Has stress made you anxious, tense and worried? If your answer is yes then meditation might be the answer you’re looking for because spending even a few minutes in meditation can already help restore your calm and inner peace.
A simple and fast way to reduce stress
Meditation isn’t about becoming a different person, a new person or a better person and it isn’t something mystical either. It’s simply a way for us to stop for a moment and be calm. It gives us the permission to pause, breathe and reset in the busy world we’re living in.
Anyone can do it
Anyone can practice meditation. It’s simple and inexpensive and it doesn’t require any special equipment either. Another reason why meditation is definitely worth trying, is that you can practice it wherever you are: when you’re stuck in a traffic jam, while riding the bus or waiting at the doctor’s office, when you’re out for a walk or when you’re at work.
Benefits of meditation
Like I said before, meditation can give you a sense of calm and inner peace but those aren’t the only benefits:
You can use meditation to relax and cope with stress
It can help you learn to stay centered
It can help carry you more calmly through your day
It may help you manage symptoms of certain medical conditions like chronic pain, sleep problems and tension headaches
It can increase your self-awareness
It can reduce negative emotions
It can increase imagination and creativity
It can increase patience and tolerance
It can lower your resting heart rate and blood pressure
It can improve sleep quality
Ways to meditate
Meditation is an umbrella term for the many types of meditation and relaxation techniques that have meditation elements.
The most known and practiced forms of meditation include:
Guided meditation: this method of meditation is also known as guided imagery or visualization. When you practice this kind of meditation, you form mental images of places and/or situations you find relaxing. You need to try to use as many senses as possible when you’re visualizing so this method isn’t everyone’s cup of tea though.
Mantra meditation: you silently repeat a calming word, thought or phrase to prevent distracting thoughts. You can create your own mantra but you can also use a religious mantra such as the Buddhist Om mantra or the Christian Jesus Prayer.
Mindfulness meditation: this type of meditation is based on being mindful (living in the present moment and having an increased awareness). You focus on what you experience during your meditation session (such as the flow of your breath).
Breathing deeply: breathing is a natural function so this is a great technique if you’re a beginner. This technique is all about focusing your attention on your breathing so concentrate on feeling and listening as you inhale and exhale through your nostrils. Breathe deeply and slowly and don’t get upset or mad when your attention wanders: just gently return your focus to your breathing.
Doing a body scan: focus your attention on different parts of your body and become aware of your body’s various sensations. You can combine this technique with breathing exercises and/or imagining breathing relaxation into different parts of your body.
Walk and meditate: slow down your walking pace so that you can focus on each movement of your legs and feet. Don’t focus on a particular destination: simply concentrate on your legs and feet while you repeat 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. You can use this technique anywhere you’re walking but I prefer doing this while I’m walking in a forest.
Loving kindness meditation: in this type of meditation you think of others with feelings of love, compassion and kindness. This practice can help increase how connected you feel to others.
Qi Gong: this practice generally combines meditation, relaxation, physical movement and breathing exercises to restore and maintain balance.
Tai Chi: in this practice you perform a self-paced series of postures or movements in a slow and graceful manner while practicing deep breathing. This is definitely one of my favorite ways to find inner peace: I started with Tai Chi during my burnout recovery and I absolutely loved how calm and at peace I felt after a session.
5 common elements
Each type and method of meditation has his own specific features but there are 5 things that they all have in common:
Focused attention: focusing your attention is what helps free your mind from the many distractions that cause stress and worry. You can focus your attention on a specific object, an image, a mantra or even your breathing.
Relaxed breathing: relaxed breathing is all about taking deep and even-paced breaths while using your diaphragm muscle to expand your lungs. The purpose of this technique is to slow your breathing and take in more oxygen while you reduce the use of your shoulder, neck and upper chest muscles while breathing.
A quiet setting: you can practice meditation wherever you want but it may be easier for beginners to practice in a quiet spot with few distractions.
A comfortable position: you can practice meditation when you’re sitting, lying down, walking or in other positions or activities but make sure you’re comfortable so that you can get the most out of your meditation.
An open attitude: don’t judge. Let your thoughts pass through your mind but don’t hold onto them and don’t judge them.
Be easy on yourself!
Are you keen to get started? Great but remember that meditation takes practice so be easy on yourself.
For instance, keep in mind that it’s common for your mind to wander during meditation – even if you’re not a beginner anymore. So don’t get mad at yourself and simply slowly return your attention to the object, sensation or movement you’re focusing on. And remember: having a totally blank mind is not the goal of meditation. It’s OK if a thought intrudes – just gently try to shift your focus back to your breath or the object you’re focusing on.
And last but not least: remember that there’s no right or wrong way to meditate. The important thing is that you have taken time to invest in your mental wellbeing. Even a meditation filled with rising thoughts and a wandering mind is still a meditation and still beneficial.
Have you experimented with meditation? What types of meditation work best for you? Which ones do you really enjoy doing?
©HolisticHappiness2023
Comments