Mediation and its daily practice is a centuries-old phenomenon. People of ancient times were also known about mediation and its advantages. Today, people love to incorporate meditation as an essential part of their lives to bring a great difference in their attitudes and lifestyle. The procedure of mediation involves various postures and steps. Following are the most common postures which are considered a daily guide to success.
1. Cross-Legged Posture:
Most of the spiritual customs and rituals as well as meditation instructors suggest a number of physical postures for meditation. Cross-legged is one of the most popular postures, which is in fact a lotus position. In this posture, the spinal cord should be straight. Slouching is not allowed in the majority of meditative positions. The reason behind this is that when a person sits by keeping the spinal cord straight, it enhances the good circulation of spiritual energy- a life force.
2. Seated posture:
In this posture, the meditator needs to sit on a chair with bare feet. In traditional Christianity, a meditator can sit on a stool instead of a chair. On the other hand, a meditator bemoaning Theravada Buddhism can walk in mindfulness. Walking meditation of religious people is termed as bas-relief in Sukhothai (Thailand). In this posture, the meditator is required to sit by keeping his back straight to hold his spine, and thighs parallel to the ground you are sitting on. There should be no inclination in head alignment. The mediator's hands should rest on the arm's chair comfortably or on his knees in case of floor sitting.
3. Kneeling posture:
In this posture, the meditator kneels on the floor with his buttocks relaxing on his heels and toes. Their hands will rest on his thighs.
4. Corpse posture:
This is a lying-down-style posture. In yoga, this position is called savasana. The technique of this posture is that the meditator has to rest on the carpet by keeping his legs relaxed plus straight. However, it is a less commonly used posture because there are chances that meditators' may fall asleep. It is due to the resemblance of the corpse's posture with the natural sleeping position. So, this posture is usually used to reduce stress instead of for meditation purposes.
5. Hand gestures:
Hand gestures and incorporating mudras have theological importance behind them. These gestures affect the meditator's consciousness according to Yogic philosophy. The position of the Buddhist hand is the best example.
In addition, there are numerous still repetitive activities that incorporate each other bringing outstanding meditative results in the performer's life. These activities include deep breathing, chanting, and humming.
The time interval and frequency vary according to different meditation techniques. Lifetime meditation generally belongs to religious people like monks, nuns, etc. On the other hand, 20 to 30 minutes is a widely accepted time span for mediation. This duration may increase for the experienced meditators as the process continues. Instructions and advice from a Spiritual teacher are required to get the maximum advantages of meditation.
Most meditation methods need practice on a routine basis. Determination and acceptance are required to get successful results from meditation. This will aid you in extended hours of meditation.