For many people, the daily meditation practice is simply a way to relax and let go. However, there are other people who indulge in meditation techniques on a much more profound level, forming a spiritual connection with their practice and the effects of it.
While there are some that believe meditation might interfere with their belief system or not be compatible with it, the truth is that your meditation practice can be whatever you want it to be. If you practice spiritual meditation then there are some amazing things that will take place and someone on a spiritual journey will likely have a very positive experience.
In this article, we are going to be looking at meditation from several different angles, enabling us to see what these practices do to us on a spiritual level.
Types Of Meditation
Not all types of meditation are designed to work on a spiritual level and that is something that a lot of people do not realise. If you want to meditate to improve your physical well being or in order to lower your stress levels then there are techniques you can use.
It may surprise you to learn that there is more than one type of meditation technique, so before we look at spiritual meditation, let’s take a brief look at some of the other forms of meditation practice you might wish to explore.
Mindfulness meditation is one of the most popular in the west and the purpose of this is to observe your thoughts without judgement in order to find calm and relaxation while remaining aware and alert.
Focused meditation is where you use one of the five senses of the body and make that your focus. You might concentrate on a candle flame or a scent but beginners may find it easier to place their awareness on a sound such as meditation music.
Movement meditation refers to any meditative practice where the practitioner moves their body. This could be yoga, walking through nature or anything else.
Mantra meditation involves repeating a mantra or sound, often to set an intention. The purpose of this practice is to use repetition to clear the mind.
Transcendental meditation is similar to mantra meditation but the mantra is unique to the individual and there are specific rules for performing the technique. This is something that is often only learned through training at a meditation center and is often something that needs to be practiced for life.
Progressive relaxation is a form of meditation where you gradually relax each part of the body. This can be done by tensing and releasing muscles or by using the breath. The main goal of this meditation is to reduce stress.
Loving kindness meditation is designed to improve feelings of compassion and love towards others.
Visualisation meditation is a way of using mental images to meditate. However, it is important that you fully involve each sense so that you feel immersed in the practice. Once again, this technique is very good for stress relief and for motivation.
What Does Meditation Do Spiritually?
Spiritual meditation is another form of meditation. It is used in religion, including Buddhism, Taoism and Hinduism in the east and the Christian religion in the west. However, you do not need to be indoctrinated into any particular faith to get started, there are teachers all over the world willing to impart their wisdom of the pracice onto you.
In the most simple terms, spiritual meditation is a way of connecting to God or the universe, or any higher power that you believe in. This is achieved by meditating in silence and 1 of the benefits of this is that the practitioner can use the silence to make this connection with a higher being.
It is quite common for people to use incense while taking part in spiritual meditation as this is known to enhance these experiences.
Quite simply, this kind of meditation allows us to connect our selves with a higher consciousness and this can have many benefits. However, one of these benefits is certainly not accumulating all of the supernatural powers in the universe. This might sound dramatic but this is something that many people believe.
While there may be guides out there that will claim that this can happen, spiritual meditation certainly does not have this intention in mind. This is a much more simple way of practicing meditation and the intent is to find peace and appreciation in the beauty of our beings and everything around us.
When you do a spiritual meditation practice, you might notice that your spirituality increases through the simplistic power of realising your place in the universe. You may find that you develop a greater understanding of self. This understanding of the self allows you to marvel at the wonder of our state of being; life itself.
Developing your spirituality also involves recognising that your soul is eternal and while you may currently be on this earth. Your self and your higher consciousness will depart and move on to a new experience. Spiritual meditation can allow you to recognise this infinite understanding of the self that is true of all of us; the meaning of our existence, if you will.
You may also find that you can appreciate the present moment and your current experience without worrying about the past or future. This is 1 of the key ways that spiritual meditation can help in the awakening of your spirituality. You might let go of grudges and feel an overwhelming happiness from doing so. Off the back of this, you may then want to use your spirituality to help others. Almost every religion promotes kindness to others and this will become a part of your self as your continue your spiritual meditation practice.
What Happens To Your Body When You Meditate?
Meditation is something that everyone can do but of all the common questions, people want to know how meditation affects the body. Of course, meditation is a practice of the mind but that is not to say that there isn’t a significant effect on the physical body.
The most obvious reaction is deep relaxation which is important when we live in a world that is so demanding and busy; out of all the benefits, this is what most practitioners strive for.
As you focus on the breath and get into a meditative state, your brain will release higher levels of dopamine and this is known to make us feel good. Furthermore, meditation will help with physical issues by lowering the blood pressure. It also has the power to balance the nervous system which can result in lower stress level.
It isn’t difficult to see that this source of spirituality has many more benefits than first meets the eye. But is it suitable for all faiths and walks of life?
What Did The Bible Say About Meditation?
If you speak to a Christian person about meditation, they may instantly think about the eastern traditions and tell you that this is not an experience that is conducive to practicing the religion of Christ.
However, there is a form of meditation that comes from the Bible, the Christian holy text. This is a source of living for many of those who follow this faith so it is important to understand what the Bible explains.
In Christian terms, meditation refers more to ‘obedience in the next breath.’ This sounds a little vague but it is quite simple to understand. For example, in the book of Joshua, we read the phrase “This law shall not depart from your mouth but you will meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do what is written in it.” In short, this means meditating on the contents of God’s teachings to make sure that you follow the correct path.
Conclusion
You can’t browse the internet or log on to social media these days without seeing something to do with well being and meditation. But far from being a brash advertising campaign, this plethora of information around meditating can serve us.
Spiritual meditating is a form of meditating designed to connect us to whatever higher power we believe in and developing a practice every day can vastly benefit our life. Aside from just calming the mind, spiritual meditating can help us to appreciate who we are on where we came from on a much deeper level.
It might also help in other areas of life such as feeling compassion and kindness to others. Whether it is issues with romantic partners, friends, family or strangers, this spiritual development will aid you on the path to understanding others and wanting to help them.
It doesn’t matter if you are new to this or have spent much of your life doing spiritual meditating, there is no doubt that this is a practice that will work!
