Is happiness a choice, a set of healthy habits or genetic? While it could be one of these factors or a combination of all, it’s not so easy to understand what makes us truly happy from inside.
Working on your mind is probably one of the ways to get happier than one is currently. According to studies, meditation is one such technique that can help change the brain for better and promote feelings of wellness, satisfaction and happiness in general.
Meditation helps us to become more mindful. Staying in the present moment and being able to enjoy it to the fullest is one of the happiest experiences one can have. Meditating even for a few minutes per day over a period can help you reset your mind and look at life from a kinder, more loving perspective. The practice of meditation also helps in curbing stress hormones and promoting happier ones.
“Like the body, the mind also needs its share of nourishment. This can come in the form of holistic practices like meditation. It is impossible to separate the mind and body, both are interconnected and to look after one is to look after the other. Meditation allows us to experience overall well-being and bliss. This is due to the fact that practising meditation releases happy hormones in the body,” says Himalayan Siddha, Akshar, Founder, Akshar Yoga Research and Development Centre.
Akshar also shares 3 meditation techniques for happiness.
MEDITATION FOR BOOSTING HAPPY HORMONES
1. STHITI DHYAN
As the name suggests, this kind of meditation is all about observance of the present moment and improve your recollection of what you see. This kind of meditation helps in improving your mindfulness which in turn will aid in boosting your happiness.
METHOD
• Sit in any comfortable posture such as Sukhasana.
• Look ahead for 5 seconds, behind you for another five seconds and on right and left sides for five seconds each.
• Now close your eyes and recollect as many details that you observed as possible.
2. SUPER POWER MEDITATION
This type of meditation is also a highly recommended practice as this influences the rate at which your body can heal itself. Meditation techniques can improve your mood, calm your mind and help relax you. Through this meditation practice you can release negativity from you and embrace positive emotions.
METHOD
• To practice this, seat yourself on a peak of the mountain in Sukhasana or any other comfortable pose that gives you the shape of a pyramid.
• The intention is to sit in the shape of triangle atop a mountain.
• In this position, you need to visualize a reverse triangular shield in your chest and then meditate.
• During the meditative process, with every inhale, this shield allows you to welcome all the positive energies of the world into you. And, as you exhale you release unwanted toxins, miseries, and negativity from within you.
3. TRATAK ON FLAME
Tratak is about concentrating on a flame, improving concentration and releasing unhealthy emotions like anger. It provides immense benefits for controlling your mood.
What you need
• A comfortable mat to sit on
• A diya (or lamp) made of mud
• Ghee or oil
• Cotton wick
• Match sticks
• Stool or desk
METHOD
• Prepare the diya by first placing a wick on the diya and then add ghee or oil from top
• Light the diya and place it on the desk or stool
• Ensure that the flame is pointing towards you and is at eye-level, i.e., the flame should be in line with your eyes
• Begin by sitting around 4 to 5 feet away from the flame. The distance varies according to your height. Neither should you sit too far nor too near.
• Ensure that your neck is not strained while you look at the flame
• Sit in any comfortable posture (preferably Sukhasana or Padmasana)
• Elongate your spine and place your palms on your knees facing up
• Join your index and thumb finger and hold Gyaan Mudra
• Draw your gaze to the flame and direct all of your attention to it
• Observe how the tip of the flame moves
• Try not to blink as much as possible
• If you catch your thoughts wandering, bring them back to focus on the flame
• After your practice, close your eyes for a while and release the strain from your eyes if there is any.