You might be familiar with the art of meditation. It is something that has been done by thousands of people in the past. Many successful people attribute some of their successes to their meditation practices.
Meditation is something that has been practiced for centuries all over the world. It is a great exercise to connect your mind and body. It can help you drastically improve many aspects of your life.
Many people wonder about the origin of meditation and how long it has been practiced for. If you are curious to learn about the history of meditation, then you should keep reading to find a simplified version of it.
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Some Quick Stats on the History of Meditation
Recent statistics show that the number of people that practice meditation over the last decade has increased drastically. It is believed that anywhere from 200 to 500 million people practice meditation around the world.
Archeologists found drawings that depicted people meditating. These drawings are said to be anywhere from 5,000 to 3,500 years ago. These drawings were found in India. There are many experts that study the bible that believe that there are references to meditation in the bible.
How Old is Meditation?
Many people wonder how long ago this practice was born. The answer is not very clear as it all depends on the beliefs of archeologists. There is not an exact date of when this practice began, but there is an estimate based on archeological records.
The estimates of the origin of meditation range from 5,000 to 1,500 years BCE. Many archeologists believe that this practice began 5,000 years BCE, but the earliest records of meditation practice are from 1,500 BCE.
The exact date of its origin might fall somewhere between that timeline, but there is no exact date. At the earliest, meditation has been practiced for 3,500 years. It is definitely one of the oldest practices still around today.
Where Did Meditation Originate?
Another common question that people ask when it comes to meditation is where did this practice originate from. The answer to this question is a little more clear as there is more evidence when it comes to where meditation began.Archeological records show that India was one of the earliest places where meditation was practiced.
It is easy to believe that meditation originated in India as it is part of religious practices in the country. This also explains the spread of this practice to other nearby countries due to its religious ties. Although meditation is not only tied to religion in today’s society, thousands of years ago it was religion which popularized the practice.
How Many Types of Meditation are there?
The truth is that there are many different types of meditation. The most common five are:
- mindfulness
- movement
- spiritual
- mantra
- visualization
These different types of meditation focus on different things and have very different goals.
When people decide to meditate, they usually choose to do so for one of these four goals:
- introspection,
- stress control,
- spirituality,
- emotional control.
Depending on what your goal is, you will practice a different type of meditation.
Introspection is the examination of your own thoughts and feelings. If you were being completely honest, how many times have you taken time out of your day to reflect on your thoughts and feelings in recent days? Most people will say that they haven’t devoted much time to this.
Mindfulness Meditation
If you are one of those people who struggles with introspection, then meditation might be the answer to your problem. To achieve this goal most people practice mindfulness meditation in order to feel more connected to their thoughts and feelings. This type of meditation helps people to examine their thoughts and feelings when they might not be able to do so during the course of their day.
Movement Meditation
Movement meditation is a great practice for those who have difficulty sitting still. It is most commonly found in the practice of yoga, but you can practice mindfulness meditation doing any active motion you would like. Many people choose walking or gardening as their form of movement meditation.
This form of meditation specifically helps with emotion control, as well as introspection which is why people often feel calmer after performing movement meditation.
Spiritual Meditation
Spiritual meditation is meditation which is specifically associated with a religion. Usually it is used to develop a more comprehensive understanding of a particular subject within a religion. In Christianity this looks like prayer, in Judaism this is Kabbalistic practices. This type of meditation can be practiced at home, or in a place of worship.
Spiritual meditation is specifically directed at improving spirituality, but it can also help with both emotional control and stress control. Many people often find a community in which they practice spiritual meditation and this can also help them relax as they feel they are not alone.
Mantra Meditation
One common meditation practice that is used for stress control is known as “mantra” meditation. This type of meditation is meant to get the meditator’s mind to focus on a specific word or activity. In this type of meditation, the meditator chooses a word or phrase known as a “mantra” to focus on. (Here are are 7 best meditation mantras)
If you are dealing with lots of stress, you might decide to focus on a phrase like “With every breath I feel myself relaxing.” Using this phrase will help you to relax and forget about your day’s stressors for a short amount of time. Although this will not get rid of your stressors, it will help you relax, and cope with your stressors in a better way.
This same type of meditation can be used for emotional control. Mantra meditation can be used to achieve many different goals. At the end of the day you are in control of what mantra you choose to use for your meditation practice.
Visualization Meditation
When people think of meditation as it is depicted in movies, this is the type of meditation which comes to mind. Visualization meditation is the practice of visualizing the emotions or characteristics you wish to have in your own life. This is often done by imagining a calm or serene place.
Once you imagine this place, you will use your five sense to experience it. During visualization meditation, you may also be asked to visualize yourself achieving specific goals. This form of meditation is thought to boost your mood and help to relieve stress. There are also some people who believe that visualization meditation can help you to achieve your goals in real life.
When considering which type of meditation to practice, it is important to keep in mind what your goals are. By being aware of your meditation goals you will be able to choose a meditation practice that suits your goals.
The Ancient History of Meditation
So as you may now realize, meditation has a very long and rich history. The practice of meditation has so many components involved that it can be very easy to use it at all sorts of walks of life. You don’t have to be in a quest to find enlightenment to meditate; you can do it for so just to become closer to your god.
Meditation is something that has been practiced for centuries by people from all over the world. Despite having its origin in India and spreading to other regions in Asia, meditation is now a worldwide practice. You can find all sorts of people practicing meditation for very different reasons.
In the beginning, meditation was performed as a part of religion, namely Hinduism. From India, the practice of meditation is said to have spread to other regions nearby such as China and Egypt. The spread of religions that use meditation as part of their religious practices also helped to expand the use of meditation.
Nowadays it is very easy to learn about and adopt practices from around the world, but at this time this was very innovative.
Who is the Father of Meditation?
Very similarly to the question about what year meditation began, the answer to who is the Father or creator of meditation has many answers. Over the centuries, there have been several important figures that played a role in expanding the practice of meditation.
A Japanese monk named Dosho is credited with spreading the practice of meditation to Japan. He discovered Zen and the practice of meditation while on a trip in China. Upon his arrival back to Japan, he introduced the practice of meditation and helped establish the first meditation hall in 653. (Check out this article on the posture when practicing zen meditation.)
A more recent figure that is also credited with expanding the practice of meditation was Paramahansa Yogananda. He is known as the ‘father of meditation’ in the West. He traveled from India to America in 1920 and spread the basics of meditation practices in the Western world. What is unique about him is that he spread meditation without connecting it to religion, which until that point had been impossible.
These are just a couple of the people that have helped to spread ideas about meditation throughout time. Over the course of the thousands of years that meditation has been around for, there have been many other people that have helped spread the practice throughout the world. These two figures are just two people who had a large impact.
How Many Religions Use Meditation?
Meditation was first used as a part of religious traditions. Many of the largest religions today use or have used meditation as part of their traditions. This connection to religion probably played a major role in the spread of meditation throughout the world, and even the continued existence of the practice.
The 5 major religions that use meditation in their practices include:
- Hinduism
- Buddhism
- Judaism
- Christianity
- Islam
All of these religions use meditation methods and practices in different ways.
The most common type of meditation used by religions is spiritual meditation. This is where someone meditates in order to bring themselves to a new spiritual level. It is most commonly seen in the religion of Buddhism although most religions practice it in some form. Modern Christianity for example, will call their form of spiritual meditation prayer.
A Brief History of Meditation
Meditation originates around 1,500 BCE in India as a part of Hinduism. The spread of this religion helped to spread meditation to other regions in Asia. Meditation also found its way in other major religions such as Christianity and Islam which helped it spread from it’s Asian origins all around the globe.
In the 19th century, meditation practices were introduced to western audiences by Asian spiritual leaders. People, like Paramahansa Yogananda, traveled from Asia to America to teach western audiences about meditation in the early 20th century.
From there, meditation began its split from its religious origins and became a practice simply to increase mindfulness. Therefore the most common form of meditation currently practiced is mindfulness meditation.
Final Thoughts
Meditation has perhaps a much longer history than most people would expect. Most people don’t realize that meditation has been around for thousands of years. Additionally, a lot of people practice meditation through their religious practices without realizing they are meditating. On the other hand there are millions of people that purposefully meditate to improve their lives.
Whether you are looking to improve some aspect of your life, or are simply practicing your religion, using meditation is a great practice to have. There are many benefits associated with meditation which is why it has been around for thousands of years. If you have never tried meditating before, it might just be time to give it a try.
