What pops up in your head when you think of meditation? If you’re like most people, you imagine a person sitting peacefully in a cross-legged position.
But meditation can be so much more than sitting in stillness. And that was the topic for a ConnectIONS Live with Nina Fry-Kizler. She’s the Senior Designer of Experiential Programs at IONS, and a former professor at John F. Kennedy University in the Holistic Health Education Masters Program. IONS members can watch the video for free together with the other recordings in our library.
IONS has been a leader in meditation research since the 1970s, well before it became mainstream. Now, meditation is commonly practiced even outside of personal development communities. More US schools take meditation breaks; teachers say it helps students’ mental health.
In this article, we’ll explore different meditation practices. You’ll also be able to try them for yourself. Get ready to discover your new favorite!
What is meditation?
Nina explains that meditation is one of the best ways to connect to and activate your psi abilities.
In her words:
“Meditation calms our minds, clears our heads, and relieves stressful thinking and feeling patterns. It gives us the space to refresh, revive, and rise above the mundane reactions of our ego mind in order to remember our true nature as divine and creative spirits, to remain in charge of our own destinies.
The point of meditation is to bring the mind to stillness – but this can be done in different ways, as we shall see shortly. Meditation can be described as any practice where you use a technique to impact attention and awareness, with the ultimate aim of peace of mind.
Meditation and well-being
In fact, meditation has been shown to be one of the most consistent predictors of positive well-being changes. This was discovered in a study conducted by the IONS Discovery Lab (IDL) with 1,800 people.
The study evaluated the effects of different transformative practices, including movement, discussion, sound healing, nature, dreamwork, and meditation. Researchers found a positive correlation between workshops that included meditation and the self-rated well-being scores post-practice.
Research has shown that meditation can significantly reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and pain. It may enhance peace, self-concept, well-being and create shifts in our minds, bodies, and consciousness.
One huge benefit is that it’s an incredibly accessible practice!
The benefits stretch beyond the mind and body and into the spiritual or noetic realms. People have reported extended human experiences during meditation, such as easier access to their intuition, a sense of oneness with the interconnected whole, and the capacity to receive and express noetic information and energy.
Meditation is therefore an easily accessible tool to connect with something bigger. Regular meditation can help you discern between the “monkey mind” or fear-based chatter and your truth.
The 3 types of meditation
There are three main categories of meditation practices:
- Focused attention or awareness
- Mindfulness meditation
- Expressive/Active meditation
Let’s explore and try each of them!
Focused attention
In focused attention meditation, the mind is brought to stillness through focus. The focus can be on a word, mantra, or something visual like a lit candle.
Here’s how to practice focused attention meditation:
- Choose a word that has a neutral or positive association to you. It should be short and simple.
- Set a timer for 5 minutes. Silently repeat the word with every breath.
- After the meditation, write or draw something that you want to remember from the experience.
Mindfulness meditation
In mindfulness meditation, the focus is on awareness itself rather than on something “concrete”. This means that no particular object, thought or feeling is your focus.
You don’t have to practice mindfulness meditation sitting down with eyes closed. Any activity can be done mindfully, such as mindful eating, and body scans or breathing during your commute.
A difference from focused attention meditation is that mindfulness is not about shifting anything. It’s about about being aware of what’s going on in your body, mind, and heart.
Mindfulness meditation can foster awareness that suffering grows in the gap between our expectations and reality. It can help you be happier here and now by releasing resistance to what is instead of wishing for things to be different.
Here’s how to practice focused attention meditation:
- Find a comfortable position and close your eyes.
- Notice how your body naturally inhales and exhales without intending to shift the breath.
- Then, shift your focus to your mind. Notice any thoughts. Whether your mind is still or active, it’s perfect. You’re simply witnessing it.
- Then, shift your focus to your body. Notice any sensations. Scan your body from the top of your head all the way down to your toes.
- Bring your awareness back to your breath.
- Gently move your body and open your eyes.
- After the meditation, notice how you feel in your body and mind.
Expressive meditation
Expressive or active meditation uses movement to bring us to stillness. Examples of this type of meditation are yoga, walking, shaking, dancing, and whirling (like a statue of a deity). It’s great for moving stuck energy.
Expressive meditation is an excellent choice for people who are hyperactive or have trouble sitting still for long times. It can be a more suitable choice for children.
During expressive meditation, it’s vital to let go of the pressure to perform. Always do the exercises to your capacity. It’s completely normal to experience resistance, self-consciousness, boredom, or intense feelings arising.
Here’s how to practice expressive meditation:
- Shake your body vigorously for 3 minutes.
- Dance or allow your body to move freely for 3 minutes. Remember – there’s no right or wrong!
- Sit in stillness for 3 minutes to integrate the experience. Notice any thoughts or feelings that arise.
Meditation: Parting words
It’s essential to practice self-care during meditation. Meditation can be a very powerful technique that stirs up a lot of feelings and sensations and evokes other more or less comfortable experiences. This is natural. You can process whatever arises by journaling, drawing, contemplating, or talking to a trusted friend.
The choice of meditation practice is as individual as your pair of shoes. You need to explore for yourself what type of meditation works for you. Dare to try different options, modify meditations to suit you, and trust yourself. You and your intuition know best!
Discover more
- Meditation Resources [PDF]
- Mindfulness Meditation with IMMI [IONS Program]
- Future of Meditation Research [IONS Program]
- Lori Lite – Indigo Dreams [Children’s Meditations Website]
- Chitra Sukhu [Children’s Meditations Website]
- IONS Discovery Lab [IONS Research]
