Find Your Balance
Meditation, particularly breathwork meditation, has played a huge part healing journey. It has helped me so much that I’m writing this blog post with the hope of inspiring others to take a moment out of their day to pause, and meditate. As a child, I struggled with intense anxiety and periods of depression—challenges that lingered into adulthood. After the COVID-19 lockdown, I hit rock bottom, overwhelmed by both depression and anxiety. There were moments when I questioned whether I could endure another day feeling the way I did. Yet, deep down, I knew I had the tools and inner strength to heal.
One of those tools was meditation. While it had always provided comfort during difficult times, I had never fully committed to a daily practice. That changed during my journey to recovery. Today, I feel more alive than ever, and breathwork meditation has played a significant role in that transformation.
Meditation is a practice that uses specific techniques to focus the mind, fostering heightened awareness, mental clarity, and emotional calm. It is both a mental exercise and a spiritual practice with countless benefits. There are many types of meditation, and in this post, I’ll share my personal favorites along with some meditation videos for you to explore and try out!
Types of Meditation
1. Breath work meditation
Breath work meditation is a type of meditative practice that focuses on controlled breathing techniques to promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It involves conscious regulation of the breath to influence the body’s state, calm the mind, and access deeper levels of awareness. This is my favorite form of meditation because it has reduced my anxiety significantly and has also help improve my what was previously low blood oxygen level. Some of the features include:
- Intentional Breathing : The practice focuses on altering your breathing patterns, often with specific rhythms or techniques.
- Mind-Body Connection : It integrates the breath with mindfulness or meditative awareness, encouraging a deep sense of presence.
- Physical and Emotional Release : By controlling the breath, you can release tension, manage emotions, and improve energy flow. I often have a big emotional release of tears during my breath work which results in me feeling so much lighter aftwerwards.
2. Transcendental Meditation (TM)
Developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the mid-20th century, TM has become a widely practiced method for settling down mental activity and enhancing overall well-being. It is practiced for 20 minutes, twice per day. I just started trying TM and it is hard for me which is why I like it because it pushes me to work harder. Here are some notes on TM:
- Mantra: TM involves silently repeating a specific mantra—a word, sound, or phrase without meaning—to focus the mind and transcend thought. The mantra is typically chosen by the teacher.
Stillness: Unlike other forms of meditation, TM does not require concentration, visualization, or trying to "clear the mind."
Restful: The practice is designed to feel effortless, allowing the mind to naturally settle into a state of restful awareness.
"Meditation is not spacing out or running away. In fact, it is being totally honest with ourselves."
3. Sound Meditation
Last year, I attended my first sound bath, and all I can say is WOW! A sound bath is a form of sound meditation that uses specific frequencies to synchronize brainwaves, inducing relaxation, focus, or even heightened creativity. To me, it felt like a brain exfoliation, removing all the dirt and leaving me feeling lighter. I recommend attending a group sound bath as the sounds in person are magical. However, I will still provide a video below in case you can't make it in person.
- Vibrations: The practice leverages the vibrations and frequencies of sound to resonate with the body and mind, creating a deeply relaxing experience.
- Instruments: Common instruments include singing bowls, gongs, tuning forks, chimes, and crystal bowls.
Relax: Some forms involve simply lying down and absorbing the sounds, while others include chanting or vocalizing sounds like “Om.”
4. Moving Meditation
I love to move and even named "Moto Nera" after a motorcycle because of its symbolism of movement. That's why I highly enjoy moving meditations, specifically walking. Moving meditations can be a good option if you are trying to get into meditation but have difficulty sitting still. Besides walking, types of moving meditation include Tai Chi, Yoga, Dancing Meditation, and Qigong. During a visit to a holistic practitioner a few months ago, he suggested trying Tai Chi to help with stress and digestion, which I still need to implement. Here are the key notes on moving meditation:
- Get Moving: Focus is placed on the movement itself, such as the sensation of your feet touching the ground or the rhythm of your breath while moving.
- Connection: Combines physical activity with mental presence, encouraging a deep connection to the present moment.
- Take it Slow: Movements are typically slow, fluid, and deliberate, emphasizing relaxation and mindfulness over intensity.
5. Body Scan Meditation
BSM is a mindfulness practice that involves paying close attention to the sensations in different body parts, typically systematically and sequentially. It is often used to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and enhance awareness of the mind-body connection. Often, my yoga teacher will begin or end a class with a BSM. I love this type of meditation for when I am feeling off or have pain so I can take a minute to acknowledge it and then release it. Here is the rundown of BSM:
- Feel: Practitioners focus on sensations such as tension, warmth, tingling, or discomfort in specific areas of your body.
- Observe: The practice typically involves moving attention gradually through the body, either from head to toe or toe to head. Observing sensations without judgment, simply acknowledging what is present.
Meditation Sites and Apps
I like to meditate once per day and most of my meditations are done at home. Here are the places where I find the best meditations:
- Youtube: A great source for free meditations! I particularly love breath work with Sandy and breath work with David. I will link my YouTube meditation playlist below.
- Alo Moves: For 12.99 per month, you can access all of their workouts and meditations. I love their breath work series and short 5-minute meditations to start my day with.
- Headspace: This app is great for beginners because it categorizes the meditations well.
Stillness is Stunning
Our mind has so many thoughts per day, and on top of that, we are all busy with the responsibilities our lives entail. That is why I cannot stress enough the importance of taking at least 5 minutes daily to be still. Consistent meditation will have many benefits for your health, such as lowering cortisol levels, improving your sleep, enhancing your mood, and so on. Plus, there are so many different types and techniques that I didn't even hit on, so I know there is something that suits everyone. Stillness is stunning, and you deserve to feel its incredible benefits.
Sending calm vibes,
Bri
