There are more than a dozen types of meditations out there. While mindfulness tends to get all of the attention, chakra meditation can be especially therapeutic for those who want to work on specific issues. Often, when we struggle in certain areas of our lives, our mental and physical state is a reflection of an out-of-balance chakra.
But what exactly is chakra meditation? How does it work? Let’s explore!
What is Chakra Meditation?
Chakra meditation is a type of meditation that focuses on healing or balancing the chakras. It can be used to help improve your overall well-being, or it may be used to address specific issues in one or more of your chakras.
In Sanskrit, the word chakra means “wheel,” and it refers to the energy centers of the body. Each of these energy centers, or chakras, is located along the astral spine, running from the crown of the head to the base of the spine. There are seven in total.
Before diving into the practice of chakra meditation, it’s important to have a better understanding of the seven chakras.
What are the 7 Chakras?
There are seven chakras in total that run from the base of the skull all the way down the spine. Let’s look at each one, starting from the top.
1. Crown Chakra
The crown chakra, or Sahasrara Chakra, is at the top of the head. It represents liberation – complete freedom – and its associated color is violet.
The crown chakra is associated with thought, the connection with your spirit and universal consciousness.
An imbalance or blockage in this chakra can cause:
Physical imbalance and poor physical performance
Mental confusion
Lack of a connection to the world
Poor focus and mental functioning
Correcting the imbalance can help you not only feel better mentally and physically, but it can also help you better connect to higher consciousness.
2. Third Eye Chakra
The third eye chakra, or Ajna Chakra, has two opposing ends:
A negative end at the base of the skull, which represents the ego.
A positive end that sits just between the eyebrows, representing enlightenment.
As you may have guessed, the Anja Chakra is associated with higher knowledge and intuition.
When the third eye chakra becomes imbalanced or blocked, you may:
Feel like you’re lost or going adrift
Lose the connection to your inner wisdom
Have trouble seeing the bigger picture
Feel anxious, depressed or foggy
Some people may even experience physical symptoms, such as:
Headaches
Eye strain
Dizziness
Hearing issues
Clogged sinuses
Confusion
Nightmares or insomnia
Realigning the chakra can help bring clarity to your life and restore emotional balance.
3. Throat Chakra
The throat chakra, or Vishuddha Chakra, is associated with communication. Your throat chakra helps you communicate your truth and find your true voice.
When the throat chakra is imbalanced or blocked, you may feel:
Depressed or anxious
Have low self-esteem
Unable to express your feelings
Sometimes, an imbalance can have the opposite effect, where you:
Talk too much and without a clear purpose
Use inappropriate language
Say things you don’t mean
Talking over people and interrupting
Taking the time to rebalance your throat chakra can restore healthy communication, allowing yourself to be heard and for others to be heard as well.
4. Heart Chakra
The heart chakra, or Anahata Chakra, is associated with emotion and feeling. It is the center of your love for yourself and others, as well as empathy, compassion and forgiveness. The Anahata is often considered the bridge between the upper and lower chakras.
A blocked or imbalanced heart chakra can affect your entire being. It may manifest as:
Illness or disease
Poor circulation
Infection of the lungs
It can also impact your mental health, causing you to feel:
Jealous of others
Isolated and lonely
Overly defensive
Fear
Difficulty trusting others
Restoring balance and realigning the heart chakra can help you feel grounded, supported in love and connected to the world around you.
5. Solar Plexus Chakra
The solar plexus chakra, or Manipura Chakra, sits just behind the navel and is associated with either self-control or aggression. It is also associated with your self-esteem, a sense of purpose, metabolism, digestion and individual will.
Blockages and misalignments in the Manipura Chakra can manifest as:
Digestive issues
Ulcers
Disease and illness of the liver and pancreas
Difficulty with self-expression
Neediness
Short temper
Poor confidence
Fear
Lack of direction
Restoring balance to this chakra can help you feel more self-assured and connect you with your higher purpose.
6. Sacral Chakra
The sacral chakra, or Swadisthana Chakra, sits just an inch above the first chakra (root). It is associated with creativity and the cycles of life.
Balancing your sacral chakra can help you get more pleasure out of life and to feel in harmony with the world around you.
7. Root Chakra
The root chakra, or Muladhara Chakra, sits at the base of the spine and is associated with family, security and your feeling of home.
When the root chakra is out of alignment or blocked, it can cause:
Weight gain or loss
Pelvic pain
Constipation
Difficulty staying focused
Inability to take action
Anxiety, stress or depression
Exhaustion or fatigue
How Does Chakra Meditation Work?
When you practice chakra meditation, you focus on healing a blocked chakra or harnessing the power of whichever chakra you may need at the time.
Chakra meditation is very similar to any other type of meditation. However, your intention is to help heal or realign either all or one or more of your chakras.
Guided Chakra Meditation Practice
Not sure where to start with chakra meditation? We’ve rounded up some helpful YouTube videos to help you on your journey.
This 10-minute guided crown chakra meditation includes breathing exercises and will help you work on rebalancing this major chakra.
Third Eye Chakra Meditation
In this 10-minute guided meditation, you will work on connecting to your third eye and use powerful affirmations to strengthen it. This meditation is a great way to start the day, or you can use it just before a big event or decision that requires you to see clearly.
Throat Chakra Meditation
In this 10-minute throat chakra meditation, you will work on removing blockages from this key energy center. The meditation starts and ends with a focus on the breath to bring you into the present moment.
Heart Chakra Meditation
Here’s a beautiful 10-minute heart chakra meditation to help you realign this key chakra and feel more connected to everyone and everything around you.
A 10-minute guided meditation to help clear your sacral chakra and reconnect with your inner wisdom.
Root Chakra Meditation
A 10-minute guided meditation to help you reconnect with your roots and rebalance this chakra. Use this meditation when your root chakra needs balancing or you need to feel more grounded and at peace.
Chakra meditation can help you improve your sense of well-being and reconned with a higher consciousness. The guided meditations above are a great place to start on your chakra-healing journey.
Meditation is a way to help you increase your awareness and intention, release stress and better your own life. But, there are a lot of different practices to follow. Today, we’re going to answer “what is Kundalini meditation,” how to do it and tips on practicing.
You might find that this form of meditation is perfect for you, but if not, don’t worry.
Kundalini meditation’s origins are somewhat of a mystery, but we do have records of the practice in 500 – 1000 BC. However, the Western world can thank Yogi Bhajan for bringing this practice to a wider audience in the 1970s.
Where things get a bit confusing is that Bhajan states that the practice dates back to 26,000 BC.
But, while we may never know the origins of this practice, we do know that it:
Remains part of Kundalini yoga
Revolves around the concept of the base of energy being in the spine’s base
Includes chakras, starting with the root chakra, or the one in the base of the spine, and releasing energy through the remaining chakras and out of the head, or crown chakra
When you practice this form of yoga, you’re going to purposely release energy in the body to create a sort of communication system between the:
Mental state
Physical state
Spirituality
Once you create this communication system through meditation, it will empower you to form a new, internal rhythm, which allows you to experience a higher version of you.
Note: Kundalini meditation is not a religion or set of beliefs.
Many people are under the impression that this meditation is religious-based, but it’s simply a practice that helps you develop mind-body awareness centered around the energy centers inside of you.
How to Do Kundalini Meditation
First, before you do anything else, you need to set your space up properly. Every form of meditation will require this setup, which includes:
Creating a comfortable space that you can sit in without discomfort for your entire session.
Removing all distractions from the space, including kids, animals, smartphones and anything else.
Choosing a mantra that you’ll say during your practice.
Deciding on how long you’ll practice and when. Many people practice right before bed as a way to wind down for the night.
Finally, you can now begin your practice. I do want to mention that putting meditation practices into words is always a little difficult for me.
Are you more of a visual learner or rather have someone to follow when starting your meditation? We’ve listed quite a few YouTube videos below that can guide you through your first Kundalini meditation practice.
Sit Down and Get Into You Meditation Pose
Sit down with your spine straight and upright. Close your eyes almost 100% but just short of it. Then, you can begin:
Focus on the present
Envision energy blocks releasing
Begin Saying the Mantra You Chose Earlier
Mantras help you focus, and you can say one or many throughout your meditation. For example, you may say “sat nam” routinely and then “sat” when inhaling or “nam” when exhaling.
What does this mean?
Sat nam = trust in my essence
Focusing on Your Breathing
Breathing is one of the most important parts of meditation, and it’s one of the most difficult aspects for people just starting their practice. Focusing on your breath is how many people bring themselves back to the present when their mind begins to wander.
A good way to breathe is 4-7-8 breathing:
Breathe in for four seconds
Hold for seven seconds
Exhale for eight seconds
Repeat.
Focusing on your breath will help you master this form of meditation.
Finish Your Practice Strong
Come out of your meditation slowly. A lot of people are on a time schedule, so they’ll set a timer to alert them when their session is done. You’ll want to take it slow coming out of your practice, by:
Opening your eyes
Inhaling slowly
Exhaling slowly
Raising your arms in the air
Getting up
I personally like to spend a few minutes tidying up at the end of meditation to further help clear my mind.
And, that’s really it. Meditation sounds easy when reading and writing about it, but it demands a high level of practice and intention for it to benefit you. Over time, as you progress, slowly increase your meditation practice
Kundalini Meditation YouTube Videos to Follow
10 Min Kundalini Kriya For Awakening For Beginners
If you have a quick 10 minutes, this is a great resource that will help you through your first meditation. The guided video will help you energize your day and clear your mind while filling your body with prana.
If you would like to go through a longer, guided meditation practice, this video is a good choice. In total, the video lasts for over 30 minutes and will help many people reach a heightened state of awareness for weeks.
Bonus: Kundalini Yoga: Awakening the Shakti Within
Sadhguru is someone that I follow personally and find solace in his teachings. In this video, he does an amazing job at explaining Kundalini meditation in ways that I cannot.
P.S. We’ve also just written a great guide on YouTube sleep meditation that you might enjoy reading.
5 Tips on How to Practice Kundalini Meditation
Start by following guided meditation practices.
Heed Sadhguru’s advice that this is a dangerous form of meditation due to its potency and needs the necessary support when attempting it.
Avoid focusing on perfection and focus on practice and consistency.
Start meditation with comfortable clothes and in a comfortable space.
Begin your practice slowly, dedicating just 10 minutes to it per session before increasing.
If you don’t find that Kundalini meditation works for you or it’s just not something you have fun with, read our article Why Doesn’t Meditation Work for Me?
What Is Kundalini Yoga Meditation?
Kundalini yoga meditation uses yoga to improve the flow of energy through the use of breathing exercises, asanas and meditation. Unlike the seated meditation discussed above, this practice is more physically intensive and works to reshape your:
Mind
Body
Emotions
Spiritualness
What Is Kundalini Chakra Meditation?
This is a general type of meditation that was discussed throughout this article. Your meditation will move energy through the body and help open up the many chakras that are blocked.
What is Osho Kundalini Meditation?
Osho Kundalini meditation is an in-depth practice that truly warrants its own guide to fully understand. However, the ideas are easy enough to put into words and are listed below:
Shake and dance meditation
Four-stage process
Performed in the late afternoon or at sunset
Works to improve energy flow
Brings joy and bliss
The concept is based on dancing and shaking, which is thought to allow liquid to flow into areas where energy is blocked. The entire first two stages of Osho revolve around liquids, while the last two work to push the energy upward.
What Is The Difference Between Kundalini Yoga And Meditation
While Kundalini yoga and meditation are fundamentally different, they do try to bring the same benefits to their practitioners. A few key points to remember are:
Yoga uses breathing exercises, mantras, poses and meditation.
Meditation is a consistent practice and an ancient practice that trains just your mind.
And, you can try both yoga and meditation to see which one works best for you. There’s truly no wrong or right answer on which to practice. Some people find yoga tires the body and mind so that they can train the mind, while others may have mobility issues that stop them from doing yoga and would rather focus on meditation.
What is Kundalini meditation?
It’s a way to open your chakras, allow positive energy to flow and helps you reach your fullest potential.
Spiritual practice, or “bettering yourself,” is something that I’ve been trying to focus more on in life. Active meditation seems to help me a lot by allowing positive energy to flow in while helping me release some of the negative energy that seems to creep in from time-to-time.
If you’re looking to open up one of the many chakras you have and expand your awakening of consciousness, give Kundalini meditation a try.
Do you have trouble sleeping at night? You’re not alone. An estimated 30-48% of adults suffer from insomnia. Even if you don’t have insomnia, you may have nights where anxiety and intrusive thoughts keep you awake. Guided sleep meditation can help you relax and get into the right mindset for sleep. Try these YouTube sleep meditation videos to get a better night’s sleep tonight.
10 YouTube Sleep Meditation Videos
There are countless sleep meditation videos on YouTube. These are some of the most watched and loved by users:
1. Guided Sleep Meditation YouTube – Let Go of Anxiety
This sleep meditation video from Jason Stephenson will help you let go of the anxiety that may be stopping you from falling asleep at night. The guided meditation itself is soothing, but so is the imagery – an ethereal cave with magical mushrooms, crystals, dancing moonlight and calm water. The speaker walks you through a full-body relaxation exercise that will help you let go of tension and drift off into a peaceful sleep.
2. Relaxing Deep Sleep Music
Tranquil Relax’s deep sleep music and meditation video features beautiful, calming imagery, with glowing butterflies, shooting stars, a full moon and water. While this video doesn’t have a guided meditation, it does feature relaxing music tracks and tranquil animations.
3. Guided Sleep Meditations for Insomnia
Silent Rhythm’s sleep meditation video has soothing music and serene animations. A full moon, a gentle stream and shooting stars help you slip into a deep state of relaxation. But it’s the calming music that will really help you fall asleep and stay asleep. The video offers nearly 12 hours of sleep-inducing imagery and sound.
4. Restful Sleep Guided Meditation
Fall asleep in minutes with this guided meditation, which will help you stay grounded and connected to the universe. The guided meditation lasts about 20 minutes, but the soothing music will continue for three whole hours to help you stay in a deep sleep.
We love the imagery in this video, too, which has a warm, fiery glow.
5. Meditation for Quality Sleep
This guided meditation from Lavendaire will help you let go of stress and prepare your anxious mind for a night of deep, restful sleep. It’s a short video (just over 20 minutes), but it goes through a whole-body relaxation exercise to help you get ready for proper sleep. The speaker’s voice is so soothing and relaxing.
6. Restorative Sleep Meditation
Here’s another great guided sleep meditation that will help quiet your busy mind and get your body totally relaxed. This 2-hour-long meditation also has beautiful imagery to make the experience even more immersive and relaxing. A sailboat, seagull, butterflies and calm night seas make this meditation video one of our favorites to listen to and watch.
7. Solid Sleep Meditation
If you’re suffering from sleep deprivation, this guided meditation will help you relax your mind and body. The guided meditation lasts an entire hour and is accompanied by surreal animations of galaxies, a magical door and a rowboat. The extended guided meditation, which feels almost like hypnosis, may help people who have a much harder time falling asleep.
8. Guided Sleep Aid Story
If you find that guided meditation doesn’t improve your quality of sleep, then this sleep story might. This sleep story for grown-ups takes you to a cabin in the woods, where you’re asked to immerse yourself in a calming, peaceful and safe environment surrounded by nature. The speaker helps paint a vivid picture that really helps create a restful mind before bed.
9. Improved Sleep Guided Meditation
This guided meditation will help improve the duration of sleep and your sleep habits so that you wake up feeling more refreshed. Like the guided story, this meditation video helps you paint relaxing images in your mind, making it easier to drift off to sleep. Although it’s only about 12 minutes long, this guided meditation will help you calm your mind to fall asleep quickly.
10. Guided Meditation for Healthy Sleep
In this bedtime meditation, you will learn to let go of pain and shift your focus to the present moment. Going through a full-body relaxation exercise will help get your body into the right state for sleep. This 3-hour meditation video also features relaxing animations of a cabin in the woods. It’s a video you can come back to time and time again to continue improving your sleep routine.
YouTube Meditation Music for Sleep
Along with guided meditation videos, you can also find videos that feature relaxing music for sleep. These videos are great for people who don’t enjoy meditation at bedtime or find that meditation doesn’t help them fall asleep. Some of the most watched and loved sleep music videos include:
Deep Sleep Music
This video from B Relaxation has 24 hours of relaxing music and a soothing animation, with a gentle breeze blowing the trees and a candlelit lantern. The music is piano-based and changes throughout the video, so it’s not a constant loop of the same melody.
Restful Sleep Music
This soothing relaxation video features music by Peter B. Helland and gorgeous video imagery of nature. From sheep running along the hillside to a field of flowers and waterfalls, the videos are just as calming and soothing as the music itself. The 3-hour-long video is sure to help you fall asleep and stay asleep.
Restful Mind Music for Better Sleep at Night
This video uses relaxing music and delta waves to help you enjoy improved sleep and wake up with a rested mind. You get 8 full hours of relaxing music and nothing else. Delta waves range between 0 and 4 hertz, and they’re associated with deep stage 3 sleep.
How to Use YouTube Sleep Meditation Videos
The great thing about sleep meditation videos is that they are simple and straightforward. Just press play, listen and fall asleep. But if you really want to get the most out of your nightly guided meditations, you need to create the right environment and bedtime routine. Here are some tips:
Use Headphones
Guided meditation and relaxation videos are best enjoyed with headphones. In fact, most of these videos will recommend using headphones while listening. Why? Because they allow you to fully immerse yourself in the content without interruption from background noise.
Create a Quiet, Dark Sleep Space
Headphones certainly help keep noise levels down, but creating a quiet sleep environment can further help you get into the right mindset for sleep. Along with minimizing environmental noise, do your best to make your space as dark as possible.
Blackout curtains are a great way to create a dark room. If you don’t plan on watching the animations on the videos, you can also try using a sleep mask. A sleep mask will help block out light for an even more restful night of sleep.
If you have trouble sleeping at night, these YouTube sleep meditation videos will help you get into a more relaxed state – both mentally and physically. They’re free to use and you can come back to them time and time again to enjoy a restful night of sleep.
Sound is powerful, and it has been used in spiritual ceremonies for 40,000 years or longer. Australian tribes were known to use singing bowls because they believed in using instruments for meditation.
And today, we’re going to cover a lot of questions on this topic, including:
What is sound meditation?
What are the benefits of this practice?
What instruments can you use for meditation?
What do studies have to say about sound meditation?
Let’s start with defining this type of meditation and explaining what it is in greater detail.
What is Sound Meditation?
Sound meditation uses sounds, which become the focal point of your practice. The idea is simple: focus on sounds and allow yourself to be 100% in the moment without distraction. Many people who practice sound therapy for anxiety find it empowering because it allows you to stop focusing on:
Stress
Anxiety
Life
In your session, you’ll focus on just sound. You’ll focus on chanting, gongs or other instrument sounds to stay in the present moment.
How Sound Therapy Works
First, you’ll need instruments or tools to make the sounds and you’ll find a list of items two sections under this one that can help. Next, you’ll want to do a few of the basics to set up your meditation space, including:
Creating a quiet space
Removing all distractions
Making a comfy place to sit
Your space should only be filled with the sounds that you’re making.
Note: Many people also call this practice sound bath meditation. The “bath” is just being surrounded and immersed in the sound. Sound baths have nothing to do with lying in your tub and listening to music, although that does sound quite amazing.
Benefits of Sound Meditation
Meditation is a well-studied topic, and you’ll find a lot of benefits, which include everything from helping reduce headaches and pains to relieving anxiety and helping you focus. But every form of meditation has its own benefits, although they’re not well-studied.
Honestly, I dive into meditations and give them a try for myself without doing much research on them.
But, I did take the time to research studies on sound meditation, which you’ll find in the last section of this article. With that said, the main benefits of sound meditation, include:
Reduce anxiety
Reduce depression
Alleviate tension
Improve mood
Add to well-being
Short-term cognitive improvement
Improve in recall speed
However, there are a lot of anecdotal benefits, which are claimed by people who try this meditation, including:
While I cannot verify many of these claims, many of them are accepted in the meditation industry and discussed often. Try sound meditation yourself and see if it’s worth practicing or not.
Sound Instruments for Meditation
Many instruments are used to produce meditative sounds that you can focus on, and some practitioners will simply put on YouTube and listen to the sounds others are making to focus on. However, you can also buy many of these instruments yourself or may want to try them to see which you prefer.
A few of the instruments for mediation that are widely used are:
Chanting
Don’t have money to spend on an instrument? Chant. Chanting isn’t for everyone, but it’s free and something you can do any time you want. You can also try saying mantras if you don’t like chanting and don’t have one of the instruments listed below.
Mantras can be especially powerful and help you anchor your mind, too.
Singing Bowls
Using a singing bowl is most common for anyone just trying sound meditation, and you’ll actually see these bowls in action in the videos earlier in the article. You can hit the bowls with a mallet to create a resonating tone that you can focus on.
As you advance, you may try using multiple bowls to create your own orchestra of sound. Each bowl offers its own:
Unique sounds
Specific music notes
Many practitioners recommend spending time to find the right bowl, testing out multiple bowls and finding one that matches you. You can always keep multiple bowls available, and use each of them in your practice to create a symphony of sounds that aid in your own healing process.
Rattlers
Rain sticks and rattlers are what most people envision when they think of shamans, and you may even see practitioners using rattlers over a person’s body. If you want to connect with the spirit world or just try something different, consider these two instruments.
Tuning Forks
Tuning forks have been used for centuries to tune instruments, and they produce amazing vibration sounds, too. A lot of practitioners will use tuning forks because they believe that they help open up their chakras and meridian lines.
Plus, these forks can also help you tune other instruments that you have, which is pretty useful.
Studies on Sound Meditation
Many meditation experts recommend sound therapy for anxiety and vibrational sound healing, but does it really work? I was able to dig up a few concrete studies, which I am going to outline below and allow you to make your own judgment on the effectiveness of sound meditation.
2016 Study
A study from the University of California and the California Institute for Human Science. The study included:
62 women and men
Tibetan singing bowls
The researchers state that this is a low-cost, feasible way to reduce:
Anxiety
Depression
Tension
Researchers in the study did state that additional studies were needed to learn about the benefits of sound meditation for physical pain, overall well-being and mood.
2013 Study
A 2013 study on Tibetan sound meditation was done on cognitive dysfunction. The study focused on individuals who were suffering from chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment. The study included:
47 cancer patients
Mean age of 56.3 years
2 weekly meditation sessions over a six-week period
A control group was included in this study, and what researchers found was that meditation led to:
Short-term cognitive improvement
Possible increase in processing speed
Increase in mental health
As with the last study, researchers would like additional studies to take place, which will include a larger pool of participants. The researchers were happy with the results that they saw, but they would like a larger sampling size to determine efficacy and even biomarkers for inflammation.
What is sound meditation? It’s an ancient practice that forces you to focus on the sound and be in the moment. If you’re trying to find your own meditation groove or just want to try something different, give this meditative experience a try.
Do you know what to do after meditation? Most people just get up and continue with their daily life, but meditation experts often have their own routine after their sessions.
But a few things that have helped me after my daily meditation practice, include:
What To Do After Meditation Practices? 7 Recommendations
1. Consolidate the Entire Experience
One of the things not to do after meditation is ignore the experience. Arguably one of the worst things that you could do is just go on with your day and not think about your meditation session – especially as a beginner.
The benefits of meditation come from consolidating the process.
Take a few moments to:
Think about what you felt
Focus on what you feel after meditation
Mentally review the session
Once you consolidate the experience, it’s time to move on to the next step.
Note: Do not focus on the things that went wrong too much. Recognize them but let them go. If you dwell on the negative of the experience, you’ll quickly counteract the benefits of meditation.
2. Clean Up Your Meditation Space
Often, I’ll mix cleaning up my meditation space with point one, where I consolidate everything I feel.
Why?
Cleaning is meditative in itself. You don’t want to jump right into an intense task where you have to focus on school or work.
What most people don’t realize is that cleaning has a positive impact on your mental health.
Cleveland Clinic had a fantastic podcast on cleaning and mental health, which you can learn more about here. What the clinical psychologist on the podcast revealed was that:
Cleaning improves mental health
Lack of cleaning can adversely affect negative health
For me, it makes sense to improve the effects of meditation by cleaning up my meditation space. It takes five minutes to clean up the space, it helps you feel better about the experience and also allows you time to compartmentalize everything that you experienced.
If there’s one thing not to do after meditation, it is leave your space cluttered.
3. Journal the Entire Experience
Journaling isn’t a must-do activity, but it’s something a lot of people recommend and it seems to work. You can use your journaling to jot down answers to the following questions:
What went right when meditating?
How do you feel after meditation?
Did you gain insight when meditating?
What didn’t go as expected?
From personal experience, I know that when meditating doesn’t go as expected, it’s always because I’m worried about something or pushing something off until later. For example, I may be in the middle of meditating and then think about how I have to go get my passport renewed, need to write a blog post or call my brother, whom I haven’t talked to in a long time.
Everyone has tasks they’re putting off until later.
However, when these tasks pop up in your mind in the middle of your meditation, it should be an indicator that you must get things done. Journaling has helped me understand my meditation practice more and actually sheds insight into things I need to get done.
If your mind is wandering to things you’ve been pushing off when meditating, it’s time to get these tasks done.
4. Stretch or Destress
If you hate stretching, you can skip this tip. Stretching isn’t for everyone, but you can always try something else, such as:
Heat therapy
Massage
Etc.
Why?
Most meditation styles will help you feel relaxed. It’s not often that we’re able to relax and really relish in it. You can add to this relaxation by stretching, using a massage chair or gun or something similar.
All of these activities will help you reduce any stress or tension that you’re holding on to.
Plus, it’s always good to engage in these activities because everyone feels better when they’re not stressed out.
5. Do Something You Love
Want to know what to do after meditation to ensure that you practice again?
Do something you love.
Connecting habits together is a “hack” that will work very well if you’re trying to create new habits. How should you feel after meditation? Energized and motivated.
So, after your session, try to do something you like or want to improve on:
One thing I learned when trolling the Buddhism section of Reddit is that meditation doesn’t end. When you get up from sitting, gazing or however you’re meditating, you should still meditate on the world around you.
For example, you may want to:
Practice mindfulness
Walk in nature and be mindful of everything around you
Try to feel more at one with nature
Of course, you can’t sit there for hours on end, meditating when you have things to do throughout the day. However, you can and should try to focus on the world around you a little more.
One thing I truly enjoy is being mindful of the food that I consume.
Every bite is filled with flavor and appreciation. You can think of the nutrients and energy that went into growing the food. Or you can think of the entire growth cycle of the food from the sun beating down on the ground to the rain watering and oxygenating the earth to grow the food.
7. Take a Shower
If you meditate in the morning, you may find it difficult to transition from meditating into your daily routine. For anyone feeling this way, one great recommendation I received was to shower after meditating.
Why?
Showering is relaxing
Showering is the transition into the day
And showering did seem to help me get on with the day and feel a lot better doing it.
After Meditation FAQs
What to Do If You Feel Light Header After Meditation?
If you feel light headed after meditation, you may want to come out of meditation a little slower. For example, you may want to lay or sit for a few minutes and practice mindfulness just to allow yourself to recenter.
Feelings after meditation vary for everyone, and many people have the light headed feeling you’re experiencing.
It’s just a part of meditation and something that you’ll get accustomed to over time. However, if you feel extremely dizzy and lightheaded in the middle of your session, simply open your eyes and breathe. Allow yourself time to feel better and increase the transition from meditation to the “waking world.”
Tip: Try a different type of meditation, such as candle meditation or mantra meditation,if you can’t shake the lightheadedness when meditating with your eyes closed.
What to Do If You’re Crying While Meditating?
Crying while meditating is a lot more common than you think. Once, Rene and I went to a deep breathing class with a good friend, which was very similar to meditating. We were all lying on the floor, practicing these intense deep breathing exercises, and then it happened.
Our friend started balling. She was crying hysterically.
While discussing it among ourselves, there were a lot of people there that mentioned crying during and after meditation.
Why?
The general consensus was that meditation allows:
You to let go of your emotions
You to come to peace with personal pain and experience
Don’t allow crying to cause you to be unable to meditate. Over time, you’ll come to terms with the pain and experiences that you’re feeling and the crying will stop. Allow crying to be a form of healing – it is.
Why Do You Have Headaches After Meditation?
Headaches after meditation are another experience that is quite common among meditators. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find why headaches happen. Some practitioners state that your brain function increases, causing headaches.
But, that’s not something I could verify.
Interestingly, a major analysis on meditation for headaches found that after 20 days of meditation, people were able to reduce their migraine headache pain and negative mood.
Our recommendation: Come out of meditation slower, as advised in the light headed section above and keep at it. Many people that have headaches during meditation find it subsides and goes away over time.
These are just a handful of tips on what to do after meditation. If you take the time to enjoy the experience and stop worrying about feelings after meditation, you’ll find each session gets better. Your mind will begin to focus, you’ll be less concerned about dizziness, lightheadedness and headaches.
Meditation styles vary drastically. And you may do amazing with one style and struggle with another. One option for you to try is cord cutting meditation.
We’ll explain this form of meditation in great detail and then walk you through the exact steps you need to take to see results.
Note: If meditation doesn’t work for you, it’s never a bad idea to just try something different. Sometimes, it’s the type of meditation that is holding you back rather than the practice itself. Cord cutting meditation is just another option to try, especially when dealing with negative people or energy.
What Is Cord Cutting Meditation?
Cutting the cord meditation revolves around:
Energy cords
Negative energy
Positive energy
Cord connections
The practice of cord cutting is right for you when you want to invite light into your life and let go of emotional stress. In short, this practice allows you to cut the ties someone has with you – energetic ties.
For example, do you have someone in your life who is an energy leech?
Of course, you do. In fact, 40% of people had negative emotions in 2020, setting a record in the process. This figure is likely much higher. Cord attachments are the connection you have with other humans that have an energetic hold on you.
This person can be an ex, an old friend or someone who you cared deeply about and is no longer in your life. You’re leaking energy to this person even if they’re not around you or really a part of your life.
And you internalize all of this energy.
Perhaps thinking of the person causes you anxiety, stress, negative emotions or other strong feelings.
If you engage in cutting the cord, you’re going to break free of these negative thoughts and energy that often sit in your subconscious mind, slowly impacting your energy.
How to Do Cord Cutting Meditation: 5 Easy Steps to Begin
Cord attachment is never healthy in my mind because there must be energetic boundaries. Unfortunately, you cannot control the actions of others, but if you cut these energetic cords, you can still care about the person without the emotional drain on your mind.
You can find peace of mind.
And you can begin experiencing the benefits of cutting the cord meditation by following these simple steps:
1. Create a Comfortable Space
First, you need to have a meditation space that is perfect for you and your needs. Everyone’s space is different, and you can have:
Candles
Incense
Music
Pillows
Blackout curtains
Anything you want. However, one thing you need to ensure is that the space is free from noise and distraction. You need to have just 15 – 20 minutes to dedicate to your practice so that you can begin your energetic practice.
2. Sit and Breathe
Sit in your meditation pose and be sure that your posture is good. You want the energy to flow through your body, and it will make it much easier to breathe when you maintain good posture. Breathing is going to be crucial to cutting the cord.
Once comfortable:
Close your eyes
Focus on your breathing
Inhale as long as you can
Slowly exhale until your lungs are empty
Repeat
After doing this 10 times, it’s time to move on to the next step.
3. Light Summoning
Light work is the foundation of cutting the energy cords that are causing your emotional attachments and finally putting boundaries up. You will continue with your eyes closed and maintain your deep breathing.
But you’re now going to do the following:
Focus on the top of your head, or the crown
Imagine a beam of light emanating from the crown
Put positive thoughts into this beam of light
Focus on the light and the way it makes you feel
The beam of light is thought of as a universal source or center of your energy. You need to fill this light with , intentional, positive thoughts.
4. Begin Cutting Cords
When visualizing and traversing the light from the crown of the head, it’s time to follow this light to the people that they branch off to. In this case, the person that you have an energetic connection with that you want to sever the cord with.
Now, you’ll need to:
Visualize breaking the cord with these energy-leeching individuals
Ask the light to remove the fear and anxiety you feel
Ask for help finding and removing the negative bonds you have with individuals
You’ll want to ask for guidance from the light during this practice to try and find the right cords. The light will help you find the right cords to be severe. Ask the light to stop the overwhelming emotions that you have with the person and guidance to cut these energy-draining emotions.
Note: Some individuals will call on angels, such as Archangel Michael for guidance. But if you’re not religious or follow another religion, just skip this part. It’s not 100% necessary, and cord cutting will work just fine whether you’re an atheist or one of the most devout people in the world.
5. Cut and Fill the Void
Finally, you’re going to begin cutting cords of light, and you’re going to notice that there are holes or voids which exist. You can visualize filling these voids with positive light and emotions to fill them up.
Many people find that filling the void is extremely helpful for them, and it’s something that works very well.
The goal here is not to feel a sense of emptiness that the person is no longer energetically attached to you. Instead, you should feel happy that you don’t need to rely on the individual for your own happiness, nor do you need to feel a sense of emptiness. Instead, allow someone or something else to receive this energy – including yourself.
When you cut these energetic ties, you’re finally able to:
Feel energized
Stop thinking of the other person
Not talk about the individual often
Etc.
If you want to bring your practice to the next level, I highly recommend reading through one of our most recent articles: What to Do After Meditation?
Cord Cutting Meditation FAQs
How Often Should You Do The Cord Cutting Meditation?
As much as you like. Cord cutting meditation benefits make this a practice worth integrating into your routine. For example, if you meditate daily, you may want to practice this form of meditation a few times a week.
Do what’s good for you.
However, if you want to focus on just this type of meditation session, most meditation experts recommend:
20-minute sessions per day
At least 5 – 10-minute sessions if you’re short on time
If you don’t like the experience the first time, give it a few sessions to really judge cord cutting for yourself.
Why Is Cutting The Cord Meditation So Effective?
It’s energizing. Unfortunately, there are no real studies available to say why people experience intense benefits from cord cutting. However, what practitioners state is that this practice helps:
Recover lost energy
Re-establish energy boundaries
People are filled with emotions. When you practice cord cutting, you’re helping free yourself from these unhealthy emotions so that you can heal.
What is cord cutting meditation? It’s fun. Exciting. Different. You need to try new things and have new experiences in meditation to truly grow as a person. Cutting the cord meditation is just one other style of practice to try.
You may find that this meditation practice works well for you, or you may find greater success practicing mindful living.
However, it’s definitely worth trying a session or two of cord cutting meditation to see if it’s something you like or not.
