Where to Start With Online Meditation Classes?
Meditation (Dhyana in Hindu) has been practiced for ages. The earliest forms of written records of meditation are dated back to 1500 BCE. These are believed to have come from Hindu Traditions of Vedantism. Before meditation was finally written down it had been memorized and passed down for many generations before.Meditation was practiced in the early ages to enable self-knowledge and Samadhi. Samadhi is the state in which the meditator becomes one with the object of meditation. From India, the tradition spread to other religions and places like Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism, Confucianism and even to Christianity.
From these old traditions of meditation, we now have the modern western world meditation. This is practiced not only for spirituality but for focus, concentration, healing, and replenishing of the body. Meditation has also been studied scientifically. The first yogi to be studied by scientists during meditation was Swami Rama. This was done through ECG tests.
He was able to show that through meditation one can be able to control heartbeat, blood pressure and body temperature. These are all processes that scientists deemed involuntary before that.
Meditation today has drifted from the spiritual nature although spiritual meditation is still practiced. People are now learning meditation for the benefits that it brings. It has also become easy to learn how to meditate using online meditation classes.
Take for instance this 21-day online meditation challenge by Yogateket. For three weeks this challenge will engage you and teach you how to meditate deeply even when you have never meditated before.
Types of Meditation
There are many types of meditation techniques that you can learn today. Most of these practices you can easily learn through online meditation classes. Meditation can be practiced in different positions.The most common meditation techniques you can learn today as a beginner include; chakra meditation, loving-kindness meditation (metta meditation), vipassana meditation, guided meditation, mindfulness meditation and transcendental or mantra meditation.
You can practice all these techniques as; seated meditation, laying down meditation and even standing meditation. For standing meditation, you could be still in the same position or you might practice activity meditation. For instance, walking meditation is a famous form of active meditation that you can practice. All these different types of meditation can be through online meditation classes on Yogateket.
Benefits of Meditation
Are you wondering why you should learn meditation? Meditation has been shown through scientific studies to have many benefits to the body. The benefits of meditation to the body include;- Lowers the heart rate
- Lowers blood pressure
- Reduces stress and anxiety in the mind
Controls the body temperature - Provides deeper relaxation to the body which can facilitate regeneration and even healing.
- Meditation lowers blood cortisol levels
- Meditation improves blood circulation
- Meditation relaxes the mind which enhances thought, concentration and focus.
Meditation also frees your mind from things that you cannot control. It brings self- awareness and eventually you might achieve Samadhi. With meditation, you are able to live a more focused and stress-free life. Your mind is at harmony and you approach life with a different perspective than someone who is stressed out and feeling at the edge. Read more about the scientifically proven benefits of meditation in the blog.
Online Meditation Classes
If you are looking to learn meditation, one of the easiest and the best way to do it is through online meditation classes. At Yogateket you can take different online meditation to suit your needs. They also have the 21-day online yoga challenge. The challenge keeps you engaged for a whole three weeks so you can make meditating a habit.But why should you learn meditation online through Yogateket? Here are some of the benefits you will enjoy when you opt for online meditation classes.
Variety – one of the things that you will find is variety. You will get different types of meditation practices all in one place. This is unlike in traditional meditation where one school or one teacher will be a master in a particular type of meditation. With a wide variety in one place, you can easily switch if you find a certain type of online meditation doesn’t work for you.
Practice at the Comfort of Your Home – many people and especially beginners find it hard to concentrate with meditation when they are in physical classes. You can get past the anxiety and practice meditation at the comfort of your home with online meditation.
Practice Anywhere Anytime – with online classes you can practice meditation anywhere you are whenever you have time. With the traditional model of learning, you have to show up to class at set times.
If you travel regularly you will not be able to enjoy physical meditation classes because you are unavailable most of the time. With online meditation classes, you just log in and practice wherever you are.
Engagement – online meditation is very engaging. When starting out many people fall off the bandwagon before they are able to master the desired technique. This is especially true for physical classes.
To keep you engaged for long and over a period of time, challenges such as the 21-day online meditation challenge will keep you engaged for long. With a systematic plan taking you from one level to the other you are able to see results quickly.
Level of Progress – Online meditation classes are made for beginners and experienced meditators alike. You can quickly just sign up to the level that you are interested in and continue learning. For a physical class, you might have to wait to join a certain level of meditation.
Online meditation is therefore very affordable, convenient and practical. If you are looking to learn meditation then this is the way to go.
Based on yoga traditions, breath is said to carry life’s force. Pranayama involves learning how to tap into life, as it basically means breath control or extension. Most yoga trainees are more focused on the physical benefits than spiritual benefits. The deep breathing in pranayama is suitable for spiritual and physical benefits, making it an attractive practice even for beginners. Pranayama is broad and there are simple and complex types to meet a wide range of demands. The types of pranayama suitable for beginners include: This is a practice that starts by recognizing your breathing pattern. Breathing is considered a voluntary and involuntary body function that reveals the unconscious mental, physical and emotional patterns. You can choose to listen to your breath or not to, but it will still tell your story. The great storyteller or natural breath pranayama is one of the easiest practices. All you are to do is breathe in and out as thoughts arise and dissipate respectively. This kind of meditation gives you time to release all attachments to your thoughts, and you achieve a clear and calm open mind. This is a pranayama style that is also known as bhramari and it is to be conducted when one has a few moments alone. The buzzing sound produced when exhaling provides a soothing effect on the nervous system. The trainee is to inhale air completely through the nostrils and exhale with a buzzing sound. The process is repeated for a duration of five minutes before one can have some rest. This is a pranayama style that is also known as the Trust Your Gut with Dirga method. The style involves breathing sequentially and this makes it easy for beginners. This is a unique style that can be practiced while one is lying on their back. When starting on this style; fill the diaphragm with air and let it move to the lungs. Lift up the air to the upper chest and repeat the exercise. Placing a cloth over the belly is fun because you get to watch as the cloth rise with inhalation and fall after an exhalation. This is one of the pranayama styles that you get to exhale with a roar. It is believed to strengthen the throat muscles after an exhalation accompanied by a roar. This is healing to the mind because you get the tension off your chest. In a sitting position like in any other yoga sessions, you are to inhale and exhale with a lions roar. This is repeated 2-3 times before one can take a rest. Step by step to Lion's breath Pranayama makes use of normal breathing to have a soothing effect on the mind. One is to set a few minutes for the practice, get a comfortable and a quiet space. A comfortable seat and pose, in a distraction-free space, is essential in pranayama yoga. Here at Yogateket we value Pranayama a lot and see it as a big part of the yoga practice. We made an in-depth Pranayama program for beginners. Why not start already today? Is Pranayama for Beginners?
Natural Breath
Busy as a Bee
3-Part Breath
Lion's Breath
Conclusion
How Old is Hatha Yoga?
Hatha yoga has grown in popularity all around the globe because of its focus on health and well-being as well as easy accessibility. No doubt, this practice has helped counteract the negative effects of a fast-changing world. However, not many yogis know how it all begun.
Those who are familiar with hatha yoga agree that it’s an ancient practice. However, there’s no agreement on when exactly it started. Some believe that the tradition is 5,000 years old, while others think it’s 10,000. The cause of this great disparity in time is that the original transmission of yoga philosophies and practice was oral.
There wasn’t any written word. Historians break down the history of yoga into four main eras. They include Pre-Classical, Classical, Post-Classical, and Modern. Understanding these eras can help you know why people are still practicing Hatha yoga today and how it’s different from the original.
Pre-Classical Yoga
This practice started in northern India among the Indus-Sarasvati people around 5,000 ago. At this time, hatha yoga was quite secretive and mysterious. It’s a common belief that some of the earliest teachings were recorded on flimsy palm leaves. These were not easy to preserve.During this period, the most ancient text to record the word, “yoga,” the “Rig Verda,” came into existence. The Vedas or Vedic texts were the first ones that yoga priests, mystics, or rishis used. What followed were the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita.
Classical Yoga
The classical yoga period is characterized by the writings of Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. These sutras are very common in references today. For this reason, Patanjali is sometimes referred to as the father of modern yoga.Post-Classical Yoga
It is during the post-classical time period that Tantra yoga came into being. Practitioners also placed more emphasis on the physical body. Most historians think this is when Hatha yoga came into existence. Over time, the Hatha yoga has naturally branched off from the original practice into many different directions. This is especially evident in the past few hundred years in which yogis have seen the greatest counts of branching off even as it gains more popularity.For instance, standing asanas came to be just a few centuries ago. Before this, there was no record of this kind of poses in the yogic pantheon of physical postures. The previous yogis believed that standing asanas had no positive effect on their prana, and they were somehow right. These poses do less on the body in terms of the energetic level.