Meditation

Transcendental Meditation Techniques

Many religious groups, as well as adherents of Transcendental Meditation techniques, talk of using a sound, or “mantra” to help with learning how to meditate, and indeed this can be helpful. The constant repetition of a phrase, focus of attention upon the sound. The Hare Krishna movement is well-known for its repetitive chant that is repeated over and over again, and can lead to its members seeming to become “high” – showing the effects of endorphin release as one of the benefits of meditation.

With these guided meditation techniques, an effortless sound, repeated with the natural rhythm of breathing, can have the same soothing, mentally liberating effect as the constant natural sound of running water, rustling leaves or a beating heart. The single sound, or mantra as it is known, is used to blot out the “chatter” of intrusive thoughts, allowing the mind to find repose.

Speaking or chanting a mantra as a stream of endless sound is a very ancient method of heightening a person’s awareness by concentrating the senses. The simple gentle sound “om”, or “aum”, is sometimes known as the first mantra, which is literally an instrument of thought.

The curving Sanskrit (the ancient language of Hindus in India) symbol for this primordial word represents the various states of consciousness: waking, dreaming, deep dreamless sleep and the transcendental state.

However, when using these guided meditation techniques, or if you are just learning how to meditate, the sound need not be a special word, or incantation; something simple and meaningful will be as, if not more, effective. The sound of the word “calm” spoken or thought with each breath breathed out can be very, very effective, especially while imagining tension leaving your body and a calmness developing.

The word “relax” when used with these meditation techniques seems to match other people’s needs in a similar way. Any word that appeals to you will do, repeated with the flow of breath, silently in the mind, or out loud. This clears the mind, slows the breathing and allows relaxation, both mental and physical, to develop – the true benefits of meditation.