Meditation- Dhyana

Meditation- Dhyana

Meditation is a yogic practice by which mind becomes still and relaxed.

We all know that our mind always remains active and never takes

rest. All kinds of thoughts and emotions negatively affect it and as a

result mind becomes disturbed. In order to pacify and relax the mind,

it is to be stilled. This can be done by taking the mind away from the

external things.

For pacifying and relaxing the mind, meditation is a very effective

practice. It relaxes body and mind both and refuels them with energy.

Several researches indicate that meditation improves the functioning

of brain.

There are several techniques of meditation. They vary in the

methodology but the goal of all techniques is same, i.e., reaching

an inner calm and a higher level of awareness. All techniques of

meditation involve focussing on a single point which could be breath,

a mantra, a word or an object. In the beginning, focussing of the mind

is difficult; therefore a beginner can start meditating for a few minutes

only and later on can increase its duration.

Let us practise meditation by following the steps given below:

1. Sit in Padmasana, Sukhasana or in any meditative comfortable

posture. Place your hands in Jnana mudra on your respective

knees. Keep your spine erect. Close your eyes gently.

2. Breathe normally.

3. Focus your attention on the breath. Go inside yourself and observe

your breathing. Concentrate on inhalation and exhalation.

During the practice, your mind may wander here and there. Try

to concentrate on your breath only. Breathe normally.

4. Now you can focus on the space between the eyebrows with closed

eyes. Remain in this position for five minutes.

5. To come back, bring your consciousness very slowly back to the

external surroundings.

6. Cup the eyes with the hands and blink the eyes for a few seconds so

that sudden exposure to light does not irritate them. Slowly open

your eyes and remove the hands. Slowly externalise yourself.

Meditation can be performed in different forms.

 For example,

instead of breath, one may focus on sound also. For this, slowly

produce the sound, keep on reducing its volume till it comes to a

barely audible note. Then stay calm and concentrate on the tip of the

nose or the space between the eyebrows with closed eyes.

Benefits

• It gives deeper relaxation.

• It lowers heart rate and blood pressure.

• It slows respiratory rate.

• It helps to reduce stress.

• It helps in managing emotions.

Introspection

In addition to above yogic practices, you can practise

introspection for personality development. Introspection

means inner inspection or self observation. It also means

looking within. Introspection is an important method by which

a person becomes aware about the self. This practice makes us

aware about our strengths and weaknesses. Introspection can

be done anytime.

You can practise introspection before going to bed.

Let us practise introspection by following the steps given

below:

1. Sit in Padmasana or any other comfortable meditation pose.

2. Close your eyes.

3. Observe your breaths. Focus your mind on your breath only.

Many unwanted thoughts may come to your mind and

disturb you but try to focus on breath only.

4. Now think about the day that has just passed. Think on the

following —

• How did you spend your day?

• Did you waste your time on unnecessary activities?

• How did you behave with others?

• What kind of thoughts you had during the day?

5. Analyse your behaviour. If you find mistakes in your

behaviour then make a resolve not to repeat them again.

6. Make a plan for the next day. Fix your targets for the next

day and plan accordingly to achieve them.

7. Now, stop thinking and focus on your breath. Now gently

open your eyes and relax.