I promise you nothing is as chaotic as it seems. Nothing is worth diminishing your health. Nothing is worth poisoning yourself into stress, anxiety, and fear.
Steve Maraboli.
There are various meditation types that are known to relieve anxiety and depression. They include;
- Binaural beats Meditation
- Mindfulness Meditation
- Yoga breathing Meditation
- Zen Meditation
- Transcendental Meditation
- Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) or Yoga Nidra/Yogic Sleep
- Neuro-Meditation
- App-based Mindfulness Meditation
- Mantra Meditation
- Visualization Meditation
Table of Contents
- Zen Mind Meditation Types to Relieve Anxiety and Depression
- Does Meditation Help?
- Binaural Beats Meditation
- Yoga Breathing Meditation
- Mindfulness Meditation
- Zen Meditation
- Transcendental Meditation
- Non-Sleep Deep Rest(NSDR)/Yoga Nidra (Yogic Sleep)
- Neuro-Meditation
- App-Based Mindfulness Meditation
- Mantra Meditation
- Visualization Meditation
- Conclusion
Zen Mind Meditation Types to Relieve Anxiety and Depression
These meditation types works great for overthinkers, those with mental health conditions, as well as those fighting mind anxiety and depression. Similarly, they work well when you are meditating to enhance your lifestyle overall.
Anxiety and depression are notably among the most common psychological disorders. Workplace burnouts and stress, interpersonal relations problems and an ever-rising socio-economic cost of living contribute to the exacerbating levels of the mental health disorders.
High living standards, economic meltdown, societal conflicts, and the recent Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have led to an exponential rise in mental health problems such as stress, anxiety, and depression.
Meditation can be a vital tool for calming the mind and enhancing psychological health. There are numerous different types of meditation, so it’s meaningful to find one that works smart for you. Some popular general types include sitting meditations, walking meditations, and mantra meditation.
Meditation Tips for Beginners
Meditation can be a very relaxing and centering practice, whether you’re new to it or not. The following meditation tips may help you get started:
- Sit in a comfortable position with your spine straight and head clear.
- Imagine all the negative thoughts that are currently racing through your mind. Then, flight simulator-style, taking off from every corner of your awareness and then crashing into an impenetrable wall of silence. As each thought finishes landing,
- Let the negative thought(s) go without resistance or judging. Just observe it calmly as if seeing it for the first time.
- Begin by focusing on one specific thought or feeling at a time – this might be something pleasant like happiness or gratitude, something challenging like anger or frustration, or anything of the sort.
- At this point, you can now narrow down to your meditation intent.
The above are tips that can be employed with most of the meditation types, or at least at one point during your meditation exercise.
Brilliant things happen in calm minds. Be calm. You’re brilliant.
Headspace
Does Meditation Help?
Mental health concerns are fast escalating and this has in turn led to the cause of low quality lifestyles and unfulfilled lives. Stress, anxiety, and depression cannot be eliminated completely, but it is vital to learn how to control or mitigate them and their consequences.
However, there is a sigh of relief as meditation has proven useful when utilized as a remedy for these psychiatric problems. According to a scientific study article in the American Family Physician on depression, anxiety, yoga, exercise, and meditation, approximately 19.1% of U.S. adults experienced anxiety in the year 2018 – 2019. A further 10% went through depression. These statistics depict the conditions as a significant problem that needs dire attention. Physicians and psychotherapists ascertain that meditation is, indeed, an intervention that has gained a notable milestone in dealing with anxiety and depression.
Approximately 19.1% U.S. adults experienced anxiety in the year 2018 – 2019. A further 10% went through depression.
SY ATEZAZ SAEED, MD, KARLENE CUNNINGHAM, PhD, AND RICHARD M. BLOCH, PhD.
This list includes some of the best types of meditation; those that have been proved to prevent and mitigate anxiety and depression.
Binaural Beats Meditation
According to Frontiers, in the article explaining the efficacy of the 6-Hz binaural beats on the brain, the authors define binaural beats tones as “The dichotic presentation of two almost equivalent pure tones but with slightly different frequencies leads to perceive fluctuations sounds which occurs as amplitude modulation generated by the two pure tones, or so-called beat, in the brain.”
Meditation using Binaural Beats has been proven effective, and using these tones to get into a meditative state is not only effective, but also helps one get into higher realms such as astral projection. Overall, it helps to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.
Yoga Breathing Meditation
In itself, yoga can be said to be a wholesome mental and physical health exercise. This basically means that one can say that they practice “yoga” and they do accrue the benefits that comes with it.
However, when viewed from the tenets of meditation, yoga is a type of meditation. This means that it’s encapsulated in meditation as a concept. Thus, yoga is a sub-part of meditation. Yoga Breathing Meditation comprises a combination of physical postures, breath control, and meditation. Pranayama Yoga is a good example here.
The effectiveness of yoga breathing meditation in avoiding and relieving anxiety and depression is backed by scientific studies. In this peer-reviewed study, it was connoted that Yoga is viable as a monotherapy for depression. However, the authors ascertained that it is more preferrable when considered an adjunctive (supplemental) treatment for anxiety and depression disorders.
Conclusively, when seeking to prevent and fight anxiety and depression, one should consider frequent or consistent yoga breathing meditation.
Mindfulness Meditation
The essence of mindfulness meditation is to calm the mind. What more satisfaction would a person seeking to be free of anxiety and depression be seeking other than a calm and collective mind? Mindful meditation encourages one to follow their experience non-judgmentally, a moment at-a-go.
Zen Meditation
Also referred as Zazen, Zen meditation is a psychotherapy that centers on achieving emptiness of the mind, calmness, and empty consciousness.
This type of meditation can be help relieve anxiety and depression, thereby aiding one to lead a healthy and happy life. It reduces psychological disturbances.
To demonstrate this concept, a story of a Buddha disciple, Subhuti, is told. The buddha was meditating under a blossom tree, when a cool breeze caused the tree’s flowers to fall. Subhuti portrayed an empty and calm consciousness, enjoying the serenity of the present moment. The breeze, metaphorically, seemed to be congratulating the buddha for his calmness and emptiness. Other than helping reduce anxiety and depression, other benefits of Zen meditation are discussed in detail that post.
Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental meditation is a mind-body relaxation exercise that is aimed at reducing mental stress.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi introduced this concept about 60 years ago. Transcendental meditation helps the mind to achieve calmness of thoughts in as less time as possible. This helps achieve mental wellness, as it comes with advantages for the person seeking an enhanced daily mind psyche.
Benefits of Transcendental Meditation
- Enhances cognitive behavior
- Reduces trait anxiety
- Increases mental coherence
- Improves mental health
- Reduces burnout (workplace related)
- Reduces stress, anxiety, and depression.
Non-Sleep Deep Rest(NSDR)/Yoga Nidra (Yogic Sleep)
Non-Sleep Deep Rest(NSDR), otherwise known as Yoga Nidra is a short form of yoga. This means it is intended to be a short rejuvenating session, especially when or where one does not have ample time, making yoga nidra meditation effective in any situation.
Non-Sleep Deep Rest(NSDR) /Yoga Nidra is a form of meditation that involves deep breathing and allows the practitioner to enter a state of mindfulness. It is often used as an adjunct therapy for alleviating stress, anxiety, and pain.
It consists of a series of perception exercises like focusing on breath and particular parts of the body. NSDR/Yoga Nidra was originally practiced in India by swamis and yogis. The practice involves deep relaxation and often leads to an awareness of the inner journey. It is essential in mitigating anxiety and mood disorder, especially for professionals such as teachers. Using this for occasional reflection is an important mental health initiative.
An article published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information on The Impact of Yoga Nidra and Seated Meditation on the Mental Health of College Professors states that “anxiolytic drugs and antidepressants have limited effectiveness, cause dependence, affect cognition and memory, and cause sexual dysfunction.” This proves that psychotherapy through NSDR/yoga nidra is a better, less costly alternative to combat stress, anxiety and depression.
Neuro-Meditation
Neuro-meditation is a form of meditation that uses the principles of neuroscience to help people relax and focus.
The brain is a complex and fascinating machine, and by understanding how it works, we can better understand how to manage our emotions and achieve peace of mind. Neuro-meditation does this by using the principles of neuroscience to help people calm their minds and ease their tensions.
One key example of neuro-meditation is Sahaj Yoga, which, for instance, has been proved to enhance neuro-cognitive functions in patients suffering from depression.
Some of the basics of #neuro-meditation include:
- Taking time out for yourself every day
- Training your brain to relax through practice
- Finding a comfortable place to sit or recline in
- Focusing on your breath and counting each inhale and exhale
- Letting go of any negative thoughts or feelings that come up
App-Based Mindfulness Meditation
App-based mindful meditation is a type of mindfulness meditation that is practiced using apps on a mobile device. One app that is specifically designed for mindful meditation is Headspace. With over 10 million users, it is one of the most popular mindfulness apps on the market. It features short daily sessions with expert trainers that focus on different aspects of mindfulness practice such as body scan and breath work.
Another app designed specifically for mindful meditation is Calm. Beginning with 8 minutes of audio training, Calm offers a variety of features to help users achieve lasting mental well-being including access to guided meditations, journaling exercises and support groups. The apps allow users to log in and track their progress, as well as receive support from other practitioners.
There is some evidence that app-based mindful meditation may be effective in alleviating anxiety and depression. One study found that daily sessions of app-based mindful meditation was associated with decreased symptoms of anxiety and depression. In addition, another study showed that participants who learned mindfulness through an app reported increased mental health benefits over those who learned it from a traditional teacher.
Mantra Meditation
Mantra meditation is a form of meditation that involves repeating a specific word or phrase over and over again. For instance, Gayatri mantra is a common mantra meditation among the Hindus in Bali. This helps to calm the mind and allow you to focus on your thoughts more easily.
There are many different types of mantra meditation, but the most popular one is known as Vipassana. Vipassana is a type of meditation that focuses on investigating and observing your own thoughts and feelings. It is often used to help people learn how to control their thoughts, which can improve their overall mental health.
The basic idea behind Vipassana is this: when you focus on your breathing, you will also become more aware of your own mind and emotions. This will make it easier for you to control your thoughts and distractions, which can lead to improved mental well-being. Vipassana is based on the Buddhist teachings of mindfulness, which states that you should focus on your present moment in order to learn and experience the truth about yourself.
Many people find that mantra meditation helps them to relieve stress, anxiety, and depression by focusing their attention on positive thoughts. Some of the most popular mantra meditation techniques include:
• OM (Om) – this is a common mantra for Vipassana meditation, and is often used to focus your attention on your breathing. You can say Om or any other word or phrase that feels comfortable to you.
• The seed syllable om mani padme hum – this chant helps to focus your mind and calm the emotions. You can repeat it silently or out loud, depending on how you feel.
• Humming – humming a specific melody or rhythm while you meditate can help to relax and focus your mind. You can experiment with different humming techniques to find what works best for you.
• Mindfulness meditation – this is a type of meditation that focuses on paying attention to your thoughts, emotions, and body sensations. It can be helpful in relieving stress and anxiety, as well as improving your concentration and self-awareness. It can also help them to develop a better sense of detachment from negative emotions, which can lead to greater insight and understanding about them.
Visualization Meditation
Visualization meditation is a form of meditation that involves the use of visualization. Visualization is the process of creating mental images or scenes that can be used to facilitate emotional and spiritual healing. It can also be referred as imagery meditation, or guided imagery meditation.
When you practice visualization meditation, you aim to create positive images that help alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression. By visualizing yourself in a happy and healthy state, you can help to change your thoughts and emotions in a way that benefits both your mental and physical health.
There are many different ways to practice visualization meditation. You can focus on any aspect of your life – from your personal relationships to your professional success. The key is to experiment with different methods until you find one that works best for you. And don’t forget: always take care of yourself by surrounding yourself with positive people who will encourage and support you along the way!
To practice visualization meditation, you need to first create a clear mental picture of what you want to achieve. You can then focus on this image until it feels like it’s inside your head. This will allow you to relax and let go of any negative thoughts or feelings that may be troubling you. Visualization meditation can also be helpful in relieving stress caused by everyday life situations, such as work deadlines or family conflicts.
Conclusion
In conclusion, scientific and empirical evidence have proved meditation to be an effective exercise. It does not matter the proficiency level – as it gets better with time and disciplined practice – but doing it often for even just a few minutes can significantly help reduce the symptoms and effects of stress, anxiety and depression.
