Meditation Exercises and Activities to Practice

 

A meditation exercise can be as simple as doing some deep breathing, or as complex as repeating a mantra or doing Transcendental meditation. Any activity that helps to quiet the mind could be considered a meditative activity, even sitting outside and quietly watching the world go by.

There are many types of meditations, including but not limited to:

• Deep breathing exercises
• Relaxation exercises
• Guided Imagery and Visualization
• Focused Attention Meditation
• Loving-kindness Meditation
• Progressive Relaxation Meditation
• Body Scan Meditation
• Mindfulness Meditation
• Awareness of the Breath Meditation
• Transcendental Meditation
• Zen Meditation
• Yoga Meditation
  

  1. The Stimulating Breath (Bellows Breath)

  The stimulating breath or bellows breath is a great way to boost your energy. This type of breathing practice is often done in yoga to help increase Prana, or life force energy.

  The stimulating breath can help you increase your energy and help you be more alert. The bellows breath is a safe practice, but it could make you dizzy initially until your body gets used to the increased energy.

  Strive for no more than 15 seconds or so on your first try, working up to a minute. Each time you practice this breath, you can increase your time little by little.

• Sit up tall with your back straight and relax your shoulders.
• Begin inhaling and exhaling rapidly through your nose. Keep your mouth closed but relaxed. The in and out breaths should be equal in duration, but as short and quick as possible. The bellows breath is a noisy breathing exercise.
• Try for three complete breath cycles per second. As you breathe, you will notice a quick movement of the diaphragm, like a bellows.

 

2. Relaxing Breathing (4-7-8) Exercise

The 4-7-8 breathing exercise is a straightforward technique, as well. It involves breathing in while counting to four, holding the breath to the count of seven, and exhaling to the count of eight.
This technique is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system. However, you should not do more than four breaths at one time initially because it may leave you feeling lightheaded.

1. Sit with a straight back and relax your shoulders.
2. Place your tongue tip against the tissue behind your upper front teeth and try and keep your tongue in place as you breathe.
3. Inhale through your nose to a count of four.
4. Hold your breath for seven seconds.
5. Exhale through your mouth for approximately eight seconds.

This is considered one cycle of breath. You may repeat this three or four more times.

The most important thing about this exercise is the 4-7-8 ratio. If you have trouble holding your breath for seven seconds, you can speed the practice up

 

3. Counting the Breath

Counting the breath is another good exercise.

1. Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight. Qclose your eyes and take a few deep breaths in and out breathe naturally.
2. Now, as you inhale, mentally count to one and slowly exhale.
3. Inhale again, counting to two, and slowly exhale.
4. Repeat this cycle as long as you feel like doing it, counting as you go.

 

3 Exercises to Help with Anxiety and Stress

 1. The Body Scan Meditation

The body scan meditation, or body awareness, is an exercise that allows you to tune out distractions while focusing on various areas of the body.

Body Scanning is a great technique that helps you become more aware of how you are feeling in any given moment.

Excess muscle tension exacerbates muscle pain, headaches, and fatigue, and scanning the body can help you prevent the build-up of pressure.

1. Get into a comfortable position. You can sit or lie down.
2. Close your eyes for a deeper practice.
3. Starting with your feet and toes, tune into and pay attention to any sensations you feel, like pain or discomfort. You may also notice sensations like tingling, stinging, aching or throbbing.
4. Take a nice deep breath in through your nose, exhaling through the mouth, releasing the uncomfortable sensation. Allow that area of your body to release, loosen up, and soften.
5. Work your way up the body, paying attention to how you feel as you focus on the legs, the hips, the back, the stomach, the chest, the neck and shoulders, the arms and hands, and finally the face.
6. Move progressively up your body, focusing on each muscle group one at a time.

 

2. Diaphragmatic Breathing

Diaphragmatic breathing or abdominal breathing is another good way to ease stress and anxiety. Breathing in this manner produces the relaxation response in the body, which allows the respiratory system to function correctly.

Breathing shallow can often contribute to feelings of anxiety, panic, or stress. Practicing abdominal breathing allows the mind and body to slow down and relax.

1. Lie on your back on a supportive surface. Bend your knees and support your head with a pillow. You may also place a pillow under your knees.
2. Place one hand on your chest and the other below your rib cage. Breathe in deeply through your nose so you can feel the hand on your stomach gently rising.
3. Allow the muscles of your stomach to tense and tighten as you exhale through your lips.
4. Practice this breathing technique for about 5-10 minutes 3-4 times a day if possible. This type of deep breathing is excellent for stress, and it helps calm and relaxes you.

 

3. Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation is a simple exercise where you tense and release all the muscles in your body, working your way up from the feet and toes to the head.

The exercise is designed to help the body progressively relax, just like the name sounds. This technique can help decrease muscle tension, fatigue, neck and back pain, or even muscle spasms.

This technique also reduces the physiological tension caused by thoughts that tend to provoke anxiety.

In this exercise, you should strive to tense and then relax all of those large muscles in the body. This should be done systematically either working your way down from the head or up from the feet and toes.

Deep muscle relaxation helps reduce physiological tension as well.

1. Get into a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down.
2. Strive to tense and then release each large muscle or muscle group for about five seconds or so, then relax the muscles.
3. Begin by taking a few deep breaths from the abdomen. Tense, hold, and relax each large muscle group, working your way up or down the body.
4. Try and notice the contrast between a tensed state and a relaxed state inhaling as you tense the muscle and exhaling as you relax and let go.
5. Once you have mastered this technique, you can then do a quick version in which whole muscle groups are tensed and relaxed simultaneously.

   2 Meditation Exercises for Better Sleep

   1. Visualization

   Visualization is a beautiful way to calm and relax the body, and it can also help you sleep. Anytime you use your imagination, you are in essence, daydreaming and visualizing.

   Visualization for relaxation and sleep utilizes the imagination to create a mental location where the mind can be calm, and the body can be relaxed.

6. Start by closing your eyes and imagining in your mind a peaceful and relaxing place like a beach or a park.
7. Allow your imagination to feel and see everything, using all of your senses. Feel the warm sun, hear the ocean, or watch the birds.
8. If stressful thoughts enter your mind, acknowledge them, and dismiss them.

   1. Walking Meditation

   Nothing is simpler than a walking meditation. A walking meditation is a great choice for those who like the outdoors or for those who have trouble sitting still and clearing their mind.

   In walking meditation, you walk silently and contemplatively. Walking is very calming for the mind, body, and spirit. If you find yourself stressed, one of the best things you can do is to get outside and move and take a break. Taking a short walk, or even a long walk is simple to do, and it can help ease away stress and anxiety.

9. Start by finding a suitable location, a peaceful place where you won’t be disturbed or observed.
10. Walk 10-15 steps and then pause and breathe for as long as you like.
11. Observe the environment around you. Stop and contemplate the trees, the foliage, the flowers, and even the ground you are standing on. Notice all the little details.
12. You can also observe as you walk. The idea behind the practice is to walk silently and with a sense of deep contemplation.
13. You can also focus on the sound of your footsteps as you walk and notice how your feet hit the ground.

A walking meditation involves very deliberate thinking and doing a series of actions that you usually do automatically.