Blog

Meditation provides at least a short-term performance improvement even in novice meditators. In long term meditators, multiple hours spent in meditation are associated with a significant decrease in total sleep time when compared with age and sex matched controls who did not meditate. Whether meditation can actually replace a portion of sleep or pay-off sleep debt is under further investigation.
Sources: NCBI, DoctorsOnTM, Time Magazine
Transform yourself with Yoga.  

1. Concentration meditation
This type basically involves a single focus. You can meditate concentrating on your breath, repeating a single word or mantra, staring at a candle flame, listening to a repetitive gong, or counting beads on a mala. If you are tormented by wandering thoughts and unable to concentrate then you should surely try this out. You can see a rapid progress in your control over your thoughts and hence helps you stay focused.
2. Sound Meditation (Nada Yoga)
-focusing on sound. Starts with meditation on “external sounds”, such as calming ambient music (like Native American flute music), whereby the student focuses all his attention on just hearing, as a help to quieten and collect the mind. By time the practice evolves to hearing the “internal sounds” of the body and mind. The ultimate goal is to hear the “Ultimate Sound” (para nada), which is a sound without vibration, and that manifests as “OM”.
3. Gazing Meditation (Trataka)
— fixing the gaze on an external object, typically a candle, image or a symbol (yantras). It is done with eyes open, and then with eyes closed, to train both the concentration and visualization powers of the mind. After closing the eyes, you should still keep the image of the object in your “mind’s eye”. This meditation is so important and powerful, that I wrote this post on the subject.
4. Third Eye Meditation
— focusing the attention on the “spot between the eyebrows” (called by some “the third eye” or “ajna chakra”). The attention is constantly redirected to this point, as a means to silence the mind. By time the “silent gaps” between thoughts get wider and deeper. Sometimes this is accompanied by physically “looking”, with eyes closed, towards that spot.
5. Kriya Yoga
—It is a set of energization, breathing, and meditation exercises taught by Paramahamsa Yogananda. This is more suited for those who have a devotional temperament, and are seeking the spiritual aspects of meditation.