3 Basic Meditation Techniques For Beginners And 3 Reasons To Try Them Out

Written by Shivani K  • 

We are all familiar with the different modes on which we can operate our phones, right? The loud mode, flight mode, silent mode, and vibration mode, and the likes. Similarly, have you ever wondered if our brain has its own modes, too? Not sure about flight mode and vibration mode, but I think the brain does fluctuate between loud and silent modes quite often. But, there are two essential modes that our brain switches to — a default mode and a focus mode.

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If you’re a good observer, you must have noticed how we spend a certain amount of time in a day thinking about nothing, yes you heard that right – we think about nothing! It’s the mode wherein we are physically present at a place but mentally we aren’t – that’s what we like to call our “default mode”. In the default mode, we aren’t doing anything productive and we are most certainly unhappy too. And, if we continue to stay in this mode, it will eventually lead to depression, anxiety, and stress.

Now, on the other hand, our brain works on another mode called the focus mode. This is where our brain is paying attention to the work that our body is doing. We are present both physically and mentally. So, how do we control our brain and switch to these modes while keeping it under control? Meditation is the answer to this. It can be considered as an essential process where we cut through the brain’s static state and make our brains focus on things which are way more important in our lives (1).

Benefits of meditation can’t be restricted to a small list, there are way too many. It helps you deal with heart ailments, depression, stress, keeps your blood pressure under control and the list goes on and on (2). It’s natural for our minds to wander whenever we try to focus on something, that’s us just being us. It’s human nature. So, please don’t stress over it. And neither do we have to become monks in order to experience the utmost peace or bliss. But if you’re a beginner who just decided to explore the meditation world, here are three simple meditation exercises that we think you should try.

1. Walking Meditation:

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Have you ever stormed out of a conversation or walked out of a room, while slamming the door shut, after an argument? It’s actually a good thing to do. If you’re stressed out in a situation, walk out of it. Well, that’s a form of meditation too – a walking meditation. Just go find yourself an open space outside and walk at whatever pace you wish to (normal or medium) and focus on your happy feet. Shift your focus to the sensations of your body being in contact with the ground, the tingling feeling when your feet touches the grass, the pure breath of fresh air around you, etc.

Why Practice This?

So here, you’re prepping a skill where you’re letting your brain enter a default mode and then you’re bringing the attention back by focusing on your feet. Practicing this will help you be more attentive and it will help you gain control over your attention in your everyday rituals or habits.

2. Novel Experiences:

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Our brain instantly gets attracted towards anything that isn’t ordinary around us. If you’re meeting a person every day, your reaction towards them becomes very monotonous. But if you’re meeting the same person after an entire week, you show more affection towards them. A novel experience is that. If it isn’t ordinary, our brain gets attracted towards it and it leaves us happy.

Why Practice This?

Changing our daily routines every now and then will actually attract brain’s focus towards it. Different, unique, and novel experiences are what the brain seeks for. If we are going to lead a monotonous life, our brain is going to lose focus and switch to default mode as it is already aware of the everyday drill.

3. Gratitude Exercises:

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What is it that you do first when you wake up in the morning? Do you ask for a cup of coffee or scan your wardrobe thinking about what you’d wear to work today? This is like a default mode that our brain gets into as soon as we wake up. Don’t we all know that the morning is the time when our brain works the best? So, why don’t we make the best use of it then?

We should try to find focus as soon as we wake up. So, how do we do it? We found a simple way to lead you through this. As soon as you wake up, just close your eyes and think of the person that keeps you happy or makes your life much happier. And give a silent gratitude to them in your heart. It instantly makes you feel good and your brain tends to start off the day by focusing on the positive things.

Why Practice This?

Gratitude is a form of meditation. According to studies, being thankful for the life you’re living will actually help you lead a much happier and a content life (3). Practicing gratitude will even promote mental well-being. You create a positive vibe around yourself and also for those who are around you. Just a silent thank you can make a huge difference!

Stress is something that we humans can’t do without. But, we can always try to minimize the amount of stress in our lives by practicing these techniques. What do you do to de-stress? Let us know in the comments below.

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