Meditation Techniques for Depression

Human mind is extremely powerful and it only can help keep depression and anxiety at bay. If you've been depressed for any length of time, I'm sure you would agree that your thoughts determine your mood and emotions. Meditation techniques are concerned with controlling and relaxing the active mind.

Whenever you suffer from anxiety and/or depression, a series of negative thoughts constantly occupies your mind. You must have observed, the more these negative thoughts cloud your mind, the worse you feel and thus it becomes habitual. This only makes your depression worse. I know, you can't avoid all stress as it has become an invariable part of modern life. But you can counteract the negative effects of depression by learning the different techniques of meditation and evoking the relaxation response, a state of deep rest that is the extreme opposite of the stress response. Meditation can help rejuvenate your mind and train your subconscious to focus on the positive things only. You can start your day with a meditation ritual to help you gain focus and clarity which will simply put you in a better mood. Meditation, thus, plays the role of a stress reliever.

Meditation Techniques that Help Prevent Depression

Here are some examples of the different techniques of meditation.

• Yoga Meditation: Yoga is mostly considered as a series of exercises you do on a mat in special class but do you know that every part of your daily routine can become your yoga practice? The great yoga secret is that you need not change your daily activities, yoga will teach you change and control your attention and awareness you bring to those activities.
• Soham Meditation: In the most ancient language, Sanskrit, "So" is the term for the sound of inhaling breath and the term assigned to exhaling is "Ham." These two terms come together to form the word "Soham," which can be exactly translated as "I am He." When you practice Soham meditation technique, you are actually remembering God which implies that with each breath you take, you are praying or worshiping God or showing your adoration for God. Concentrating on your breath helps you gain focus and clarity.
• Buddhist Meditation: By practicing Buddhist meditation, you can learn to watch even physical discomfort and heavy emotions such as fear and anger without suffering. You will accept that it is your reaction to the information that binds you and disturbs you. Pleasant or unpleasant stuff can not affect you; as it has no power as long as you remain detached. You should simply watch it arise and disappear on its own. It is when we cling to the present, hoping it to continue or wanting to push away the unpleasant, expecting it to disappear, that we suffer and lose our innate equanimity and freedom.
• Vipassana Meditation: Like other types of meditation, the idea behind vipassana meditation is to achieve the ability to observe the world and one's surroundings as they truly are, without judgment. Vipassana meditation shows you the way to transformation through observation. You are expected to observe particularly the mind-body connection. Observation of the self is expected while performing vipassana. The Dhamma Siri group based in Kaufman, Texas, states, "Through close and careful enough attention to one's physical sensations and how they interact with the mind, one can eventually "dissolve" mental impurity and lead to "nibbana," or "freedom from all suffering".
• Third Eye Meditation: "Be silent, be attentive and let the light bring itself to you" is the technique followed in third eye meditation. While following this technique, the more you open your consciousness to being filled with the light, the more layers of shuttering will be peeled away and the 'Now' (truth and reality) will be revealed to you. As you begin to perceive the truth or secret of this universe, you will realize that you have been deluded by outside influences into thinking that you are a separate part of the universe. This type of meditation will help opening your third eye with which you will be able to perceive the wonders of the universe. You will understand that you are a part of everything and everything is a part of you. The chattering inside your mind will eventually disappear pertaining to the transcendent beauty of the light and love that is now within you, will always be there.

How to Meditate to Tackle Your Anxiety and Depression

Meditation simply implies sitting in a quiet place for 10 to 15 minutes, breathing deep and rhythmically while focusing on your breath. Meditation is nothing but training your mind to relax.

• Early morning is the best time for meditation as your body and mind, both are fresh. You may try late in the evenings if morning is not suitable.
• Sit or lie down on a mat (whatever is comfortable for you) in a quiet comfortable place and close your eyes.
• Concentrate on your breathing, focusing on the sensation of air moving in and out of your nostrils and lungs. Focus on your belly, how it rises and falls as you breathe.
• Just feel the air enter your nostrils and leave your mouth. Observe the way each breath changes.
• Focusing on the rhythm of your breathing helps clear your mind and is required for relaxation. Remember, this requires practice so don't get discouraged if initially you have trouble focusing.
• It is possible that you start thinking about other things. Just observe those thoughts without judging and simply return to your breathing again. Don't quit, it will get easier as you do this more often.
• Meditate for about 5 to 10 minutes and open your eyes.

If you don't feel relaxed, it means that you need to practice it more. Keep practicing until you feel your mind relaxing. Believe me, it will get easier the more you do it.

Meditation can help you to respond to conflict in a more loving and caring manner and it can also help you attune with the Higher Power. Each one of us knows that depression medications result in severe side effects. Moreover, anxiety and depression lead to several health hazards which can seriously affect the quality of life. Meditation techniques for depression can reduce stress and tension and help you to relax more dynamically. Meditation is a mysterious but powerful process which leads to inner peace and a deep-seated happiness.