenses, transforms your consciousness and fills with kindness.

Laughter is like meditation

It is not worth talking about the benefits of laughter - this is like a famous dogma. Laughter as meditation is a rather unusual practice and may seem strange to someone. However, some Buddhist monks use it every morning -  laugh a little. Begin, and you will feel how you are already laughing sincerely. You cannot laugh -  smile and your mood will rise.


Feeling your feet while walking

Good meditative practice in motion. It is essential to maintain one pace - which is not crucial, and fast and slow walking opens up new facets of experience. During such a meditation, concentrate on your feet, on how they touch the ground, and how they detach from the field. What do you feel?

Meditation while standing

By the method of classical meditation, become in a static pose and remain motionless. Watch the sensations of your body, practice conscious breathing. This type of meditative practice is suitable for people with back problems, joints, who find it difficult to sit in the lotus position and keep a straight back - the key to correct and successful meditation.

Red light as a trigger

Our consciousness reacts differently to different colors. It is a basis of many experiments, and knowledge about color and its connection with sensations is used invariably in cinema, advertising and other forms of visual art. Red color unconsciously raises the level of anxiety in us. Therefore, during the day, when you see red - consciously relax. Let it work as a trigger to return to your body and awareness.

Eavesdropping

During the day, being in a public place, forget about your problems and thoughts, and concentrate on the surrounding sounds. It can be far away from playing music or a conversation at a nearby table. It cannot be called the negative eavesdropping when you intervene in someone else's privacy and use it for your  purposes. It is just a method of distraction and relaxation. Such a practice is the most accessible and straightforward in the modern world, but at the same time very effective - it has an instant effect of relaxation. Unfortunately, you will not be able to delve into your mind this way, but by practicing eavesdropping and getting a result, you may become interested in more complex types of meditation.

Meditation applications

Technological progress has not bypassed successful meditative practices. Some applications will help you achieve consistency in meditation, relaxation, and conscious breathing. 

Relaxing music will help to catch the right mood. Try a few  and decide for yourself how you prefer with or without the application.

About the author: Melisa Marzett is a freelancer who works for http://livecustomwriting.com/ and practices yoga and meditation since recently. She is a calm person by nature, but stressful situations require additional measures. It helps her to relax and pull herself together. She stands for self-improvement and enjoys the time she can spend outdoors.