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A lot of people are confused about the definitions of different kinds of meditation.
Some think that you need to be spiritual to meditate. Others think that you need to sit with your legs crossed and your hands resting on your knees in order to meditate.
The reality of spiritual meditation is a bit different, but don’t worry, I’ll tell you everything you need to know as a beginner!
What is spiritual meditation?
If you look up the definition of meditation, you’ll find that it’s a practice that can be done by anyone – no matter what their religious affiliation, or lack thereof.
That said, it’s important to note that there’s a difference between spiritual meditation and other varieties of meditation.
Spiritual meditation is the practice of using meditation to access and connect your higher self – your soul or your higher consciousness.
The purpose of spiritual meditation is to reconnect with your higher self – usually through a focus on a particular intention or goal.
The other types of meditation aren’t as focused on your higher consciousness or soul.
Instead, they’re focused on things like stress reduction, relaxation, or increasing your focus and attention span.
Now: spiritual meditation can be applied to any faith or belief system.
However, some religions are more closely associated with spiritual meditation than others.
In particular, Buddhism and Hinduism are the two religions most closely associated with spiritual meditation.
It’s not entirely clear whether or not these two religions actually invented spiritual meditation – or if someone else was the first to do it.
However, these two religions have been practicing it for centuries – so they’re definitely the most well-known for it!
Again, that doesn’t mean that you need to follow any of these faiths in order to practice spiritual meditation, however.
The thing is, when you think about other religions with their rituals and prayers, they are very similar to meditation, just that they don’t always call it that!
But you can start a spiritual meditation practice even if you don’t follow any faith in particular.
What is spiritual meditation used for?
Many people use spiritual meditation for healing purposes – especially in conjunction with other practices like yoga and energy work.
One of the main reasons that people meditate is to reduce stress and anxiety in their lives.
Meditating can help you feel more at ease with yourself and your world – which can be very helpful if you live a stressful life!
Meditation is also a great way to center yourself and bring your focus back into the present moment when you’re feeling stressed out or overwhelmed by life.
Some people use spiritual meditation as part of their everyday routine to help them get through their day more smoothly and peacefully.
Spiritual meditation can also be used as a form of self-care after experiencing trauma or undergoing challenging experiences in your life – like death, divorce, or illness in the family.
The purpose of spiritual mediation here is to help you find peace within yourself again after experiencing something hard – so that you can move forward in life without getting stuck in pain or sorrow.
You see, healing is a very big part of spiritual meditation – and something that is often not talked about very much!
But spiritual meditation is not just for healing.
It can also be used as a tool to help you learn more about yourself and your world.
Meditation is a great way to help you connect with your intuition – which can be very helpful in determining what’s best for you in life, what your values are, and how to live your best life.
Many people meditate in order to have spiritual experiences – or even visions.
Is there a non-spiritual type of meditation?
Yes and no!
Technically, every type of meditation is about dropping into the present moment and listening to your inner voice.
Now: whether or not that is spiritual is really just up for individual interpretation!
You see, technically, any meditation can be seen as spiritual work, but you can also remove the esotericism from it completely and simply see it as a form of relaxation and stress management.
You don’t have to believe in God or the divine to meditate, but you can still experience deep spiritual growth through meditation if that’s what you’re looking for.
Non-spiritual types of meditation are great for beginners who are looking to ease into their meditation practice.
They’re also great for people who aren’t particularly interested in the spiritual side of meditation.
This type of meditation includes things like breathing meditation, sound meditation, and mindfulness meditation.
These are all great ways to get started with meditation if you’re not sure if you’re interested in the spiritual side of things.
You see, especially in the beginning, some people like the more rational approach to it all, and others prefer spirituality.
Either way, they’re both great, it depends on what you prefer!
So now that you know a little bit about the differences between spiritual and non-spiritual types of meditation, let’s talk about how to get started with meditation in general!
Why you should practice spiritual meditation
If you’re a beginner, you may be wondering why you should bother with spiritual meditation in the first place.
After all, there are lots of different kinds of meditation – why focus on the spiritual side?
Meditation helps you to clear your mind, be more mindful, and be more present in your daily life.
These are all things that we could benefit from as a society. If everyone practiced meditation, our society would be a much calmer and more focused place!
Meditation also helps to reduce stress and anxiety. And, when you reduce stress and anxiety, you also reduce your risk for a whole host of health issues – including but not limited to heart disease, high blood pressure, and digestive issues.
However, spiritual meditation, in particular, helps you to get to know yourself better and to connect to your higher self.
This is something that a lot of people are looking for these days!
It’s a way for you to connect with the divine, or with God, or whatever you feel comfortable calling it.
But the bottom line is that spiritual meditation can help you to become a happier person, and that’s worth the effort.
How do you get started with meditation?
Meditation is simple, but not always easy.
Meditation is not something that you can just go do on a whim and expect to get great results, especially at the beginning, things might feel a bit difficult for you.
You have to approach it as a daily practice, which means that you need to make space for it in your life.
The good news is: making space for meditation is not that hard.
All you need to do is take 10 minutes out of your day!
That’s really all the time you need to do some basic meditations like breathing or listening meditations.
But to be honest, in order to make it a habit, you can even start with 5 minutes, or even 3!
Any meditation is better than nothing!
How to start meditating as a beginner
If you’re a beginner and you’ve decided to try spiritual meditation, you’ll want to make sure to set up an environment that is conducive to your practice.
That way, you’ll have the best chance of finding success with your practice as a beginner!
Start by finding a comfortable place to sit or lie down where you won’t be distracted or interrupted.
You can sit on the floor with a cushion under your knees, or you can sit in a chair.
Some people even find that they prefer to sit in a reclining chair or lie in bed!
There is no right or wrong way to practice spiritual meditation. One of the easiest ways is by sitting on a chair with both feet flat on the ground and your hands resting gently in your lap.
You could also sit on a pillow or another small cushion if that helps make things more comfortable for you (as long as it’s not too high – sometimes people like to put pillows underneath their knees if sitting on the floor makes their legs fall asleep).
Some people like to sit outside under a tree when they meditate – but this isn’t a necessity.
Find a place and position that works for you, it doesn’t matter what it looks like!
Once you’re sitting or lying comfortably, you can begin focusing on your breathing.
You can use a guided meditation if that makes the process easier for you. Or, you can try counting your breaths.
Guided meditations are a great option if you are new to the realms of meditation – they teach you how to drop into the present moment and with time, you will be able to do it yourself, without guidance.
When do you meditate?
Many people use spiritual meditation as part of their everyday routine, such as after they wake up and before they go to sleep.
However, you don’t have to do it at the same time every day if it doesn’t work well with your schedule!
The morning and evening are great times, though, because that’s when your subconscious is still very much in tune with your body.
It’s easier to tap into it during those times when you are about to fall asleep or wake up.
How to meditate spiritually
If you decide to practice spiritual meditation, these are some of the techniques that you can use to connect with your higher self.
Prayer
Just as you use prayer to communicate with a deity, you can also use it to communicate with your higher self.
Intention Setting
Set an intention for your meditation practice. What do you hope to achieve from your meditation?
Visualization
Visualization is a powerful tool for connecting with your higher self. Imagine yourself surrounded by light or floating in a peaceful blue ocean.
Imagine meeting your higher self and what they would tell you.
Sound Meditation
This is a simple way to connect with your higher self. All you have to do is focus on the sounds around you – whether that’s the sound of nature, a babbling brook, or the sounds of a bustling city.
Breathing Meditation
This is one of the most common forms of meditation. Simply focus on your breath as it enters, exits, and passes through your body.
4 tips for beginning your own spiritual meditation practice
Here are 4 tips that will make your spiritual meditation practice a lot better:
1) Decide on your intention
What do you want to achieve through your meditation?
When you have an intention, it will be a lot easier to follow through when you meditate.
Focus on your intention, for example gaining clarity, and you shall receive.
You see, the better your intention, the more you will gain from your meditation practice!
2) Create a meditation space
Make sure that your meditation space is comfortable, distraction-free, and inviting.
It doesn’t have to be anything special, but you can make it a bit more intentional by lighting a candle or some incense, closing the blinds, putting on some music, or anything like that.
3) Keep track of your progress
Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t start feeling the benefits of meditation right away. It takes time!
Try to notice how with every practice, certain things get easier! While there will be difficult days, you will find that meditation gets easier and easier each time.
4) Be patient
Meditation is a practice. Don’t expect to be perfect after only a few tries.
You will notice that even after months of meditating, sometimes there will be a day when you simply can’t focus.
This is normal to some degree and nothing to worry about. Be patient with yourself.
Benefits of spiritual meditation for beginners
There are a few benefits of spiritual meditation:
- Maintaining a consistent practice will help you to become more relaxed and mindful in your daily life.
- You’ll reduce your stress and anxiety.
- You’ll be able to focus better during your day-to-day.
- You’ll be able to sleep better at night.
- You’ll improve your immune system.
- Your digestive system will function more smoothly.
- You’ll have an overall happier and healthier life!
- You’ll have a better understanding of yourself and your surroundings.
And these are just a few of the benefits of spiritual meditation. There are many more!
You’ll be able to enjoy a much better life by starting a spiritual meditation practice.
This is especially true if you’re new to meditation and are looking for some tips on what to do, or for an easy way to start meditating.
Keeping the benefits of meditation in mind will also help you to stay more consistent with your meditation practice!
There are many different ways to meditate, and you can find one that is right for you.
There is no one way to meditate and there are no rules.
Find what works for you and start your practice today!
What if meditation doesn’t work for you?
If you’ve tried meditating and you just can’t get into it, that’s okay!
No matter what type of meditation you’re trying to do, it’s important to find a form that works for you.
Try out different types of meditation until you find the one that resonates with you.
You can also ask friends or family members what type of meditation works best for them. That way, you can find out what may work best for you!
However, some people are simply not cut out for meditation, and that’s cool, too.
In those cases, there are so many different spiritual practices you could try, instead!
Other spiritual practices
While meditation is likely the most well-known spiritual practice, there are many others that you can incorporate into your daily routine.
You can also try journaling, yoga, or reading from a sacred text like the bible or even the Tao Te Ching.
These practices won’t replace meditation, but they can be a great way to bring more mindfulness and spirituality into your daily life!
Maybe a practice like Tarot would spark your interest, or perhaps you’d like to try out a form of divination.
There are so many different types of spiritual practices out there, and there is something for everyone.
Be sure to do your research and find the practice that will work best for you!
Find what works for you
There are many different ways you can practice meditation. While some people focus on the spiritual side, others prefer a more non-religious approach.
No matter what type of meditation you do, it can be a great way to start your day off right!
Meditation can help you to clear your mind, be more mindful, and be more present in your daily life. It can also help to reduce your stress and anxiety.
However, if meditation is not your thing, there are also other practices you can try!
All in all, it’s really just about finding something that helps you connect to yourself a bit more.
