Being an Ayurvedic Practitioner and Reiki Master, I get asked very frequently by the people who come to me- How should I do meditation?

The stress of lives is getting to the minds of people, emotional suppression is not working anymore. People are brimming over with useless thoughts and painful emotions. Sometimes they approach me with intention of finding solace for their troubled thoughts, sometimes the process has evolved further into an actual physical condition.

But no matter the level, the one common thread is pain.

And seers from times immemorial have been seeking for an answer to help rid humanity of its pain, its suffering.

Isn’t that what Buddha left his kingdom for? To search for an answer to all the suffering.

And deeper we explore suffering, we find there is no answer and only one answer.

Another spiritual paradox

On a spiritual journey you will keep meeting paradoxes.

I am everything and I am nothing.

I digress.

So suffering is so personal and unique to each one of us and yet it has a universal quality of pain that we all understand.

There is no answer to suffering, for it is for a reason. To help us realign with our true self. To remember where we have forgotten our true nature.

And That is the only answer to end all suffering- to remember where we have forgotten our true nature.

See the spiritual paradox.

And that brings us to meditation.

Many people think, it is a tool or a doing that is meditation.

Where in fact meditation is to hold conscious awareness of our body, our emotions and our thoughts.

When we are fully present in a moment, we are in meditation.

When we are just being, we are in meditation.

Like most things that are of value in life, it’s simple but not easy.

No wonder when people start to sit down for meditation, their minds wreak havoc and they feel like failures and doomed to suffering.

But the question is, if we all are so unique and meditation is nothing but holding awareness, then shouldn’t our pathway to that bliss be unique too.

And that is where a knowledge of our bodytypes can help us.

Another paradox.

Bodytypes help us to know ourselves, so we can meditate with ease which will lead us to awareness of ourselves.

Figure that one out.

I digress.

So, if you know the element of nature in predominance in your being, you can to begin with choose a meditation style to get most benefit with minimum challenge…

Vata, air and space

Someone with Vata bodytype will find it hard to sit in one place for extended periods of time. Because air moves. With practise our mind can stand still but in the beginning the winds of thoughts don’t allow stillness. Also, for stillness space is required. Vata types have so many thoughts that there is literally no space to be.

For them the best pathway, in the beginning, is of karamyogi or sewa (service).

Acts of love done with body but full conscious awareness of soul self.

In India, people sweep the floor of the temple, help in kitchen, do the dishes and engage in various other acts of service while being focussed internally on the divine.

As Vata types are creative artists and love singing and dancing, the chanting of mantra is perfect. Kirtan along with movement of body will help the mind of Vata to transcend the thinking level of brain and penetrate deeper into the awareness of self at a theta wave state.

Pitta, fire and water

They love logic and reasoning. So gyana yoga, enquiry and introspection, studying and interpreting scriptures will help them to gradually gain awareness of their true self.

They are usually atheists or non-believers in the beginning but once transformed they are devoted bhakats.

They need to have all questions answered before progressing into the experiential state.

For then writing and reading will open the pathway.

Kapha, earth and water

They are extremely compassionate empaths, very sensitive to needs of others and in tune with intuitive intelligence of the universe, whether knowingly or unknowingly.

With earth, the stillness comes naturally to them. They can sit for hours and are extremely tolerant of physical pain. They are made for sitting in stillness but need exposure to light of knowledge or they can become dark caves.

With water, they can use the flow of emotions to transcend the thoughts but need to be aware that too much flow out of bounds leads to floods.

Which bodytype resonates with you and your meditation style?