Methods and Advantages – Fitsri Yoga

Individuals who practise meditation can attest to the numerous advantages it affords, particularly for psychological well being. It helps calm your stressed ideas usually known as the “monkey thoughts” and brings your focus to the current second.

For those who’re new to meditation, you could have seen that some folks meditate with their eyes closed, whereas others maintain them open. This doesn’t imply a technique is correct and the opposite improper.

Each open-eye and closed-eye meditation are legitimate approaches, every with its personal function and advantages.

On this article, we discover the variations between open-eye and closed-eye meditation, their advantages, and methods that can assist you resolve which one fits you greatest.

Open eyes meditation

In yoga, Trataka and Shambhavi Mudra Meditation are a few well-known strategies that advocate open eyes meditation. Whereas the eyes might not be opened absolutely, holding a tender gaze and partially open eyes are the essential factor within the above meditation methods.

It’ll even be shocking to know that the majority Buddhist meditation strategies ask for the eyes to not be absolutely closed. When you’ve got regarded on the varied depiction of Buddha, you will note that his eyes additionally stay open in most meditation positions.

Open eyes meditation is believed to higher join you along with your environment and surroundings. It additionally encourages mindfulness. Furthermore, individuals who have practiced meditation with open eyes say that they have been in a position to focus higher and management their ideas.

Allow us to take a look at some advantages of this meditation fashion.

Advantages of meditation with open eyes

• Helps you in remaining attentive and concentrated.
• Aid you focus and focus.
• Assists you in turning into extra aware of your surroundings.
• Lets you assume extra clearly.
• Encourages you in staying within the current second.
• Allow you in turning into extra acutely aware of your ideas and emotions.
• Help within the discount of pressure and anxiousness.
• Can facilitate you in reaching out to your inside self.
• Is usually a nice means of non-public progress and transformation.
• Simple to apply wherever.
• You may combine meditation along with your day by day routine as nicely.
• Can improve your creativity.

Open eyes meditation methods 

For open eyes meditation, the eyes are typically stored absolutely opened or half-opened to fully consider the article of your focus. It’s possible you’ll consider a candle flame, a picture of a deity, nostril tip, eyebrows heart or a serene image.

For instance, strolling meditation can also be a kind of open eyes meditation whereby you might be aware of your environment and expertise the sensations of the surroundings.

Whereas there are usually not many open eyes meditation strategies to apply, beneath are some widespread methods:

1. Trataka or candle gazing meditation

Trataka means regular gaze. On this open-eye meditation approach, you take a look at a stationary object for prolonged intervals. It helps with growing focus, cleaning the eyes, and stimulating the third eye chakra. 

By gazing at a nonetheless object, you might be limiting eyeball motion which calms your thoughts and offers you psychological peace. This additionally improves your reminiscence and soothes your nervous system.

The most typical methodology of working towards trataka is with a candle flame.  

Steps to carry out

• Place a burning candle 3-4ft away in order that the flame is stage with the eyes. 
• Sit within the meditative place along with your again straight and your head aligned with the backbone.
• Place your palms in Gyan mudra or any mudra that helps improve focus.
• Convey your gaze to the underside of the flame, which is essentially the most steady, and give attention to it with out blinking.
• Your eyes could begin to burn and water after a while, which is regular. You may shut your eyes at this level and focus on the psychological picture of the flame.
• Open your eyes when the psychological picture has light and repeat the method.
• Begin with an preliminary time of 5 minutes and steadily construct up until 30-45 minutes.

2. Zazen meditation

Zazen interprets to sitting meditation. It’s the meditative element of Zen. The aim of zazen is to easily sit, that’s, to cease all judgmental considering and let phrases, concepts, photographs, and ideas cross by with out being immersed in them.

The sitting posture, hand placement, backbone alignment, partially closed eyelids, and basic consciousness are all vital facets of zazen apply.

You aren’t required to give attention to any object or your breath throughout zazen meditation. You merely sit in a snug place and give attention to the present second with out thought. 

Historically, zazen is carried out whereas dealing with a wall to keep away from distraction and restrict your thoughts to wander.

Steps to carry out

• The sitting posture in Zazen is predicated on Vairochana’s Seven Level Posture, which specifies the location and alignment of the backbone, hand, eyes and gaze, head, mouth, and sitting type.
• The Lotus pose, Half lotus, Burmese (straightforward pose), and Seiza(Thunderbolt or hero pose) are the sitting poses that can be utilized for the apply.
• After sitting in your most well-liked pose, maintain your eyes partially open and produce your palms in Dhyan Mudra. Place your left palm, over the correct, each the palms dealing with upwards. The information of the thumbs barely contact one another. 
• Hold your palms in entrance of your navel barely away out of your physique. 
• Take a deep inhalation from the nostril and exhale by rounding your lips. Observe it up by respiration usually via your nostril for the whole thing of the meditation session.
• When your thoughts drifts, maintain returning to every breath to refocus your thoughts. 

3. Shambhavi mudra meditation

This meditation approach is well-known for the motion of eyes whereas holding them opened and closed at its superior stage. It’s initially carried out with eyes opened and solely when the meditator has gained some mastery over the strategy of the motion of the eyes, they’ll proceed to carry out this system with closed eyes.

It’s mentioned to stimulate the Kundalini shakti and the third eye chakra as a result of its point of interest being the center of the eyebrows. By way of this, you’ll be able to improve your self-awareness and join with the upper realm.

Practising trataka earlier than performing this meditation is a method to prepare the attention muscle tissue to maintain prolonged focus.

Steps to carry out

• Sit in any snug meditative pose, ideally Padmasana, Siddhasana/Sukhasana. 
• Hold the top and backbone straight, undertake Gyan mudra with each palms and place them on the thighs or knees and loosen up your complete physique. 
• Your eyes will stay open for your complete period of the apply.
• With out shifting the top, gently deliver your gaze in the direction of the middle of the brows. A simple method to determine the middle is to give attention to the V-shape juncture. For those who can find this form, meaning you might be gazing in the correct path.
• If the V- formation isn’t seen, the gaze isn’t directed upward and inward appropriately.
• Maintain your gaze right here for so long as you’ll be able to. 
• Initially, will probably be tough and chances are you’ll begin feeling a pressure in your eyes. Convey your eyes to the traditional place, shut your eyes to loosen up them for a couple of seconds, after which resume the apply. 
• When your eyes begin to really feel drained or watery, deliver your eyes to the traditional place and shut them. After a couple of minutes resume your apply. 
• Observe at the least 10-15 rounds of Shmabhavi Mudra.

4. Strolling meditation

Although this isn’t a proper meditation approach, strolling meditation is adopted actively within the Buddhist custom. It’s typically executed to facilitate motion after sitting for a protracted period in meditation. It is named kinhin.

In conventional Buddhism, practitioners stroll inside a room, both slowly or briskly, in a circle. Nevertheless, it can be executed by working towards mindfulness.

Strolling meditation can be practiced in your day by day life. All you want is an area that is freed from obstacles reminiscent of visitors, stones, pebbled pathways, roots of bushes, and so forth. Your backyard will be an excellent house.

Steps to carry out

• To start with, begin strolling slowly. Let your palms swing freely by your aspect or you’ll be able to maintain them behind your again in a relaxed method.
• Your gait needs to be pure and never pressured with a straight higher physique.
• Convey your consideration to the best way your physique strikes, particularly your legs.
• After 5 minutes, give attention to the feeling of your toes when connecting with the bottom. In case you are in your backyard, discover how the grass feels, the odor and colours of the flowers, and contact a leaf to really feel its texture as you might be strolling.
• For those who understand that your thoughts has wandered, deliver again your focus to the sensations of your strolling. 
• As soon as you might be prepared to finish the meditation, slowly come to a cease and stand nonetheless for a couple of moments.

Closed eyes meditation

Basically, meditation apply is synonymous with the apply of closing the eyes. 

Closing your eyes throughout meditation gives the next sense of focus and wards off distractions. If you shut your eyes, you’ll be able to channel your focus inwards. 

Closed eyes meditation will help you loosen up, ease the method of visualization, make you focus in your chakras, and make you give attention to one factor at a time.

You will need to be aware that closed-eyes meditation can usually result in sleepiness. The practitioner usually doesn’t understand that they’ve drifted off to sleep, which might defeat the aim of the meditation.

Nevertheless, it’s nonetheless the most typical methodology adopted by meditators when working towards their meditation.

Allow us to take a look at a few of its advantages.

Advantages of meditation with closed eyes

• Helps in inside reflection and enhances self-awareness.
• Supplies focus on objects that require creativeness and visualization.
• Will help you tune out exterior distractions.
• Holding the eyes closed aids in rest when practiced earlier than going to mattress.
• It’s a useful gizmo to manage your ideas and produce again the give attention to the breath.
• Allow you in turning into extra acutely aware of your ideas and emotions.
• Help within the discount of pressure and anxiousness.

Closed-eyed meditation methods 

A lot of the meditations are closed-eyes meditation methods and beneath are a few of these methods for apply:

1. Mindfulness meditation

Mindfulness meditation has its roots in Buddhist teachings, by which you simply take note of your ideas with out making any judgments or analyses. You merely search patterns and write them down.

You may select some extent of consideration whereas monitoring any physiological sensations, ideas, or emotions to help you in working towards mindfulness meditation.

That will help you apply mindfulness meditation, you’ll be able to select a focus whereas observing any physiological sensations, ideas, or emotions.

Steps to carry out

• Discover a quiet house with out distractions and sit in a meditative pose. 
• Shut your eyes and take a minute to breathe in your steady rhythm to settle your thoughts.
• Start by focusing in your breath. Think about the feeling of every inhales and exhale.
• It’s regular for ideas, sounds, feelings, and physique sensations to distract you from focusing in your breath.
• If you understand your distraction and your consideration wandering away out of your breath, gently deliver again your focus in your breath. 
• Let these distractions drift away with none judgments or evaluation. 
• Begin with 10 minutes and work your approach as much as longer classes.  

2. Guided imagery or visualization

Guided imagery is likely one of the most distinguished forms of visualization methods utilized by practitioners. With this technique, the meditator imagines a optimistic scene that may soothe them and assist them really feel comfortable with themselves. It helps you overcome any worry or do away with an disagreeable emotion quicker.

Visualization meditation includes imagining nice photographs, ideas, and symbols whereas additionally using affirmations and mantras to calm the thoughts and loosen up the physique.

Steps to carry out

• Get in a snug meditative place, be it sitting or mendacity down. In case you are sitting, be sure that your again is straight but your physique is relaxed.
• Shut your eyes and take a couple of moments to loosen up. Get your respiration to a steady rhythm.
• Begin by visualizing a contented place that you’ve visited or wish to go to, which can make you’re feeling calm and at peace. 
• Have interaction your senses and really feel as many sensations as you’ll be able to.
• Think about your self strolling on this place and feeling calmer and relaxed. 
• As you inhale, take within the optimistic feeling you derive from this place. And with an exhale, expel exhaustion, pressure, and misery out of your physique.
• Keep on this mode for so long as you wish to.

3. Progressive muscle rest

This strategy will help you in enjoyable tense muscle tissue attributable to bodily or emotional stress and fear. Relaxed muscle tissue will enable you sleep higher, increase your temper, and calm your ideas.

It may enable you develop into extra acutely aware of muscle ache, stiffness, or tightness.

Progressive muscle rest is greatest executed earlier than going to mattress as a result of it fully relaxes your physique.

Steps to carry out

• Lie down in your mattress along with your eyes closed on a snug but agency floor.
• Take a couple of moments to loosen up and get your respiration to a steady rhythm.
• Tense and loosen up an space of muscle tissue that aren’t affected. Carry out a physique scan from head to toes to see which areas want extra focus.
• As you rigorously inhale, contract the primary group of muscle tissue you encounter. Rigidity needs to be held for round 5 seconds. Be sure that your muscle tissue aren’t tense sufficient to induce ache.
• On exhale, loosen up these muscle tissue and launch the ache or pressure held by these muscle tissue. Visualize the muscle tissue being tense and tight after which being launched.
• Give a niche of 5-10 seconds and proceed with the subsequent group of muscle tissue. 
• Carry out this until you may have gone via your complete physique.

4. Mantra meditation

The objective of mantra meditation is to attach with one’s unconscious thoughts after which, by way of it, with larger cosmic vitality. In yoga, it’s regarded to be the best methodology for connecting with God or the larger divine pressure.

To attain this harmonic connection between the inside soul and the upper cosmic spirit, sound vitality is required. It permits us to quickly disconnect from the skin world and rise above the petty difficulties that maintain us again.

A mantra needs to be easy to memorize and recite. The mantra you select can also be influenced by your temper, ideas, and feelings. It ought to enable you to beat any damaging emotion or temper you’re experiencing.

Steps to carry out

• Sit in a meditative place with a straight again and head aligned along with your backbone.
• Shut your eyes and focus in your breath to stabilize your thoughts.
• Slowly and steadily repeat your mantra, specializing in the sound as a lot as doable. Repeat it in sync along with your breath’s pure rhythm.
• As you start to chant your mantra, maintain a steady and even respiration via your nostrils. You may both chant the mantra out loud or silently.
• Return to the mantra as ideas come, understanding that it is a regular a part of the method. Merely acknowledge them, allow them to go, and proceed your chant. 
• You must apply one of these meditation day by day for five to twenty minutes, and even longer in the event you want.

Must you meditate along with your eyes open or closed?

The reply to this query isn’t particular. Every one has its advantages and all of it depends upon one’s choice. Whereas some meditators could discover closing their eyes extra enjoyable, others could really feel holding their eyes opened extra visually stimulating for the thoughts.

Nevertheless, it is best to check out each strategies to see which fits your higher.

Usually, if you’re a newbie, it’s endorsed that you simply begin with a closed eyes meditation. And if you need your meditation to be accessible wherever, open eyes meditation is the one to decide on.

Under are some pointers that may enable you evaluate them:

• When you are feeling confused and wish to reduce the pressures in your consciousness, it is best to meditate along with your eyes closed. In case you are calm and concentrated, meditating along with your eyes open is more practical.
• For profound inside reinterpretation, reminiscent of learning and thoroughly re-experiencing the remnants of prior inside trauma, closed eyelids are preferable. Open eyes are more practical at transferring recent alternatives into our day by day life.
• Freshmen who’re nonetheless rising used to the apply ought to shut their eyes. People who’ve been meditating for a very long time and are snug with the way it works usually tend to open their eyes.
• If you’re drained, it’s not simpler to shut your eyes and you can threat falling asleep throughout meditation. If you wish to keep awake whenever you’re drained, chances are you’ll must maintain your eyes open.
• If you’re bodily protected, closing your eyes is less complicated. If you’re not feeling nicely, maintain your eyes open.
• For those who’re psychologically wholesome and steady closed eyes are extra possible, whereas open eyes are extra inspired when there’s a historical past of trauma that makes closed eyes really feel susceptible.
• In case you are sitting nonetheless, it’s simpler to shut your eyes. When conducting meditation in movement, it’s important to maintain your eyes open.