MEDITATION IN INDIA

Meditation in India is synonymous with India and Indian spirituality. Meditation is one of the most important components of Yoga, which is a mind-body therapy involving a series of exercises. The word 'meditation' covers many disparate practices from visualizing situations, focusing on objects or images, thinking through a complex idea, or even getting lost in a provocative book, all qualifying as meditation in the broad sense.

Simply put, meditation is designed to carry us beyond the illusions created by our thoughts and senses so that we are able to experience everything in its truest form. Therefore, it is a focusing of the mind on a single object so as to create a cessation of all thought. As thoughts dissipate, the mind becomes quiet and devoid of all distractions, and we are able to exist completely in the present moment. Practiced to its advanced stages, meditation is contended to be the means of achieving the exalted state of enlightenment or supreme self-realization.

The Pills of all Ills :
The techniques of meditation are simple and easy to learn, though the ability to keep the mind focused takes time, patience and practice. And while few reach the exalted state, meditation confers many benefits along the way. The benefits of practicing meditation regularly include reduction of stress, tension, anxiety and frustration, as well as improved memory, concentration, inner peace and physical well-being. Meditation has also proven to be highly effective in treating psychological conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorders, depression, schizophrenia and anxiety.

Popular Destinations in India

Meditation in Kerala
When it comes to Meditation, the first place that really grabs our attention is Kerala. When it comes to rejuvenating yourself, there's no other destination in India than the Backwaters of Kerala. Kerala tour is a tour for body, mind and soul. A place in south India where nature shimmers in its freshness.

But let's not rule out the other South Indian states too. Including Kerala there are numerous other places in South India where interested people receive instruction in meditation. In addition to group instruction, you meet individually with faculty to discuss the formal practice and ways to integrate meditation practice into the experience of daily life in India.

Meditation in Rishikesh
Rishikesh is called the meditation capital of the world and there are many ashrams in Rishikesh offering courses on meditation and Hindu philosophy. The Hatha Yoga and pranayama meditation classes at Sri Ved Niketan Ashram are well known. The Shivananda Ashram is located opposite the Shivananda Jhula and is flocked by tourists. It is also possible to stay in the ashram by intimating the authorities a month earlier. Other ashrams include the Yoga Niketan Ashram, Omkarananda Ashram, Vanmali Gita Yogashram, Dayananda Vedanta Ashram and the Yoga Study Center.

Meditation in Pondicherry
Pondicherry is the seat of meditation in India. Here one comes across the difference between living and right living, through methods, which purify your body and mind. Rewarding one with absolute command over them. One will discover meditation as a sound, healthy body and a focused, balanced mind. Special courses have been designed for tourists who wish to orient themselves towards meditation. Structured as ten-lecture modules, these can be tailored to suit any one's tour itinerary.

Aurubindo Ashram, Pondicherry
At night time, Pondicherrians who believe in Sri Aurobindo's way of life, wind their way Aurobindo Ashram. Tranquility prevails and over it all, the flower-decked 'Samadhi' presides. Men and women meditate with their eyes fixed on the marble samadhi. Here silence is peach, and flowers and incense are ways to lead the mind away from workaday shackles. The Library and the Main Building during collective meditation are accessible to those who have a gate pass obtained from the Bureau Central and those who are staying in the Ashram's guesthouses.

Matri Mandir, Auroville
Matri Mandir is just a chief attraction of Auroville its also famous as a meditation centre. A slanting pathway from the temple leads to the circular shaped Meditation Hall. Reflecting on 2 glasses, lustre of sunlight is being sparked off from the world largest crystal of 600 kg, brought from Germany. There is no electricity in the temple and the devotees sit for meditation in the hall.