Meditation Made Easy
Meditation is a powerful tool to help navigate life. Meditating is healing, nourishing, revitalizing and, of course, calming. Best of all, it is easy to do. If you are new to meditating or feel a bit apprehensive about it, this simple meditation primer will have you craving sublime, quiet time.
Your friends may rave about meditating, but you do not connect with it. Yet, when you remind yourself of the incredible benefits that meditation offers, you will have less reason to resist.
Many claim that meditating is their number one go-to for feeling uplifted, according to Love Joy + Wonder. Emotionally, it may regulate and balance your mood, reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, enhance happiness and positivity, and could help you to enjoy a deeper sleep. Meditating also helps to develop your intuition as well as connection and compassion for yourself and others.
Physiologically, meditation could improve your circulation and cardiovascular systems. It has also been known to enhance your immune system and physical healing, according to a study about mindful meditation in Psychosomatic Medicine.
Ready to start? You simply need three to five minutes and a quiet place to sit. Having no expectations is extremely important, according to Mindworks. Do not expect to feel blissed out, see swirling chakras, or imagine yourself levitating above your pillow! Meditating is not about judging yourself or setting yourself up for failure. Everyone can meditate.
Sit comfortably and still. It is recommended that you sit with an upright spine as if a string were gently pulling you up, according to the video by Goodful. This active posture will also prevent you from falling asleep.
Close your eyes or keep them open with a soft, downward gaze, then breathe. That is it! Your breath will be your anchor in case thoughts distract you. “Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor,” Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh explains in his book Stepping into Freedom.
Observe your thoughts, then release them, and return to your breath. Observe the air being inhaled, then exhaled. Breathe deeper, allowing the air to fill your lungs, and expand your ribcage on the inhale. Hold, then breathe out.
You can focus on sending your breath into different parts of your body and imagining them relaxed, as seen in the video. Start with your toes then work your way up the body, ending with your face. Relax your shoulders, mouth, and eyes. Then envision your breath moving in and out and throughout your body in a figure eight pattern.
This is your first meditation! Consistency is key, so set aside a few minutes every day, preferably in the morning. If sitting still is a challenge, try a walking meditation, as suggested by Psychology Today. Simply walk slowly with your awareness focused on the lifting and falling of your feet as they touch the ground, the feeling of your breath, the air on your skin, and the sound of the birds.
Remember that every spiritual guide and monk started with a first meditation. With so many external stressors in the world these days, now is the time to make this practice yours. So find a comfortable position, focus on your breath, and let the magic of relaxation begin!
