2 INCREDIBLE MEDITATIONS FOR RELAXATION & PEACE

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If you are new to the world of meditations the first thing I would like you to know is that meditations are a secular, non-religious, practice that will not challenge any of your belief systems. All that meditations ask you to do is to breath in and out slowly, and to focus. 

There is an almost infinite amount of meditations out there, but despite their uniqueness, they all, at bottom, aim to achieve the same thing: help you focus, increase self-awareness, and feel relaxation.  My meditations are no exception, and the reason why I chose to publish them, is not because they have anything original to them, but because I am highly aware that much of the efficacy of a guided meditation, is in the pleasantness that is felt in the guiding voice, a pleasantness that each listener will judge according to their ear. 

If my meditations fails to relax you, allow yourself to look for similar meditations that have a guiding voice which 1you resonate with. If, on the other hand, my voice soothes you, bookmark it and return to it as many times as you can. The benefits of meditating are incredible, and all backed up by science.

Let's now have a look at the specific benefits and uses of the two specific meditations I published, one called Metta Meditation, and the other a Body Scan Meditation.

METTA MEDITATION

Metta meditation, also known as loving-kindness meditation, is a form of mindfulness practice that focuses on cultivating feelings of love, compassion, and goodwill toward oneself and others. It is a meditation technique rooted in Buddhist traditions but has gained popularity in various mindfulness and therapeutic contexts.  The word "Metta" comes from the Pali language, and it is often translated as "loving-kindness" or "benevolence." Metta meditation can be a powerful tool for reducing stress and anxiety, and improving one's overall sense of well-being. Regular practice can help promote positive emotions, empathy, and a greater sense of interconnectedness with others. 

Numerous ongoing studies have found Metta meditation to reduce levels of stress hormones like cortisol, promoting relaxation and a sense of calm, as well as increased feelings of happiness, well-being, and life satisfaction. Neuroimaging studies have indicated that Metta meditation can lead to structural changes in the brain, particularly in regions associated with emotional processing and empathy. Because of this, Metta meditation has been shown to decrease negative emotions such as anger, resentment, and hostility, with some studies suggesting that Metta meditation may have a role in pain management, particularly in cases of chronic pain conditions. 

BODY SCAN MEDITATION

Body scan meditations are a type of mindfulness practice that involves systematically focusing your attention on different parts of your body, typically starting from your head and moving down to your toes. 

Engaging in body scan meditations can be seen as a form of self-care. It's an opportunity to give yourself a break from the busyness of life, take time to nurture your well-being, and check in with how you're feeling physically and emotionally. At it’s root, like all other meditation practices, a body-scan meditation improves your self-awareness, a factor science recognises to be well implicated in well-being.

This practice can be useful for a variety of reasons and can benefit individuals in several ways:

Stress Reduction:  Body scan meditations can help reduce stress and anxiety by promoting relaxation and a sense of calm. By paying close attention to physical sensations and letting go of tension, individuals can alleviate the physical symptoms of stress.

This brings me to point two: 

Pain Management:  Some people use body scan meditations as a tool for managing chronic pain. Often times, we try to deny or avoid painful emotions and sensations on our bodies, only to wake up to a much bigger problem later on. Pain grows in the fertile soils of denial. By focusing on the physical sensations associated with pain, individuals can often reduce the perception of pain and improve their ability to cope with it.

Emotional Regulation: Because there is a tight relationship between physical tension and psychological stress, body scan meditations not only assist with pain or physical stress management, but also with emotional regulation in general. For example, if you were to notice physical tension in your stomach or shoulder associated with stress or anxiety, you would learn to release the physical tension in your stomach or shoulder, and this in turn would help you release stress and anxiety and manage your emotional condition better.

Better Sleep:  Practicing a body scan meditation before bed can promote relaxation and improve the quality of your sleep, and the benefits are likely to extend throughout the following day. It can help you let go of the tensions and worries that may keep you awake, bringing your physical well-being at the forefront of your awareness. Once you are in a better place of emotional regulation, your work day, family interactions and relaxing times will all improve to a certain degree.

With improved sleep, Improved Concentration will follow, but in and of itself a regular practice of body scan meditations can enhance your ability to concentrate and stay focused. By training your mind to pay attention to specific sensations, you can apply this skill to other areas of your life. Focusing is a skill that transfers across all skills.

Finally, Body scan meditations can contribute to a healthier body image and improved self-acceptance. They allow you to develop a more compassionate and non-judgmental relationship with your body, because in a body-scan meditation you approach each sensation of your body with the same neutrality. By the end of it, there are no parts of your body that have not been acknowledged and accepted as they are in the here and now.

DIFFERENCES IN THESE MEDITATIONS & WHEN TO USE THEM

Focus and Intention: Metta meditation centers on the cultivation of positive emotions through the use of phrases or affirmative words, while body scan meditation focuses on present bodily sensations and awareness. Metta meditation aims to generate feelings of love and compassion, by triggering the mind to focus deeply into these, whereas body scan meditation aims to increase awareness of the physical body to generate compassion towards the body itself.

Subject and Direction: Metta meditation involves directing loving-kindness wishes toward oneself and others, and is therefore relationship focused, whereas body scan meditation typically progresses through a systematic scan of the body's sensations, and is therefore more self-focused. Body Scan Meditation is more suited to self-care routines or to release particular body tensions in the same way that yoga may do so. Metta meditation on the other hand is particularly useful for depression and rumination, both of which are very self-focused narrowing states, and also feelings of resentment and the need to achieve forgiveness.

Both Metta and Body Scan Meditations are valuable practices, but they serve slightly different purposes and offer distinct benefits. Depending on your goals and needs, you may find one or both of these practices beneficial in your daily life.

Look after your Heart,

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