Vipassana Meditation - What Is It And How Can It Help You?

This form of meditation is one of India’s most ancient techniques of meditating and was discovered by Gautam Buddha more than 2500 years ago. It teaches human beings to see life just the way it is in all its reality without being affected by it. It focuses on observation of the self to realize true liberation from the cycle of rebirths also known as Moksha.

Learn how to practice Vipassana meditation:

There are some basic steps to start doing this form of meditation.

* Sit in a quiet place in a fairly dark room
* You will need to be undisturbed for at least 20 minutes
* Keep your head and spine straight
* You may sit on the floor or on a chair if needed
* Close your eyes to cut out any external influences
* Start focusing on your breathing
* Observe the length of each breath – whether short long or heavy
* Do not judge or try and control your breathing
* The key to Vipassana meditation is to act as a neutral spectator to your breathing
* Try to avoid your thoughts from being distracted
* In the beginning your thoughts may get distracted. Jus gently shift your focus back to the breathing
* With practice you will be able to focus on the breathing for long periods without distraction
* If questions and thoughts do arise, do not attend to them during the meditation
* Only once the meditation is over focus on these thoughts

Benefits of Vipassana meditation

This meditation teaches the middle path to life just as Lord Buddha had propagated. It helps us realize the emptiness of the human body and that the real Self is the soul. It teaches patience and benevolence towards all humans and things. Vipassana meditation is rooted in Indian scriptures and hence is an ancient technique of meditation which is practiced to this day.