What is meditation?
Firstly, meditation is not what a lot of people think it is: It is not a challenge to see how long you can go without thinking. You’re not failing if your mind wanders, instead you are succeeding if you notice it wander. Meditation is about becoming more aware of where your mind is, and through that practice, you increase your ability to stay present and focus on what you intend for longer. The practice of meditation helps you become more mindful, which gives you more self-control over your thoughts and emotions. It also gives you a look into your mind so you can observe what’s on your mind without judging it.
Allow Yourself to “Be”
The challenge that most of us face today is that we rarely allow ourselves to just be present or alone with our inner self. Instead, we are in a constant state of distraction from our phones, with social media, news, videos and a library of information in our pockets. Many of us have become addicted to our phones (especially juniors) and find it hard to spend moments without them (the average person checks their mobile device over 50 times a day). The longer-term effects of this are:
- Diminished ability to be able to focus for longer periods and get deep into a single task, affecting productivity
- Less awareness of thinking, so we react more to feelings and negative thoughts
- More stress and a higher arousal state, meaning less of our energy is going towards appreciating the present moment
How to Meditate
There are many different types of meditation, but all involve some sort of “anchor” for your focus for a specific length of time i.e., your breath, a mantra, or focusing on sensations in your body. Each time you notice your mind wander away from your anchor, you bring your attention back to it. The more you’re able to notice where your attention is at any time, you’re improving your awareness.
The easiest way to get started is with a guided meditation app for your daily meditation. Apps such Calm and Headspace provide guided daily meditations of 10-15 minutes each day.
You can meditate at any time of day, but studies suggest that it’s best done first thing in the morning. Here’s how I do it:
- Start your guided meditation or calming sounds/music
- Sit comfortably with a straight back and place your hands gently in your lap or by your sides
- Close your eyes
- Take a few deep breaths. Inhale deeply through your nose until your belly goes out, and slowly out through your mouth. On the exhale feel your whole body relax.
- Do a body scan and notice any tension. Start with the top of your head and work your way down your body to your forehead, facial muscles, jaw, and neck. Move throughout your body, to your shoulders, arms, hands, legs, and feet. If you notice any tension, focus on that area, and breathe into it. Feel your body relaxing with each breath.
- Let your breathing go back to its natural rhythm.
- Notice everything about the breath. The temperature of the inhale as it goes in through your nostrils, the feeling of your chest and belly going out, the feeling of the breath changing from inhale to exhale, the length and slowness of the exhale.
- Whenever you notice your attention wander, bring your awareness back to the breath.
If you haven’t meditated before, start small and work your way up. Start with 5 minutes and add time each day until you get up to 15 minutes daily. Try to make meditation part of your morning routine. Like with anything, the more you do it, the easier it is to make it a habit.
Like going to the gym, you won’t see much change day to day (although I do find that focusing on breathing for 15 minutes is very relaxing) but the long-term benefits are proven. As part of a study at Harvard University, people who practiced meditation every day for 8 weeks underwent a brain scan. The results of the study showed that there were positive changes in the areas of the brain which controls learning, memory, and emotional regulation. If you want to see the study, I have a link to it in the resources section of this module.