Ok, so how do I actually Meditate?
So we’ve all heard that meditation is good for our health. There are thousands of studies proving it beneficial for reducing stress, improving mood, focus and sleep. It is essential to find time to let your brain have a break especially with the pace of our busy lifestyles and our constant consuming.
OK, but how do you actually do it? Because let’s be honest, it’s hard work to sit still and empty our heads for 1 minute. Let alone 20!
The aim is not to empty your head and turn off your thoughts and emotions. It’s about being mindful and being present. To focus on one thing. Our brains will want to resist the stillness but eventually you can learn to observe the thoughts, acknowledge them and then let them go.
Now I am by no means an expert that can drop into the theta state at the click of one’s fingers and transcend into other dimensions. But below are some practical tips that have helped this busy brained mum when I started my practice.
1. Same time, same place: If possible, try and find the same time every day to do your meditation. And to really help make it into a habit, try sitting in the same place too. When we first wake in the morning and just before bed your brain is already close to the theta state of relaxation, so it will make it easier to feel like you are “switching off”. I get that this is a tricky one if you are a parent with kids that wake up at different times each morning. So if you are not one to naturally wake early, try before bed. But sit somewhere so that you don’t fall asleep!
2. Count your breathing: If you find it hard to stop the thoughts about dinner / groceries / school pick up / etc, then try counting. Count the number of seconds for your in breath and the number of seconds for your out breath. The longer you do this, the longer your breath phases become and the more calm your nervous system and mind.
3. Guided meditation: When it’s been “one of those days” and you need a helping hand, try a guided meditation. There are stacks of apps out there. I love Insight Timer – there are thousands of free guided meditations and you can filter them by length, topic, voice, etc. I love listening to chakra healing, new and full moon tracks.
4. Focus on a mantra: Repeating a word or phrase in your head (or out loud) can help to keep your mind still. Eg. “I am calm” or “Let go”.
Remember it’s not meditation perfect, it’s meditation practice. It’s a constant and ever evolving exercise. Some days will be harder than others, but those are probably going to be the more beneficial days.
Gina x