The intention of this article is to offer information on meditation techniques, which can help you in overcoming and coping with pain by using yoga derived techniques. These are not difficult and complicated or time consuming techniques but something that can be easily performed by all. Throughout the world, this has been an age old stress relieving and healing modality that has been practiced by almost all of the religions and cultures. Meditation is an introspective technique, using contemplation to help focus the mind on a precise thought or object. This may be used for the purpose of spirituality, religiousness or relaxation and leads to a feeling of peace and immense calm for the body and soul.

Different techniques are available and may be performed with chants, meditation music or in absolute silence. There are times that the main focus of concentration can be on a rhythm of your breath or a picture and posture. No matter what approach you decide to use, you are going to need a really quiet environment and a certain period of time, in which you aren’t going to be interrupted. Choose the place, choose the chant or object you want to focus on and then find a comfortable position - not lying down which could have you falling asleep in that relaxed state. Done right, this gets you into a detached state even though you are aware of what is going on around you - this is a relaxed rather trance-like state. Generally people experience the limited Alpha State. In the two deeper states, however, the mind becomes progressively more tranquil and still.

Many of the world’s religions have meditation as a part pf their religious rituals, but it with Buddhism that the practice is most closely associated and linked. In the Buddhist context, the practice indicates the directing and controlling of the mind inwards, within oneself in the search for enlightenment. Although it can be performed in any position including standing, sitting, walking or lying down, the sitting position or ‘zazen’, is the most recommended.

In relationship to meditating, there are several psychological and physical benefits that have been documented, several of them arising out of a research project that was conducted by Professor Herbert Benson at the Harvard Medical School. Sessions as short as 20 minutes when done regularly can do a world of good to you including reduced blood pressure, reduced tension in the muscles and healthy metabolic activity. Occasionally, once you have reached a deep state, you are going to start to see swirls of mental pictures and colors or you are going to internally hear a voice that is talking to you.

Studies have been done to prove the efficacy of meditation in relieving stress-related illnesses as well as pain and mental diseases like depression. The good news is that with better self awareness, comes a better state of health and well-being for you both in mind as well as body and you find yourself functioning much better that you thought possible. Meditation has been used through the ages as a means to attain better spiritual planes but today it is finding a great use to manage the stress and tensions that abound in the modern world. You can lead a stress free life if you combine yoga sessions with meditation.