If you are recovering from a prolonged illness that has left you bedridden for an extended period of time, you may want to learn different meditation techniques to help you overcome sickness-related stress or depression and get you back on your feet. Although several enjoyable self-help meditation techniques can help you get back on track, you should speak with your doctor about how meditation practices can complement your already existing medical treatment plan before you use them alone or in a group setting.
Internal Qigong Meditation
Internal qigong meditation requires you sit quietly, "listening" for internal distractions, and then dismissing the distractions one by one until your mind becomes completely clear. Then, you picture energy flowing throughout your various body parts, and then out around your body, completely encompassing you. You can keep the meditation going for as long as you want to, although a typical session lasts between 15 and 20 minutes. You can practice internal qigong mediation by yourself, or with a group at an exercise facility center or alternative healing center. Internal qigong meditation is practiced independently, or with internal qigong exercises called Tai chi, or with qigong deep-breathing techniques.
Tai Chi
Tai chi, the exercise component of internal qigong, involves meditative focus on the area just below your navel, says the American Cancer Society (ACS), an area that the Chinese qigong masters believe your chi radiates from within your body. When you practice Tai chi, you practice diaphragmatic breathing while you move through a series of deliberate, gentle movements called forms. Each form consists of 20 to 100 movements, says the ACS that balance your energies through precise, slow movements that alternate between the left and right sides of your body.
In a study, 49 healthy older people with a mean age of 80, reports the National Institutes of Health, participated in thrice-weekly qigong meditation and Tai chi sessions over a period of six months. At the end of the study, the test subjects exhibited better balance than they did before the study, says the NIH.
Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental meditation (TM) uses a personal mantra, either one you give yourself or one given to you by a TM instructor. You sit quietly with your eyes closed and repeat your mantra in your mind over and over again for approximately 20 minutes at a time, one to two times per day, says the Holistic Online website, to train your mind to focus on the "oneness" of the universe to reach mental clarity and deep relaxation.
In a study, 130 women with breast cancer either assigned to a transcendental meditation group or to a control group, reports the EurekAlert website. The women who underwent transcendental meditation experienced reduced stress and improved emotional well being and mental health, says the EurekAlert website.
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