The Mind Spa Blog

There’s not much factual evidence to present for the beginnings of early meditation. It is thought that people have been meditating for over 5000 years. However, it is 500BC when the Buddha appeared and became such a central proponent of meditation that his word and the practice of meditating spread across Asia. As his words and practices travelled to each country, they were adopted and adapted by that particular culture. This is why today there are very many different forms of traditional meditation and offers us a link to its origins in spiritual practices.

While there are many individual forms of meditation technique around the world, there are two main forms of meditation. The first form is ‘Concentrative Meditation’ and the second is ‘Mindfulness’.

Concentrative Form: This form of meditation focuses the mind onto an image, sound or more frequently, the breath. It allows the mind to become still whilst developing awareness, calm and clarity. This focuses the attention on a single thing that also promotes physical stillness. Placing your attention on breath and breathing is the most obvious and natural way to meditate on a single thing. Slowing the breathing to a deep, calm and relaxed pace is the best way to achieve a tranquil state of mind. Together, your calm mind and your relaxed breathing work together in sync to soothe each other. This leaves you feeling focused, relaxed and still.

Mindfulness Form: Mindful meditation is a form that exists to increase your detached consciousness of the world around you. When you meditate mindfully you allow every part of your environment to permeate your consciousness without actively focusing upon it. Whilst mindfully meditating, you simply allow yourself to notice the things that are going on around you, without making connections to them. Whatever travels through your mind is simply allowed to pass through without giving it any attention. No thought is followed through, it is simply allowed to exist and pass. Mindfulness allows people to remain calm and focused during difficult, stressful times when the mind would normally flit one from thing to another.

In my next blog, I’ll talk about some of the modern approaches to meditation that now exist.

-Ivor-

 

Ivor Murray is the Managing Director of Meditations Ltd.