Stress is an unavoidable part of life, and relaxation meditation can help you minimise its impact on your everyday life. There are different types of relaxation meditations that include focusing on an object such as your breath or visualizing a serene environment. Anyone can practice relaxation meditation and start enjoying the benefits almost immediately.
Whether you are lying awake at night, overthinking a decision, or reminiscing over a lost argument, practising relaxation meditation can help you deal with the stress of everyday life. If you are going through a difficult time and find it difficult to meditate by yourself, you can also join online or in-person classes to get access to guided meditation for relaxation.
Here, you will find some of the most common and effective meditation techniques that can help you alleviate stress at the end of the day or calm you in the middle of an overwhelming situation.
Meditations to relax the mind in stressful times
Here is a list of common meditation relaxation techniques that you can use to induce feelings of calmness and peace:
Mindfulness meditation
One of the easiest types of relaxation meditation techniques for anyone is mindfulness meditation which can help you reduce stress and anxiety over time if done regularly. This practice requires you to be aware of the present moment without judging or getting attached to the thoughts passing through your mind or the sensations in your body. Imagine being a bystander, observing your own self for the duration of the meditation practice.
You will likely feel calmer after the practice, as this relaxation meditation enables you to free yourself from getting caught and carried away in your own thoughts. Doing this meditation regularly enables you to cultivate detachment and apply it in your day-to-day life to maintain your calm in tough situations as well.
Progressive relaxation
This is a beginner-friendly deep relaxation meditation that involves tensing and relaxing different muscle groups of the body or visualising a warm and bright liquid or light flowing through your body. There are other methods to practice this type of meditation for relaxation. Progressive relaxation is usually available in a guided meditation format.
To do this on your own when you are feeling overwhelmed, for example, simply lay down in a quiet place; you can lay on the floor as well. After taking a few deep breaths, start focusing on the different parts of your body. Start with the feet of one leg, then the knee, thigh, and hip. Cover your entire body slowly, moving your attention around while keeping your eyes closed and without sticking to any body part. You will notice at the end of the practice that this technique not only calmed your mind but also relaxed your body.
Movement meditation
You may feel restless and not always want to sit still in a quiet place when you are stressed. Meditation is a flexible practice, and you can meditate by performing gentle body movements, such as Yoga, tai chi, or qi gong. These techniques combine relaxation meditation, physical movements, and breathwork to help you calm down and alleviate your stress.
If you don’t know how to practice any of these techniques, you can simply go for a walk or perform menial tasks that do not require much thinking—folding the laundry, doing the dishes, decluttering, and cleaning your desk. You can also consider enrolling in classes to learn tyoga, and tai chi.
Visualisation
In this type of meditation, you use your imagination to create a state of mind that instils a sense of calm, positivity, or other emotions in you. These are mostly guided meditations for relaxation, but depending on the type of practice, visualisation can be a type of insightful meditation as well.
An instructor will start by inviting you to sit straight orlay down with your spine erect and take deep breaths in a personal session or a pre-recorded meditation. They will take you through a visualisation journey and ask you to picture someone or something peaceful to calm you.
For example, the guided meditation may ask you to imagine you are sitting at the beach during sunset and listening to the ocean or gazing at the snow-covered mountain from your cosy cottage while sipping warm tea. These visuals help you get away from the current stressful situation and feel relaxed almost instantly. You can perform this practice on your own as well.
Transcendental meditation
Also known as TM in short, this relaxation meditation helps calm you almost instantly. Usually, a licensed teacher of the Maharishi Foundation conducts one-on-one personalised sessions for this type of guided meditation for relaxation. The practice involves sitting in a comfortable position with eyes closed and repeating a special mantra, word, or phrase in a specific way.
This is a very easy meditation practice to perform, and even beginners can do it.
Things to remember
Listed below are pointers to help you with your meditation practice:
- Consistency is key
One meditation session will help you feel calm and relaxed but doing so consistently can compound the benefits. Research suggests that people who meditated regularly for a month experienced a significant reduction in their stress and increased overall satisfaction with life. - Meditate whenever you can
There is no right or wrong time to meditate; you can do your practice whenever you feel like it. Some people prefer meditating after getting up from bed, while others prefer to meditate before sleeping. - Short meditation sessions are better than skipping the day
If you don’t have the time to perform your regular meditation practice, you can simply take out 5-10 minutes to sit in silence and do a shorter version of it instead. Even pausing for a few seconds before switching tasks can be helpful on the busiest of days. - Expect to be distracted
Whether you are sitting in a park at sunrise or laying in your bed while wearing eye masks and ear plugs, you will get distracted. Either someone or something will create some noise, or your own mind will distract you during the meditation. It is better to expect such distractions and be prepared for them. Simply go back to the object of our focus as soon as you notice you have been distracted. - Be comfortable
A usual meditation session can be anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 hours. Sitting and dressing in a comfortable manner is important to sustain your focus for the designated time. Although 5 minutes doesn’t seem like a long time, sitting on the ground in tight pants can be uncomfortable enough to disrupt your session. - Don’t judge yourself
Meditation is a flexible practice, and there is no right or wrong way to meditate. You may think that you are not meditating correctly when you are constantly distracted by your own thoughts but stick with the practice.
FAQs:
How do you meditate for deep relaxation?
There are multiple techniques you can try, such as progressive relaxation or visualisation, for example. These types of meditations promote a sense of peace and calm you easily. Additionally, transcendental meditation is also one such practice that uses simple techniques to help you feel relaxed almost instantly.
What type of meditation calms the mind?
There are numerous relaxation meditations that calm the mind and reduce stress. Even insightful meditations that focus on helping you transform an emotion or deal with something eventually lead to a calmer mind.
What is relaxation meditation?
Relaxation meditation is a type of meditation that focuses on calming you; it is also known as calming meditations. While almost all meditation techniques help you focus better and be more aware of yourself and your surroundings, relaxation meditation has the primary purpose of relaxing you and helping you eliminate stress.
What is the importance of mindful relaxation?
It is normal to get stressed, especially in today’s fast-paced world where we constantly compare others’ highs with our own lows. Mindful relaxation can help you sleep better at night, reduce your stress levels, make you emotionally resilient, and provide many other benefits.
