CONTROL STRESS WITH MEDITATING
BASIC STEPS TO MEDITATING
Meditation has many health benefits and is a highly effective way to relieve stress and maintain a healthier lifestyle. With practice, and over time, meditation builds resilience to stress. Putting in the effort to learn and practice meditation can actually transform your experience of stress in your life. Meditation takes practice, a lot of it, but give it time and it can become as normal as cleaning your teeth every day – the benefits are endless. Try these basic steps to get you on your way to calmer and happier self.
If you’re expecting to do it ‘perfectly’, you may actually create more stress than you relieve. There is no ‘perfect’ meditation session and if you go into it with an expectation of perfection, you may let yourself down and won’t want to stick with it.
Start small and work up to longer sessions, begin with a short session of 5 minutes. After you are comfortable, move to 10 or 15 minutes until you are comfortable meditating for 30-minute sessions.
With practice, this type of meditation becomes easier and more effective. You will come out of a meditation session feeling relaxed and refreshed, ready to face the rest of your day.
How to Begin a Basic Meditation Practice
Step 1: Get into a comfortable position.
Many people like to sit in a comfortable chair while others prefer to sit cross-legged on the ground. You want to be able to completely relax while still staying awake.
Ensure that your posture is correct. It is easier to stay awake through long meditations if your back is straight. If you begin your meditation practice with this in mind, your body will become used to the position as you move on to longer periods of time.
Tip: Should you feel your shoulders slump while meditating, simply straighten back up. A straight back will also prevent soreness during longer meditations.
If you choose to sit in a chair, sit toward the front of the seat and place your feet firmly on the floor. This will improve your posture and help you concentrate on your practice.
Step 2: Close your eyes gently
When you are in a comfortable position, look into the distance with a soft gaze, then slowly lower your lids. Keep your jaw slack and slightly open as well. You want to relax all of your facial muscles.
Tip: Do not squeeze your eyes tight. If you feel your face tighten, slowly open your eyes, refocus on that soft gaze and lower them again.
At this stage, your goal is to relax every part of your body. If you feel some tension in certain parts of your body, take a deep breath and allow it to relax you.
Step 3: Clear your head
This is the part of the meditation that takes the most practice and it can cause the most frustration. Keeping your mind clear is the most important and most challenging aspect if the practice. Learning to do this during your meditation practice can help you to let things go in the rest of your life as well.
The idea is to stay unattached to thoughts of any kind. That means that, if the inner narrative voice in your mind speaks up, gently “shush” it and opt for internal silence.
Tip: Do not be discouraged if you cannot clear your thoughts completely. Our minds are constantly filled with thoughts and even the most experienced meditators must silence their inner voices. The goal is to recognize the thought then mentally tell it to go away (even if for just a second before the next one pops up).
Step 4: Keep Going
That’s it, really! Keep letting go of any thoughts that may pop into your mind. The quiet spaces between thoughts will become longer and more frequent the longer you practice.
You’re on the road of meditation!
For more tips and advice check out Very Well Mind.
