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Raise your hand if you've felt stressed, anxious, or tense this year...
Yeah, I raised mine too. During these radically changing times we can all easily find ourselves feeling stressed, out of control, anxious, tense, or worried.
One thing that always brings me back to center is, you guessed it, Meditation! Spending even a few minutes in meditation can help relax your body, ease your mind, and restore your inner peace.
The best part, anyone can practice meditation! It's free! And you can practice meditation anywhere!
A Tiny Bit About Meditation
Meditation was found thousands of years ago and was originally meant for help us understand the sacred and mystical forces of life.
These days, meditation is commonly used for relaxation and stress reduction.
Meditation puts us in a deep state of relaxation, allowing us to focus on one thing to help eliminate our constant stream of messy thoughts that can clutter our mind and increase our stress.
With a healthy habit of meditating, we can have an create a balanced lifestyle connected in all aspects of mind, body and spirit.
Those 150 Reasons I Mentioned Earlier
Okay, so the cats out of the bag... I'm not really going to list 150 reasons because chances are, you won't read them anyways, but these benefits will spread like a domino effect throughout your entire life, enhancing your life by 150%!
Yeah, that percentage may not be proven, but you know what is proven... all the incredible things meditation can do for you!!! Keep reading!
Meditation gives us a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall health.
These benefits don't stop when you stop meditating either! They carry with you as you navigate more calmly through your day, help you handle challenges with ease.
When you meditate, you wipe away the clutter that sticks to your mind throughout the day. Think of it as "emptying the trash bin" on the computer. And it's ten times as satisfying!
Of of the major areas meditation helps is with emotions.
The emotional benefits of meditation can include:
Gaining new perspective on challenging or stressful situations
Gathering tools to manage stress
Increasing self-awareness
Bringing you back to the present moment
Reducing negative emotions
Increasing creativity & imagination
Building patience & tolerance
Meditation & Health
Meditation is a game changer for those with health issues that worsen with stress.
There has been a lot of scientific research supporting the health benefits of meditation.
Some research suggests that meditation may help people manage symptoms of conditions such as:
Anxiety
Asthma
Cancer
Chronic pain
Depression
Heart disease
High blood pressure
Irritable bowel syndrome
Sleep problems
Tension headaches
Meditation isn't a replacement for traditional medical treatment (unless you're Joe Dispenza), but it's always a useful addition to your other treatment.
Different Aspects of Meditation
There are many different ways for you to meditate, and each of them have the ability to do different things in your life.
Elements include:
Focused attention. Focusing your attention is generally one of the most important aspects of meditation. It's what helps free your mind from the clutter that cause stress and tension. You can focus your attention on things like a specific object, an image, a mantra, or your breath.
Relaxed breathing. There are many different breathing techniques that can be used during meditation to help you travel into a deeply relaxed state or into your subconscious. Slow, even inhales and exhales are a great way to start with this technique.
A quiet setting. Starting out, practicing meditation may be easier if you're in a quiet spot with few distractions, including no television, radios or cellphones. As you get more acquainted to meditation, you may be able to do it anywhere, even in high-stress situations where you benefit the most from meditation, such as a traffic jam, a stressful work meeting or a long line at the grocery store.
A comfortable position. You can meditate doing just about anything. Whether you're seated, lying down, walking, or in other positions or activities, try to be comfortable so that you can get the most out of your meditation. To align the chakras it's best to sit in a cross legged position with spin lengthened and aligned.
Open mind. Let your thoughts gently pass through your mind without judgment like a cloud drifting through the sky.
Ways to Practice Daily
There is no "right" way to meditate. It may be hard at the beginning due to an overly cluttered mind, but it will get easier with practice.
Meditation can be as formal or informal as you like, however it feels best for you. I personally prefer to meditate 15min first thing in the morning, 5 min mid day, and 10min before bed. This is what's natural for me in my lifestyle. But starting out, all you really need is a few minutes of quality time for meditation to build the habit, practice, and calm the mind.
Here are ways to can practice meditation on your own, whenever and wherever you choose:
Take deep breaths. This technique is great for beginners since breathing is a natural function, plus no matter where you are or what you're doing, you always have your breath. Focus all of your attention on the breath and slow the breath down. Concentrate on each inhale and each exhale, feeling the air as it enters and exits through the nostrils. Breathe deeply and slowly. When your mind wanders, gently return your focus to your breath.
Scan the body. With this technique, focus your attention on different parts of your body. I like to scan from head to toes, noticing and feeling each body part and saying it in my mind, and if I catch my mind wander off, I start back over at the top of my head. This technique is also helpful for you to become aware of your body's various sensations, whether that's pain, tension, warmth or relaxation. Combine body scanning with breathing exercises and imagine breathing coolness, heat or relaxation into and out of different parts of your body. Doing this is a form of reiki and a powerful way to heal yourself.
Repeat a mantra or affirmation. You can create your own mantra or affirmation and repeat it as many times as it takes for your mind to catch on and know this statement to be true. Mantras can be religious, spiritual, or just positive, but it's the repetition that brings the statement into our existence and helps us relax the mind.
Walking meditation. Combining a walk with meditation is an efficient and healthy way to relax. You can use this technique anywhere you're walking, such as in a tranquil forest, on a city sidewalk or at the mall. When you use this method, slow down your walking pace so that you can focus on each movement of your legs or feet. Don't focus on a particular destination. Concentrate on your legs and feet, repeating action words in your mind such as "lifting," "moving" and "placing" as you lift each foot, move your leg forward and place your foot on the ground.
Prayer. Prayer is the most popularly practiced example of meditation. Spoken and written prayers are found in most faith traditions. You can pray using your own words or read prayers written by others.
Reading, drawing, reflecting. Taking time to slow down and focus our attention on one thing is a great way to meditate. It creates focus and puts us into a similar flow state to meditation. You can also listen to sacred music, spoken words, or any music you find relaxing or inspiring. You may want to write your reflections in a journal or doodle.
Focus on love and gratitude. In this meditation, you focus your attention on sending loving energy and gratitude towards one particular thing. I like to close my eyes, place my hands over my heart and give myself lots of love and say thank you to my body and My God every morning. You can use a picture of a loved one, a sacred image or being, or a pet, weaving feelings of love, compassion and gratitude into whatever you choose to meditate with. You can close your eye and use your mind's eye or gaze at a physical item/person/animal.
Enhancing Your Meditation Skills
If you judge your meditation skills, you're only increasing your stress. Meditation takes practice and patience.
Keep in mind, it's super common for your mind to wander during meditation, no matter how long you've been practicing meditation. It happens to me all the time, and it's not easy. If you're meditating to calm your mind and your attention wanders, slowly return to the object, sensation or movement you're focusing on.
Be sure to try multiple different types of meditation to determine for yourself which one you like the most. Adapt your environment or your practice to your needs in the moment, and remember that there's no right way or wrong way to meditate. You're always perfectly in place in your meditation journey. And no matter what, even if you spend just 5 minutes a day meditating, your enhancing your life in a multitude of ways with time. You can do this!
For more meditation tips and for a plethora of free guided meditations, Subscribe to my Youtube channel!
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