Types of meditation. Practice Eastern meditation at home

I am sure there is no person who has not heard this word - meditation. Many people know that it came to us from the East, considering it a special state in which yogis find themselves sitting in the lotus position. But this is a very superficial view. What is meditation, what does it give a person and how to meditate you will learn from this article.

Meditation is the general name for a very wide range of techniques that are aimed at relaxing the body and calming the mind. Meditating does not mean daydreaming. This is, first of all, an action, a spiritual practice, which, through certain poses and movements, allows you to make some kind of internal journey, awaken bodily memory, cleanse the mind and soul of unnecessary things and get closer to the truth in yourself.

“If you turn on a lamp and remove all the objects that surround it, the lamp will still produce light. What happens if you remove all objects, thoughts and fantasies from your consciousness? Only consciousness will remain. This pure state of consciousness is meditation" - Osho

Taming the Intellect

There are many ways to begin this journey within yourself (Tibetan practices, Zen meditation, Indo-Burmese Vipassana...), but they all involve several stages: maintaining a certain body posture, a period of concentration, detached observation of one’s thoughts and, finally, meditation itself. Let me clarify that you can also meditate while moving, for example, while walking or jogging in the morning, and it is not at all necessary to do it in the lotus position, which is difficult for many ordinary people to take.

Meditation in itself is not the goal, it is only a way that helps us find ourselves in a special “enlightened” state of consciousness. The most important thing in this process is to focus on your inner world and “stop” thinking to get away from the everyday, familiar look.

“This is an opportunity to find your authentic self. At this moment, a variety of filters (restrictions and settings) that have been regulating our lives since childhood are turned off. We get the opportunity to feel both what we really have inside us and how the world around us works. Our view no longer depends on imposed attitudes.” — Igor Zhukov, ethnopsychologist.

That is, the goal of meditation is to temporarily turn off that part of our psyche that constantly processes information, to come into contact with thoughtlessness, understood simultaneously as “emptiness” and “infinity.” Not everyone is able to immediately “calm down” their wild brain and their racing thoughts, but if you meditate regularly, meetings with your inner self will occur more and more often.

Unlike relaxation(more aimed at reducing muscle tone and internal tension), meditation requires vigilance and concentration. At this moment our consciousness is changed, but ( unlike trance) changed by us personally, of our own free will. A meditating person controls himself and his reactions, and no one can manipulate him.

“If we firmly hold the reins of our intellect, like a galloping horse, we can gradually open up more and more free space between its “leaps.” — Jacques Choch, yoga teacher for over three decades

When you can go really deep into your inner state, it may begin to feel like you don't need to breathe. It's an amazing feeling. Of course, you continue to breathe, your heart continues to beat, but it happens by itself, you do not feel your own body. You simply ARE, you are an energetic entity not attached to a physical form. When you reach this state, it seems as if your thoughts and emotions also disappear.

So what remains? What remains is your true essence - your consciousness.

How does this affect health?

By changing a person’s inner world, meditative practice also has a beneficial effect on his body.

Victor Makarov, psychotherapist: “It has been noticed that meditation can reduce headaches, menstrual pain, lower blood pressure and heart rate, relieve anxiety and alleviate chronic diseases, such as colds. This could really be an important complement to traditional treatments.”

Igor Zhukov, ethnopsychologist: “Many diseases are associated with the lack of control of our emotions and desires, and meditation helps to overcome this effect. When we immerse ourselves in ourselves, the biochemical processes of our body are normalized, self-regulation mechanisms that have gone wrong for one reason or another are turned on.”

Frederick Rosenfeld psychiatrist: “Research over the last 30 years has shown that meditation reduces stress levels, helps with certain types of phobias, halves the likelihood of relapse of depression, and improves immunity. However, constant meditation is not for everyone: for some people with a fragile psyche, it can cause anxiety attacks and a feeling of loss of direction. You shouldn’t do it in moments of depression or existential crises (divorce, dismissal, loss of someone close).”

Cleansing the mind

We are filled with daily worries, regrets and remorse. We think badly of ourselves too often. These thoughts and experiences prevent you from living an active, productive and ultimately happy life. Moreover, these negative thoughts fragment our sense of fullness of consciousness, preventing us from seeing clearly, developing, and moving forward. Meditation puts a person in a state of enstasis.

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Enstasis is paradoxical in nature: it is simultaneously empty (liberated) and filled to the brim being-consciousness. In this state, a person is able to observe everything that happens in him (sensations, emotions, thoughts) at the same time actively and detachedly.

“We are able to see and accept everything, but we have no attachment, no desire to grab and hold something, no greed, no rejection. Everything comes and passes like clouds floating across the sky. We take a position of contemplation and acceptance, observing the impermanence of all things. Once you have adopted this inner perspective (and with a little practice), it is easy to combine meditation with almost any activity. As wise people say, you can meditate even while peeling potatoes!” — Frederick Rosenfeld

Obtaining this inner freedom may be more difficult, because on the way to the state of enstasis it is necessary to penetrate into the shadow zones of one’s own “I”, inaccessible to consciousness. And what we find there may not always be a pleasant surprise for us.

Meditation can change brain parameters

Psychologists and psychiatrists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA) have been studying the neurophysiological characteristics of the brain of Tibetan monks for 20 years. Magnetic resonance imaging shows that monks with more than 10,000 hours of meditation experience have different brain structure and function than controls (proving the plasticity of our brains). During meditation, monks' gamma waves increase sharply, indicating a high level of consciousness at this moment, and activity in the left frontal lobe - the area of the cerebral cortex responsible for positive emotions - is significantly higher than in the right, associated with negative ones. Systematic meditation practices develop areas of the brain responsible for attention and decision-making, and improve the ability to concentrate.

“In essence, there is nothing mysterious about meditation that cannot be explained in the strict terms of Western science. Our data provides insight into why people spend time meditating: it simply has a positive impact on their daily lives.” Richard Davidson

For a person who strives to achieve fullness of consciousness through meditation, the hierarchy of values changes. What comes to the fore is what is significant to him. He gains a contemplative view of the world, stops rushing, and receives greater satisfaction from himself and life. And begins to feel closer to other people.

Regular meditation leads to understanding the meaning of what is happening, gets rid of superficial, superficial things, develops a taste for what is most important. We increasingly experience an urgent need to feel some higher power within ourselves. Each of us finds what he believes in: an atheist - “nothing”, a Buddhist - enlightenment, a Christian - the mystery of Christ.

“Today, meditation is being mastered not only by those converted to Buddhism or those close to it, but also by Jews or Christians who, with the help of this Eastern practice, seek to learn that inner silence in which only the presence of God can be felt.” — Frédéric Lenoir, sociologist

The journey that meditation invites us on does not impose norms and rules, does not call and is not a way to escape from problems, but, on the contrary, gives us the opportunity to see the situation with a renewed, purified gaze and find a solution.

How to meditate?

It is better to start thoroughly practicing meditation with the help of a specialist teacher. Below are tips for those who are interested in getting just a general idea of how this is done.

Choose a convenient moment. You can meditate in the morning to start the day in the best frame of mind; in the evening to get rid of accumulated tension; in the middle of the working day to “recharge”. In general, you can meditate anywhere and anytime, as soon as you feel the need to pacify your soul. It is still worth choosing a certain moment and a certain duration of the session (for example, ten minutes before breakfast).
Create the right environment. It is better to meditate in a constant place, for example in a quiet room, sitting facing the wall. Choose loose, comfortable clothing and take off your shoes. An unobtrusive background music will also help you. In the subway, train or bus, despite the noise and crowds of people, you can also meditate. By concentrating on your breathing, listening to the rhythm of inhalations and exhalations, you will notice that your consciousness gradually calms down: focusing on your breathing allows you to be less distracted by other things. Even in a traffic jam, while driving, you can listen to yourself, feel how your spine is in contact with the back of the chair, feel the vibration of the engine, the breeze on your face, notice the color of the clouds floating across the sky... In a word, see the present moment in all its simplicity and at the same time richness of facets, which we usually do not notice in everyday life.
Relax. Start with relaxation: if possible, lie on your back, yawn, relieve tension. Closing your eyes, breathe through your nose, calmly and deeply. Relax your stomach, try to feel well all the support points of the body and its weight. “Slide” over different parts of the body, “illuminating” them with the beam of your attention: up from the feet to the back of the head, then along the arms to the tips of the fingers.
Choose a pose. In the Buddhist tradition, it is customary to meditate in the lotus position, but you can choose others - the main thing is that the pose helps you feel with your body what you strive to find in your soul - stability, openness, directness.
Fix your gaze. The eyes are half-closed, the gaze is directed forward at some imaginary point (a meter away from you). All the attention of the meditator is turned inward, but at the same time he should not lose touch with the outside world.
Focus on your breathing. This is one of the most important elements of meditation. Feel your breathing without disturbing its natural (changing) rhythm: it will gradually slow down and become easier. When inhaling, the air spreads to the lower abdomen, which relieves muscle tension and creates a feeling of harmony. Focusing on the breath helps resist our tendency to become distracted from any process, including meditation.
Free your soul. By disciplining the body through posture and breathing, we are able to focus on the soul and cleanse it of unnecessary things. The meditator’s consciousness does not seek to retain or evaluate the thought that has come. It only contemplates - without attachment or passion - what passes in front of it. Try to get into this mood. If this exercise still causes discomfort, focus again on breathing and wait until your mind is ready to find peace and continue the search for truth.

To summarize:

By mastering and regularly practicing meditation, you will be able to enjoy:

relief from stress
self-control
inner peace
improved health
improving creativity
purity of thinking
developed intuition
and a feeling of delight and bliss

Make meditation your daily ritual. Go beyond your body and mind and you will change your life.

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The modern rhythm of life determines the appearance of nervous stress, tension and chronic fatigue. The constant dissonance between a person’s desires and his capabilities leads to low self-esteem and self-doubt. The rapid pace of life in megacities forces people to constantly rush, “keep up with the times,” causing insomnia, aggression and irritability. Financial difficulties and problems at work lead to internal disharmony.

The unfavorable environmental conditions of urbanized cities have a detrimental effect on people's health. The modern world is structured in such a way that it allows humanity to enjoy the benefits of civilization, enjoy food abundance, material goods, but does not allow a person to relax, hear true needs, and achieve a balance between the inner world of man and the outer world. In such a situation, the relevance of meditation increases, which allows you to solve all the problems of modern man.

Meditation is a type of physical and mental activity. Its origins go back to ancient times. Descriptions of the techniques can be found in scriptures dating back to before our era. Large-scale popularization of meditation began in the mid-60s of the last century, becoming actively widespread thanks to the hippie subculture. Young people tried to clear their consciousness and achieve harmony using all kinds of oriental techniques. The ideas and slogans of hippies are long gone, but the popularity of meditation has not faded to this day.

Russia became acquainted with techniques for purifying consciousness only after perestroika. The ever-growing interest in meditation is explained not only by the beneficial effects of the practices on the human psyche, allowing one to find inner harmony, calmness, and self-confidence, but also to solve problems with blood circulation and blood pressure, lose excess weight, improve brain activity, and increase concentration.

Physiological Benefits

The list of problems that Eastern techniques solve is numerous. The first scientific studies of meditation were carried out even before its large-scale popularization, in the 30-40s. Based on data obtained during experimental activities, scientists found that people who systematically practice Eastern practices have a number of physiological advantages over people who have never practiced meditation. Meditators were found to have:

Normalization of blood pressure in both hypertensive and hypotensive patients;
Increased synchronization of the cerebral hemispheres;
Reduced sensitivity to pain;
Deeper and slower breathing.

Research by neuroscientists, together with modern technologies for processing results, has made it possible to determine the degree of positive effect of Eastern practices on the brain. Meditation significantly reduces the activity of beta waves, which means that the time allocated for the session allows the brain to rest without experiencing the usual overload from a limitless flow of information.

Psychological Benefits

The scientists' research was not limited to studying the effects of meditation on the physiological processes occurring in the human body. Many specialists are interested in the psychological component of Eastern practice. After a series of experiments, scientists found that a person who has meditation in his life recovers from stressful situations faster, as the nervous system becomes more autonomous and stable. It has also been established that meditation allows you to overcome feelings of anxiety and increase the level of self-regulation.

Scientists have noted that Eastern techniques make it possible to establish a broken dialogue between the conscious and subconscious. The positive results were not limited to the above. Laboratory studies have shown that people who actively meditate have a significant increase in self-esteem, a decrease in the number of phobias, and a good mood. Numerous studies by Western scientists have proven that meditation has a positive effect on a person’s psychological health.

Accessibility for everyone

Many people often associate meditation with a very complex process that is beyond the control of ordinary people. Many people associate Eastern practices with escaping reality. This opinion is wrong.

In essence, practices for clearing consciousness and complete relaxation are available to everyone and are not particularly difficult, since the concept of “meditation” implies, first of all, focusing attention on some object, action, phrase or breathing.

During meditation, a person literally narrows his perception, relaxing the mind. The journey into the world of Eastern practices of purifying consciousness is amazing and exciting. Although the exciting path of learning theory and practice will not always be easy, the reward for your efforts will be wisdom, happiness and self-awareness. For a long time, meditation has been a proven tool that allows us to develop a protective barrier to external influences.

In order to move from theory to practice, get acquainted with the basics of meditation. Learning the basics of the technical side will teach you proper breathing, postures and attention.. It is this information that will be useful in the initial stages for a person who decides to practice. Useful information about the basics can be studied personally from various sources, a video course or in practical yoga classes. Learning the technique requires concentration and patience, but the difficult path of mastering will be fully compensated by the results. Before you begin meditation itself, you need to get acquainted with its unshakable rules, which we will discuss later.

Systematicity of classes

To achieve the positive effect of Eastern practice on the human body and its consciousness, it is necessary to observe the regularity of classes. Regardless of the technique chosen by a person, this postulate of meditation remains unchanged. Regularity of practice is the foundation of successful training. Daily sessions must be performed, investing all your energy into them, only then will a beneficial result be achieved. There are no exact recommendations for beginners how long to meditate.

Each person chooses the frequency of classes individually. Some people will meditate three times a week, while others feel comfortable using the technique of clearing their consciousness every day. Many experts in this field believe that meditation is like eating food, and therefore is necessary for the human body 3-4 times a day.

If classes are interrupted for a while, then a person will definitely feel that past achievements have been lost, which is why in order to constantly improve skills in modeling consciousness, it is necessary to practice systematically.

Appropriate place

Choosing the right and suitable location also has an important impact on the successful conduct of classes. You shouldn’t think that you need to go to the mountains or go to the ocean coast to meditate. You can meditate anywhere where you feel safe. You can carry out classes in your usual home environment. It is not necessary to turn your home into a temple, filling it with candles and incense; absolutely any room in your home will do to cleanse your consciousness.

The only thing you should pay attention to before preparing a place for meditation is noise. It is advisable to completely eliminate exposure to unnecessary sounds during exercise. Beginners are often advised to declare a specific place in their minds as their place to practice meditation. This advice is based on the fact that after identifying a specific place, it will be easier and more comfortable for a person to move on to practice.

If you want to create a certain atmosphere during classes, you can use relaxing music, videos, and also prepare a yoga mat and pillows.

Complete relaxation

When practicing meditation, you need to achieve complete relaxation of your body and mind. You should not strive in the initial stages to instantly be transported to the spiritual world; most likely, such efforts will not bring the desired result. During the session, you should close your eyes and concentrate on breathing, feel the movement of your chest as you inhale and exhale, and try to distract yourself from extraneous thoughts. To achieve complete relaxation, a person needs to completely abstract from the outside world and concentrate on his own sensations.

Pleasant slow music or sounds of nature will help relax the body and mind; often many people who practice meditation use candles and incense. All these auxiliary attributes will help a person tune in correctly and achieve the desired result. Complete relaxation of the body muscles and release of consciousness often lead to a person falling asleep during meditation. But it is recommended not to allow this, since sleeping during the session will completely cancel all its effects on the body and soul.

Relaxation techniques

Quite often, it is difficult for beginners to completely relax, and neither music, nor videos, nor incense, nor concentration on their breathing helps at all. In this case, you can turn to certain techniques that will solve the problem of relaxation:

Relaxation shower. A person should imagine that he is taking a warm shower; imaginary streams of water will take away tension and discomfort;
Honey on the head. It is necessary to imagine that on the top of the head there is fresh and warm honey, which begins to slowly melt and flow down the face, the back of the head, moving to the shoulders, wrapping the whole body;
Quiet place. To relax, you can imagine yourself in a calm and quiet place. This could be the sea coast, a summer meadow, a forest, or any other place that evokes a feeling of peace. It is necessary to try to evoke such feelings that are characteristic of the person who is in this place;
Scanning. You should mentally scan your entire body and determine in which part of it there is tension that prevents you from achieving complete relaxation. Having identified a point of tension, you must try to open and soften it.

Short sessions

This recommendation is mandatory for beginners. While learning the basics of meditation, don't spend countless hours perfecting the practice. Such actions will have a negative impact. It is advisable for beginners to begin their acquaintance with the techniques in short sessions lasting 5-10 minutes. Gradually, the time of practice can be increased until a comfortable duration of meditation is selected. The duration of classes is individual; it can vary depending on the time of day or the person’s feelings.

Selection of equipment

Over the centuries-old history of meditation, many different techniques have accumulated. Any of which is available to everyone, but the more comfortable one is selected individually. The variety of meditation options have virtually no differences in their beneficial effects on the human body, mind and soul. It is a mistake to believe that one technique can cure illnesses and another will eliminate anxiety. Any meditation eliminates problems, regardless of the technique chosen.

Focusing on breathing, on images, reciting a mantra - all these are ways that allow a person to look inside himself and achieve harmony. When choosing a technique, it is recommended to pay attention to the means by which complete relaxation will be achieved, and select a more convenient and easier method. There is no universal technique for everyone, so before starting classes it is advisable to explore all possible options, watch training videos and start practicing. The main rule for beginners is the complete absence of restrictions when choosing equipment.

In the following articles we will touch upon the topic of meditation more than once, including a detailed look at various techniques.

Preparing for Meditation

The stage preceding meditation requires special attention. It is necessary to create a certain mood suitable for practice. You should not try to achieve complete relaxation after vigorous activity, at the end of the working day, intense physical activity or after a heavy meal. In this case, for beginners it will be much more difficult to achieve the desired effect during the session.

A person’s mind must disconnect from habitual thoughts; only in this case is the correct course of practice possible. Before meditation, you must learn to abstract yourself from thoughts about unfinished work, financial difficulties and everyday problems. At the initial stages it is quite difficult to switch off from unnecessary thoughts and extraneous sounds, but with practice mastery will come. Careful preparation is the key to a successful session. The purpose of the preparatory stage is to create the most favorable conditions that will promote effective concentration and relaxation.

Warm up before practice

In order to prepare the body for practice, you need to devote some time to it. It will take approximately 5 minutes to relax and stretch the muscles.. Publicly available videos on the Internet will help you choose the appropriate warm-up option before the session, but you must take into account the fact that the preparatory load should not be overly intense, so it is recommended that you do simple exercises before starting meditation.

Example of muscle relaxation:

Stretching the back muscles. The ideal option would be to bend forward and backward, as well as left and right. A person should perform this exercise without causing tension or pain in the muscles. You can imagine yourself as a rag doll to make it easier to make the correct bends;
Relaxation of the neck muscles. Rotating your head clockwise and counterclockwise is ideal for achieving results. It is imperative to remember that all actions must be slow, smooth, without jerks;
Relieving muscle tension. In a standing position, raise your arms up and reach for the Sun, then slowly lower your arms down. In this exercise, you must allow your spine to stretch to its full possible length.

Best time

The basics of meditation determine the best time to practice. A number of experts believe that morning hours are ideal for practice. Explaining your recommendations by saying that awakening the body and setting it up for a long and fruitful day will be easier and more effective.

Also suitable times for the session are noon, 18.00 and midnight. This choice for meditation is associated with the movement of the Sun.

But these recommendations are general in nature, since the movement of the Sun changes depending on the time of year, so you should focus only on sunrise and sunset. Practice during these hours will be more effective, and it will be easier for a person to achieve a state of mental peace. But these classical recommendations are not mandatory and do not require strict implementation, therefore, if a person’s routine does not coincide with the movement of the Sun, then do not be upset. The benefits of proper meditation, regardless of the time chosen, will be much more tangible than a forced session.

Principles of correct posture

Posture plays an important role in meditation. Many people who have practiced meditation for a long time identify correct body position as the key to a successful session. Such close attention to body position is not paid lightly. Posture determines a person’s state of mind, attention and concentration. During exercise, the body serves as a support for the mind. To choose a body position, you must be guided by a simple rule - comfort. The chosen position should not create pain or tension in the muscles. Any inconvenience will not allow you to achieve complete relaxation.

Ideally, a person should not feel his body at all during exercise. Therefore, it is advisable to try out the poses before starting meditation and choose the one that suits you. The best body position during a session, in which a person can remain for a long time without muscle tension and with the least expenditure of energy. But lying down meditation is not the best option, since the consciousness must remain “alive”, and in this position this condition may not be achieved. The best options for practice are sitting poses.

The main principle of correct posture is the vertical position of the skeleton. In meditation, the spine, neck and head are kept straight. A straight back promotes the flow of energy to the upper centers. There is an opinion that the word “posture” is directly related to the Sanskrit word “asana” (yoga pose).

During the session, it is necessary to be aware of the correctness of the posture, but this does not mean at all that you cannot change the position of the body; beginners may have to adjust it several times.

For correct posture, even distribution of weight is important. In a sitting position, with a correctly selected position, the entire load of the upper body should fall on the pelvis. In this case, the balance should not be disturbed. With correct posture, the entire weight of the upper part should be evenly distributed between the two ischial tuberosities. In this case, the load on the muscles of the back and neck will be uniform. Often, to achieve maximum comfort and relaxation, many people use pillows and meditation benches.

We will definitely return to this topic and consider in detail all possible options for meditation poses!

Breath

Everything matters during a session. Successful meditation has several components. An inseparable component of the harmonious course of classes is proper breathing, which also acts as a means to achieve complete concentration and relaxation. Breathing can lead a person to the “Thoughtless Kingdom.”

The breathing cycle is an ideal tool for meditation, since it is always available to a person and occurs regardless of his consciousness.

Learning to breathe correctly is not difficult. Beginners should not try to practice complex breathing practices without the presence of an experienced master; it will be enough to learn a few basic techniques. During meditation, you should try to slow down the processes of inhaling and exhaling air. Each inhalation should give a feeling of peace and harmony, as if oxygen saturation fills the life vessel with positive energy, and when exhaling, a person gets rid of anxiety and negative emotions, cleansing his mind and soul from destruction and fear.

Ending a session

Meditation is a process that cannot be rushed. Often, having studied the basics of meditation for beginners, people completely forget about the correct completion of the process, which is an inseparable component of the entire practice as a whole. Careful and leisurely preparation for the start of the session requires a similar completion of practice. After finishing classes, you should not open your eyes faster and begin active actions.

A person has the opportunity to enjoy the achieved result for some time: clarity of consciousness and tranquility. A few minutes after finishing the practice, a person’s consciousness will be filled with familiar thoughts, and soon the mind will become active. It is undesirable to make sudden movements. Change your body position slowly. After meditation, it makes sense not to watch action-packed videos or listen to loud music for a while. The correct end of the session will allow you to smoothly complete the practice and achieve the desired effect from meditation.

If you decide to take up meditation, you shouldn’t perceive it as just another newfangled hobby or daily obligation. Such an attitude will not allow you to achieve an effective result, and can only create a negative experience. Practicing Eastern practices should become a time for a person to relax from the inexhaustible problems of the modern world and the endless flow of unfiltered information. Meditation does not tolerate clearly developed schedules, so you should not focus your attention on secondary aspects of practice. When performing relaxation and cleansing activities, you need to enjoy the process and enjoy the results achieved.

If meditation takes place in a state of tension and discomfort, then after the end of the session these negative feelings will only increase. Meditation is often compared to tuning a stringed musical instrument, in which tension and excessive loosening of the strings is unacceptable, since both of these actions will not lead to a harmonious sound.

The basics of meditation are awareness of your own feelings, so before starting a session you should listen to your feelings.

When experiencing tension, you should prepare your body and mind before meditation with deep relaxation, and if you are drowsy, tuning by concentrating on a specific subject is suitable.

Contraindications

Despite the enormous positive impact of oriental techniques, they still have certain contraindications and limitations for beginners, which must be taken into account before starting classes. Excessive physical fatigue or emotional overload will not be the best help for a session. Most likely, these factors will adversely affect the course of meditation, preventing the person from completely relaxing and concentrating. It is not recommended to meditate near sources of strong electromagnetic fields or in polluted air.

Experienced meditators recommend avoiding practicing on a full stomach, since after eating, all the body’s energy should be directed to digesting food. During the session, you should turn off your phone and try to choose a time so that no one can interfere with your classes. Compliance with these simple restrictions will allow the beginner to get as close as possible to his goal.

The end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries marked the beginning of a turn “to the east” for Eurocentric culture. The perception of Asia as a territory of “backward” peoples is gradually becoming a thing of the past, and the West is borrowing the cultural values of the East. At the turn of the century, the Theosophical Society of Helena Blavatsky (1831-1891) appeared, based on the ideas of ancient Indian philosophy. In the first half of the century, the spouses Nicholas Roerich (1874–1947) and Helena Roerich (1879–1955) brought to Russia and other countries the philosophical and ethical teaching of Agni Yogi (Living Ethics), which uses meditation as the main method of improving consciousness. Buddhism slowly penetrated the West: departments of Buddhist studies were created in the largest European and American universities; Sacred texts from Pali, Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan, Mongolian and other languages of eastern peoples were actively translated. Spiritualist groups contributed a lot to the popularization of the East, organizing open shows with elements of yoga, Buddhist meditation and other exotic things.

Meditation and psychoanalysis

In the twentieth century, meditation began to be used for psychotherapeutic purposes. The founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud (1856–1939), wrote about meditation in Cultural Dissatisfaction: “My friend convinced me that by practicing yoga, renouncing the world, focusing on bodily functions and using unconventional breathing techniques , one can achieve virtually new sensations and possibilities in oneself, which he considers as a return to primitive forms of the mind, long forgotten.” Freud considered meditation a religious method characteristic of the primitive stage of personality development.

Swiss psychiatrist, founder of analytical psychology Carl Jung (Carl Gustav Jung, 1875–1961) experienced a noticeable influence of Zen Buddhism (a movement in Mahayana Buddhism, the most important place in which is occupied by meditation and contemplation). In his memoirs of a trip to India in 1938, Jung mentioned: “At that time I read many works of Indian philosophy and the history of religion and was deeply convinced of the value of Eastern wisdom.” Jung used some deep meditation techniques and yoga. However, he warned Europeans against "attempting to imitate Eastern practices." “As a rule, nothing comes of this except an artificial retreat of our Western reason,” Jung wrote in his work “On the Psychology of Eastern Religions and Philosophies.” - Of course, whoever is ready to renounce Europe in everything and really become only a yogi, with all the ensuing ethical and practical consequences, who is ready to sit on the skin of a gazelle under a banyan tree and spend his days in a serene non-existence - I am ready to recognize such a person as that he understood yoga in the Indian style.” Jung was convinced that for Western man it is much more important to return to his own nature without the use of systems and methods that suppress and control human nature.

By the late 1950s, interest in Zen Buddhism increased. This was largely facilitated by the popularizer of Zen Buddhism in the West, professor of Buddhist philosophy at Otani University, Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki (1870–1966) - he translated the fundamental texts of the Zen tradition, wrote more than a hundred works on Zen and Buddhism. “The pursuit of human well-being through the study of his nature is a common feature inherent in both Zen Buddhism and psychoanalysis,” wrote the American psychologist and philosopher of German origin, one of the founders of neo-Freudianism, Erich Fromm (1900–1980) in the introduction in the book "Zen Buddhism and Psychoanalysis". Fromm meditated regularly and was familiar with advanced meditation techniques. He noted the amazing similarities between Zen and psychoanalysis - common goals, common ethical orientation, independence from authorities.

East Wind of the New Era

Disillusioned with traditional, including Christian, values, the youth of the 1950s - 1960s enthusiastically rushed in search of something new. The increased interest in Eastern religions and cults after the Second World War acquired a very unique form. The rapid development of the media and the emergence of previously inaccessible literature about Eastern teachings coincided with the rapid development of the media. Since the early 1970s, the history of the New Age movement began, including many religious and occult organizations. The famous American political historian David Marshall wrote in the book “The New Age Against the Gospel, or the Greatest Challenge to Christianity”: “The alluring fragrance of Eastern religions mixed with the fading embers of hippie culture and with the hedonism of pop culture, “preparing” a very strong cocktail... Gurus fly to the West, buying a one-way ticket only. Young people from the West are flying to the East in search of a guru."

In Russia, interest in meditation emerged during perestroika and reached its peak in the early 1990s. A 1996 VTsIOM survey found that 2% of Russians practiced meditation as a way to restore psychological balance.

Within the framework of the New Age, numerous schools and teachings were formed (and continue to appear now). Many of them are based on various contemplative techniques: Buddhist, yogic, Taoist and others. The founder of his own mystical teaching, the Indian religious figure Osho (Osho, 1931–1990), paid great attention to making meditation a lifestyle and himself developed several meditative techniques based on movement and breathing, accompanied by music. Philosopher and spiritual teacher Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov (1900–1986) dealt with issues of human self-improvement. The author of his own religious and mystical teaching, Jiddu Krishnamurti (1896–1986), insisted that meditation should not have a technique. He proposed observational meditation: if you observe yourself, that is meditation. Various meditation techniques were proposed by Carlos Castaneda (1925–1998), whose best-selling books sparked a surge of interest in mysticism, psychedelics, and new levels of consciousness.

Transcendental Meditation

On February 5, 2008, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1917–2008), creator of the transcendental meditation technique, died at the age of 91. In 1958, Maharishi organized the Spiritual Revival Movement in India to spread the technique of transcendental meditation (TM) and the Vedic knowledge on which it is based. In 1959 he came to the USA, organized a permanent center of the Movement, and then to Europe. In 1961, Maharishi conducted the first TM teacher training course. In 1968, members of The Beatles began to study with Maharishi, which only contributed to the growing popularity of his teachings. Currently, there are already about 6 million people in the world who have learned the TM technique. TM practitioners close their eyes for 20 minutes twice a day and repeat mantras to relax, gain clarity of thought, and improve well-being.

Maharishi, who received a degree in physics from the University of Allahabad, purified meditation from the occult, mysticism and esotericism. Immediately after arriving in the United States, he called for research to scientifically prove the positive effects of TM. According to the organization itself, over the past 40 years, scientists from two hundred universities and research institutes in thirty-five countries have conducted over six hundred scientific studies of meditation, the results of which are collected in six volumes of the collection “Scientific Research on Transcendental Meditation and the TM-Sidhi Program.”

The first researcher of the physiological effect of TM was Robert Wallace (

When we embark on the path of contemplation, we naturally look for something to support our efforts. With this in mind, let us briefly consider Eastern and Western meditation. There are clear differences in the metaphysical foundations of the East and West. The West revolved around the theistic model, recognizing the existence of a personal God. The East created its spiritual wealth without constantly invoking a personified deity. Life in the West was directed towards the world.

Life in the east was turned away from the world. In view of our political and religious foundations, the esoteric path was preserved only in a hidden form. Under such conditions, the Western family tree of mysticism turned out to be very meager. It is also important that the Western mystical tradition was transmitted and written down in a symbolic language, which was supposed to protect and hide mystical experience from unwanted eyes. Historically, cultural and political conditions in the east have fostered the emergence of numerous spiritual lineages.

The West has only recently developed means of insight into the nature of being and becoming. Psychology has become our avenue of research. The East also has its own psychology, which, however, is in close proximity to the spiritual method of cognition. These two levels of experience are not seen as separate from each other, but together, as belonging to each other. Just as the methods of psychology are concerned with the inner, personal world of a person, it would be useful to consider the available exercises, especially Eastern meditation, as something transpersonal and transpersonal.

Western Meditation is Therapy

In contrast to Eastern meditation, the West placed very little importance on the subjective life experienced in sleep or tension. In the 20th century, only the works of Carl Jung managed to redirect our attention to the inner world of the psyche. By exploring in detail his inner life in dreams, visions and contemplations, Jung discovered a new continent. This was a great shock to Western thinking. But for the East, the inner world was not something unknown. Western developments in meditation are entirely based on the works of Jung. Much has been gained from the creative or active imagination, and here lies the fundamental difference between the two approaches.

Eastern meditation does not seek to exploit or interfere with the life of the mind, but, on the contrary, seeks to rise above it and reach the level of transcendence. The Western mind, which is still tormented by the discovery of the inner life, is perhaps not ready for such a goal. When we embark on the path of meditation, we need to remember the differences in underlying cultural foundations. As individuals, we cannot, as easily as we would like, reject our cultural upbringing.

In their study, Brown and Engler asked an Asian Buddhist teacher why Western students were slower to reach more advanced stages of meditation. He replied: “Many Western students do not meditate, they practice healing. They are not deeply engaged in gaining mindfulness.” Perhaps Western students should spend more time immersed in the content of meditation than in the process itself, since we have denied both for so long. As the authors say, commenting on the situation in the United States: “In this country, meditation is only a form of therapy for many.” Perhaps this is what we need.

Main Differences

Some studies have shown that Eastern and Western students respond differently to classical methods. Having neglected the subjective world for so long, Western students seem to be absorbed in the contents of the inner world. Initial meditative training leads to an increase in fantasies, daydreams, dreams, imagination and some spontaneous return of past memories that cause oppressive or conflicting feelings.

Engler and Brown's second study showed that Western students are occupied, even captured, by images, memories, and inner sensations. Such a manifestation perhaps reflects our deep shock caused by the discovery of the inner world. In this case, satisfaction with what is available is a legitimate, but temporary stage. When the Eastern student is ready to move on, past the contents of mental experiences, his Western counterpart is less interested in this. It should be noted that in most Eastern meditation practices the eyelids are lowered, but not closed. This prevents the imagination from running wild. In contrast, in the West, the eyes are often closed, which facilitates the emergence of mental images. Although some Eastern practitioners use creative imagination, Westerners rarely try to empty their minds during meditation.

Each person is unique; each of us has enormous potential to realize ourselves and our capabilities to achieve everything we want. Through your own experience, living it in its entirety, and not from books or teaching aids, you find yourself, revealing the full strength and power of your potential and capabilities. You can be nobody, you can fit into the framework and parameters set by society, or you can create yourself anew, gain complete independence and freedom from other people’s opinions, judgments and any obligations. The choice is yours. .

One of the oldest practices of establishing contacts with the unconscious, which existed among many peoples in many cultural paradigms, is, of course, meditation practice. Today meditation techniques is associated primarily with Eastern culture, and this is not surprising - it was there that they reached their greatest flourishing and became most widespread as one of the means of religious liberation.

However, meditation techniques existed among different peoples living in various regions of the globe. Meditation was known in the ancient world in the “philosophical ecstasy” of the Platonists and Neoplatonists, in the Jewish Kabbalah and the “exercises” of the Jesuits, in Sufi and Christian practices.

In the “civilized world,” meditative techniques became widespread thanks to the hippie movement in the 60s, who considered meditation a way to achieve harmony with oneself and the world. And although the hippies themselves subsequently sank into oblivion, the fashion for meditation remained in wide circles of the population. And it was not just preserved, but reliably entered into psychotherapeutic practice as a means of combating stress and anxiety, a way of deep relaxation and achieving inner harmony.

The effectiveness of meditative techniques is explained by the phenomenology of meditative trance - a state in which there is no thinking, but awareness and presence here and now remain. Due to this, a state of peace, tranquility and unity with the outside world is achieved. From a medical point of view, the effect of a meditative trance is achieved in the brain through the interaction of the cerebellar amygdala and neocortex, as well as the activation of the temporal lobes of the brain and areas associated with attention. At the same time, the activity of the parietal zones decreases. This affects a slight increase in alpha and gamma waves, a weakening of the heartbeat, a decrease in blood pressure, a decrease in oxygen consumption, a slowdown in metabolism, an increase in the production of endorphin (the “pleasure hormone”) and muscle relaxation under its influence. With regular meditation practice, this leads to improved functioning of the nervous and cardiovascular systems, strengthened immunity, improved sleep and reduced stress levels.

Meditation practice

Traditionally, the main types of meditative techniques are distinguished: meditation on emptiness, the goal of which is enlightenment, and directed meditation with concentration on some object, color, image. Often the goal of guided meditations is to enter into meditation on emptiness and, which is not particularly original, again enlightenment. The simplest way to meditate is to focus on breathing. Breathing is easy and free, the body is relaxed (therefore the posture should be comfortable), the mind is empty, and only the breathing process remains in the field of attention. All extraneous thoughts (and in this case, all thoughts are extraneous) are gently and easily driven away. According to enlightened yogis or Buddhist practitioners, ideally a meditative state should be present at every moment of life, in any type of activity.

From this, in particular, comes the concept of dynamic meditations - for example, the Chinese practice of taijiquan, which combines meditative techniques, bodily practices and martial art. By focusing attention on movement and bodily sensations, a state of meditative trance is achieved, which leads, along with other effects of meditative practice, to a deeper assimilation of body control skills. Another example of dynamic meditation is the Chinese tea ceremony, which turns a socio-cultural event into a ritual that creates its own special space with special energy.

The next type of meditative technique practiced by Eastern mystics is meditation on the universe. This can be a meditation on a star, in which the meditator strives to tune in to the same wavelength with it, and then become one with it, or a meditation about the universe, in which the meditator strives to expand his consciousness, making it limitless, like the universe, to embrace everything worlds and the processes that take place in them, and identify with them.

Another type of meditation practice practiced in Eastern esoteric systems is energy meditation, the purpose of which is to control the movement of energy in the meridians and chakras.

It is also worth noting psychotherapeutic meditations, the task of which is to solve any psychological problem or task. In accordance with the current task, processes and images that represent the object of meditation are selected. Any type of meditation contributes to the development of that basic state, which is the basis for establishing contacts with the unconscious.

Alexey Nedozrelov

Excerpt from the book “Reserves of the Human Psyche: A Sign System of Communication with the Unconscious”

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