Meditation is one of the five principles of Yoga. Meditation and yoga goes hand by hand. It is the practice by which there is constant observation of the mind. It necessitates you to focus your mind at one point and make your mind still in order to observe the ‘self’ in you.
Through the practice of meditation, you will achieve a greater sense of purpose and strength of will. It also helps you achieve a clearer mind, improve your concentration, and discover the wisdom and tranquillity within you.
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Actually meditation is needed after practising yoga. Yoga helps significantly in improving our meditation practice. There are four ways in which yoga will help you in doing your meditation.
Flexibility:
In meditation you have to sit still for long durations. For that you need a strength and flexibility in your muscles. By practising yoga you can achieve strength and flexibility in your body and this will help you to do your meditation comfortably for as much time as you want.Try to practice the yoga asanas or postures which are helpful in strengthening your hip and lower back muscles like cobra pose.
Energy:
Always remember that more energy will be there in your body for doing meditation after doing yoga practice. Practising yoga helps your body to release more endorphin and this result in more energy coming in your body.So if you are feeling low or it is hard for you to keep your body in upfront while doing meditation then start practising yoga before doing meditation. You will feel more electricity flowing in your nervous system and meditation will certainly be more productive than it used to be.
Body awareness:
You should be aware of your body. Body always sends a signal if something wrong is happening to it. You should learn how to catch those signals. Moreover awareness of your body is the foundation of meditation. We should identify that what our body parts are doing while doing meditation. Then only we will be able to control them. Yoga is the one of the best practice to know about your body.
Relaxation:
Yoga helps in bursting out the stress hormones from our body. After doing yoga you definitely feel relaxed and calm. With yoga you get the deep knowledge of your muscles and joints and it helps you to relax them. Bringing calmness to your mind is also main benefit of doing yoga. If your muscles are relaxed and your mind is calm then it is very easy for you to do meditation. You will increase your concentration level by doing this.
There are two yoga meditation techniques which are widely accepted and are time proven techniques of meditation.
Panchkosha Meditation:
Human beings are consisting of five koshas- body, mind, breath, bliss and intellect. In this meditation we learn to control all five koshas and try to bring out what is best in us.
Hari Om meditation:
There are seven centres from where subtle life energy flows. In this meditation we learn how to guide the flow from one centre to another. Though seems simple it requires lot of experience.
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There is very much importance of yoga and meditation in our lives. If you want to control your mind, body, spirits these two practices are the best to do. Adapt them in your daily routine to get the best out of them.
By now you will be aware of what are the benefits of yoga and meditation we can have in our life. Stop wondering and start practising.