1.Introduction
We all know that there are countless benefits to meditation!
However, it seems that some people find it easier to fall into a state of relaxation than others, especially with the hectic pace of life we lead.
Therefore, astrology comes once again to give us a hand with some tricks to know how to approach meditation, depending on our Zodiac Sign and its particular features.
So, don’t get discouraged so quickly if you notice that generic guidelines don’t seem to fit you! This article will help you turn this ancient practice into your daily routine.
2.What is Meditation?
While meditation is not the cure-all solution to every problem, it certainly helps to understand the root of where they come from: our mind.
Today’s industry wants us to believe that happiness is out there and we must always strive a little harder to achieve it. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
Therefore, meditation means a practice in which the mind is trained to induce a state of awareness. This helps to achieve some specific purpose, such as recognizing a mental content without becoming identified with it, or as an end itself.
However, despite the fact that the best-known way to perform meditation is to sit down and breathe, there are different methods that lead to the same state of awareness and relaxation. By practicing them, it is possible to understand pain, lower stress levels, and increase consciousness.
So, with all these benefits, it seems a bit far-fetched not to give it a chance!
3.Meditation & Astrology
Astrology provides an understanding of the different and unique features and behavioral patterns that each individual has. Since we are millions of unique beings, having a starting point from which to understand each other is very helpful!
Each Zodiac Sign is ruled by a different planet, which greatly intervenes in the way each person observes reality and interacts with others. Therefore, it is a powerful tool of self-knowledge that connects each individual with their true purpose in life.
This is why Meditation and Astrology have so much in common! Beyond the external hustle and bustle and the numerous solutions offered to find happiness, the winning method is to rediscover our inner Self, beyond the social masks we show to the world.
4.What Are the Benefits of Meditation?
The benefits of meditation are probably far more than we can mention. However, you can find below a list of the most important to improve our overall well being:
- Reduce your stress levels:
The biggest ailment that affects a great number of people on the planet is stress and anxiety.
It may not seem like it, but these are not natural states for human nature. Yet, the hectic pace of life has become so prevalent that it has grown part of our daily routine.
However, it is not healthy to adapt to a sick society. Therefore, meditation helps you to stop worrying about the future and focus on your present state of consciousness, which is always a blissful one.
- Increases happiness:
It would seem absurd that, through breathing, one can attain ultimate peace. However, this is because we are used to the idea that we can only be satisfied with financial success and with material possessions.
So, putting concerns aside and focusing on the present is the real trick to achieve real happiness.
- Raise awareness and focus:
By reducing the intensity of your mental state, the negative thoughts and worries which tend to occupy your mind will disappear.
Afterward, you will make some room for other states of mind, such as optimism and confidence, and they will become part of your everyday life.
- Release pain:
There were not always fast-acting pills to free us from physical and mental pain. The fact is, our true nature is not designed to mitigate discomfort in such ways.
Actually, within us lies the key to finding relief, which is through mindfulness and meditation practice.
- Enhance creativity and compassion:
Remember when you were a child and anytime seems like a great opportunity to share with others and play?
Well, the practice of meditation gradually leads you to connect with that creative and loving spirit that is currently clogged by daily stress.
So, after a while in this practice, you can once again feel spontaneous and youthful, full of energy for creating and not just for following other people’s rules.
5. Different Types of Meditation
Now that you are inspired by the wide range of benefits that meditation brings, we can delve a little deeper into some of the different techniques available to reach that unique state of relaxation and spiritual connection.
- Vipassana:
Probably the most traditional and well-known method of the ancient cultures. This technique consists of “seeing things as they are”, that is, being aware of everything that surrounds us, without interfering with it.
By doing so, you will be able to focus on the here and now, releasing the mind from intrusive thoughts and suffering.
- Guided meditations:
If you are not familiar with meditation, guided techniques are great to start with.
It consists of following a master’s instructions to, step by step, get into a deeper state of mindfulness.
The most valuable part is that you don’t have to work hard to reach the goal of the practice! Just follow the instructions and you are ready to go.
- Chakra meditation:
A chakra is an energetic center in our body, and we have seven of them, each located in a different area of the body and each associated with a different color, sound, and energetic purpose.
Chakra meditations can be very powerful, especially when focused and connected to one element in the physical or emotional body at a time.
Many chakra meditations use sound, specific hand placement, and visualization techniques to connect with the chakras and their healing energy.
- Tonglen Meditation:
This is a Tibetan Buddhist type of meditation and is characterized by the person practicing it connecting with their own suffering in an effort to overcome it. Our culture teaches us to avoid grief and run away from it, just the opposite of what Tonglen meditation does.
This kind of meditation teaches you how to deal with difficult situations in life. It enables you to cope with them by developing an attitude of acceptance of suffering and dropping negativity. It is also called giving and receiving meditation and cultivates compassion and empathy through breathing and visualization. The practice can be done in any comfortable sitting or reclining position.
- Active Meditation:
If you want to practice meditation but think you don’t have the patience for traditional types, then active meditation is for you.
It is a technique in which your body will remain in constant activity and, simultaneously, it offers you a high degree of relaxation and concentration. Moreover, you will connect with your inner self and this will provide you with high doses of energy and vitality.
- Primordial Sound Meditation
Primordial Sound Meditation is a mantra-based meditation technique rooted in the Vedic tradition of India.
A mantra is a repeated phrase that helps us to reach the state of relaxation and awareness that leads to a meditative state. The mantras are not random phrases but are sacred sounds that the sages of antiquity used for their meditative practice, because of their great harmonizing power.
During meditation, it is necessary to repeat this mantra silently, because it creates a vibration that allows you to place in a quiet space away from the noise of the mind, reaching calm and pure consciousness.
- Metta or Benevolent Love Meditation:
Metta or Benevolent Love meditation has its meaning in unconditional kindness and friendship. This style of meditation also has its origin in Buddhist teachings, mainly Tibetan Buddhism.
As scientific studies show, compassion and this form of kind and loving meditation have proven to be particularly helpful in boosting empathy, positivity, acceptance, and compassion towards oneself and others.
Anyone with low self-esteem, high levels of self-criticism, and a desire to be more empathetic to others can benefit from this practice.
- Zazen Meditation:
Although this type of meditation focuses on breathing and observing thoughts and experiences as they pass through the mind, as in Vipassana meditation, there are some differences between the two types of techniques.
One main practical difference is that in Zazen meditation, the emphasis of the breath is on the belly, rather than the nose (as in Vipassana).
Another major difference is that the posture is much stricter in Zen meditation than in Vipassana, with special attention to the spine straight, the chin down and the hands placed in a special position on the belly.
Zazen meditation is recommended for those who already have previous experience with meditation practice.
