The pandemic outbreak has disrupted the ordinary life course. People can’t move about freely as they used to before. Also, no one knows when the pandemic curve would flatten down. And that has made people fearful than ever, which in turn impacts their mental health. Meditation is one of the best tools that can help to calm the mind and result in better mental health.
Types of meditation to practice – Insights by Brian C Jensen
Today, there are several types of meditation that people can practice during this pandemic phase. It helps to keep one grounded and also brings in a deep sense of relaxation. If you have been getting tensed more than ever, here are a few meditation techniques that can help you stay calm and release your tension.
1. The loving-kindness meditation
This form of meditation is called the Metta meditation. The objective here is to develop an attitude of kindness and love towards everything that you come across. Here you need to breathe deeply and stay open to receive loving-kindness. You can send the energy of loving-kindness to a specific situation, the world, and even your loved ones. The task is to repeat the message of love and kindness as many times as possible. It would help if you did this, till such time you start feeling loving-kindness as a whole. This meditation helps to feel love and compassion for yourself and others. It means it will help you develop a loving approach even in this current condition of chaos and stress. It can help you to bring down feelings of resentment, negativity, frustration, and sadness. With gradual practice, this meditation helps to give rise to positive emotions and reduces anxiety and depression.
2. The mindfulness meditation
This meditation form gets derived from Buddhist teachings and is popular in western countries. When you start to practice this meditation, you need to pay close attention to your thoughts as they come and go. It would help if you didn’t judge the thoughts or get involved with them. It is necessary to observe and notice the patterns. Here it would help if you blended awareness with focus. It is helpful to start concentrating on your breath or object as you observe the feelings, sensations, or thoughts. Brian C Jensen says that if you don’t have a guide or a teacher, you can count on this mediation and practice it by yourself every day.
3. The progressive relaxation
It is also known as body scan meditation, where you can scan the body areas to notice the tension. The objective is to identify it and release the same. Here you start with one end of the body, such as your feet, and gradually move to other body parts. At times, you can relax and tense your muscles during this mediation. Sometimes, you can also visualize a wave drifting all over your body to feel at ease. It helps you to feel relaxed and calm. If you have minor discomfort or chronic pain, this meditation can help to reduce that. And since it steadily and slowly relaxes the body, you can do this before you sleep.
Meditation is an effective tool for controlling stress and anxiety, according to Brian C Jensen. When you practice the meditation techniques mentioned above, you can have better mental health.
