Meditation | Everything you need
to know to meditate at home

 

Meditate every day: Set aside a few minutes

It is always a good time to resume or initiate yourself in daily meditation. With just 10 minutes a day, you will develop the awareness to get away from certain information, to take care of your thoughts and to observe your fears from a distance so that they do not invade you.

Types of meditation

Below, I explain different types of meditation so you can explore them and see which one fits you best and how you feel that day. To perform any of them, you must sit in a comfortable meditation posture. You can sit cross-legged on top of a cushion, blanket or block to better anchor your ischia (the base of your pelvis), elevating your hips and, thus, erect your spine without tension.

But, if you have trouble adopting this posture, you can practice sitting in a chair without resting your back on the backrest, keeping it upright and without tensing your shoulders. It is very important to respect your limits and see which posture is the most appropriate and comfortable for you, to be able to concentrate well on the meditation you are practicing and experience its benefits.

Mindfulness

Surely at some point you have heard of Mindfulness. Mindfulness means mindfulness in English and its practice helps us to be more present in the here and now. Observing our body, thoughts and emotions without judging ourselves and accepting us, makes us feel freer and at peace.

Silent meditation

Silent meditation is characterized by no spoken indications. They can be guided by the sound of a gong or a note that sounds every few minutes to keep you present and not allow the mind to scatter in the time of your meditation. In XLY Studio you can find silent meditations of 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes if you want to try it and feel its effects, accompanied by binaural sounds.

Meditation with mantra and japa mala

This meditation consists of meditating using a japa mala, a necklace of 108 beads. This is used to keep track of the repetition of a mantra up to 108 times, the sacred number according to Hindu tradition.

The japa mala is a sacred and intimate object, it is not usually shared or left on the ground and its beads can be made of wood, stones or seeds. Mine is from rudraksha seeds and I bought it in Rishikesh (India) from a Hindu priest. It is important that you choose the one that you feel most connects to you.

Meditation with counted breathing

To practice this type of meditation I invite you to know the technique I have learned with the ashtanga yoga teacher, John Scott. It involves using the phalanges of the hand as a snail-shaped guide and making natural breaths of 1 to 12 turns, repeating several turns. You can count both in English -or the language with which you feel most comfortable- and in Sanskrit.

Metta bhavana

Metta Bhavana Buddhist meditation focuses on unconditional love and compassion towards all living beings (humans, animals, people related to you and those who are not) to build greater harmony among all. We cultivate a positive energy (love, friendship, kindness) towards yourself and other people, whether we know them or not, from the heart. Sowing a seed of love and kindness so that time, practice and conviction make it grow and flourish.

Guided meditation

Guided meditation consists of listening to the indications of the yoga teacher, so that the guided person gradually focuses attention on the present moment and the sensations he is experiencing. It is a good practice for those who are initiated in meditation, since one feels more accompanied.

Meditation with visualization

Meditation with visualizations is a widely used technique to reduce anxiety, since it helps to reduce the state of physiological activation of the organism when we are in that state. This practice helps us restore our inner balance through inner listening and harmony between body, mind and soul. To imagine is to create, to cross boundaries and a way to design our desires. Therefore, meditation with visualization is a creative way to achieve well-being.

 

Meditation Tips

Meditation is a very intimate and personal practice. It requires training and therefore involves dedication, discipline and regularity.

Meditation helps you keep your attention on the present moment without clinging to thoughts and helps us live our daily lives healthier. As you have seen in this article, there are different types of meditation and, therefore, it is important that you experiment with them to see which one best suits you and your moment.

Material for meditation

I recommend meditating with comfortable clothes and sitting on a suitable cushion.

Don't hold the pain to show that you can maintain your posture. Meditation needs to forget about the distractions of the body to devote itself to mental well-being. As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, you can meditate sitting on a hard zafu cushion or sitting on a chair without leaning on the backrest.

Whether it's to sleep better, relax or connect with yourself and what surrounds you, set aside a few minutes of meditation each day and enjoy the benefits of this ancient practice.