Sometimes you just need to pause
In the chaos of life, it’s difficult to find time to relax. Meditation can help you find peace in your mind and body. Meditation can also improve your sleep, help you lose weight and curb cravings.
The verb to meditate means “think deeply or focus one’s mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation”.
So meditation is the act of deeply focusing on one’s mind for a period of time.
How the heck do you “think deeply for a period of time”? For how long? How often? What does this all mean?
Okay…so let me break it down for you!
First, let’s start with WHY we should be meditating.
You hear the word “meditation” be thrown around a lot…but do you know WHY a lot of people are starting to integrate meditation as a daily practice?
Studies have shown that meditating for 10 minutes a day could help…
Reduce stress and anxiety
Improve sleep
Improve your attention span
Increase emotional awareness
Improve your overall immune system
Science has also shown that monks, who meditate for up to 4 hours a day, have shown slow brain aging compared to someone who doesn’t meditate.
Yeah, I know what you’re thinking…who has 4 hours to meditate a day?
NO ONE!
However, I can share with you one method to help get you started.
The Importance of BREATH:
Part of meditation is learning how to breathe. Breathing is such an automated natural process that we don’t think about, but it’s so POWERFUL.
Breathe is connected to our emotions. Let’s take a moment here and think about your “happy” place. Now take a few slow deep breaths and notice how that makes you feel. Now think about an unpleasant environment that causes you anxiety. This could be traffic, populated areas, fast paced environments. Notice your breath here.
Your breath shifts when you are happy, sad, angry, fearful, stressed, etc…
Allowing yourself to sit with your breath will help not only regulate your breath, which enhances your immune system because it’s affected by your nervous system. So when we learn how to control our breath, we are essentially learning to control our nervous system, which then affects how we respond to stressful situations.
However, despite the mother’s mental constitution, women are more likely to clasp onto what is familiar. When this is not the case, the mental channel becomes unbalanced.
See the cycle here…
mindful breathing → parasympathetic nervous system kicks in → your response to the environment →boost of your immune system
Okay, so there’s more that goes into it, but I wanted to simplify it to make my point.
Meditation can help you handle various external and internal factors that we as humans deal with on a day-to-day basis.
So, now let’s talk about what forms of meditation are out there for you. If you google, you will see a list of methods. But here are my top 3!
Guided meditation
Yoga meditation
Visualization
I’ve learned that the visualization form of meditation is the most effective, especially if you are a beginner.
Using visualization during meditation will not only allow you to make you feel good, but you will start to notice how calm your mind and body becomes. Your breathe starts to slow down, you go into your “happy” place as you sit and imagine a place that brings you peace and joy!
It allows your mind to focus on something other than thinking of what you need to do, where you need to go, what the kids are up to, what you are cooking tonight, etc.
It helps you breathe into that space of peace, calm, happiness, and stillness.
Let’s give it a try!
Set up:
I found it to be the most helpful to meditate in the mornings. Why?
Well, you’re just waking up, you are kick starting your day, you haven’t checked your emails, social media, or your to-do list (well hopefully!) so naturally your mind and body is still in a state of calmness.
Find a spot in your house that is dedicated to your meditation practice or simply your happy place.
To make it easier, I’ve just located a corner in my bedroom to make it EASIER when I wake up. I roll out of bed, grab my headphones, meditation cushion and get to it.
Selecting your Guided Meditation:
I’ve been using Insight Timer for a couple of years now. The app is free and it includes many forms of guided meditation.
Select one that sparks your interest. For me, I’ve found the visualization and manifestation guides helpful. They have short and long guided meditations available.
Recently, I’ve been doing yoga nidra or “yogic sleep” to help relax me into sleep, especially when my mind is super wired. Yoga nidra is when you are in a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping through a guided meditation.
I encourage listening to a yoga nidra if the mornings are too hard for you.
Grab your journal:
Make it fun! I sometimes grab my journal to reflect on thoughts, experiences, or emotions that showed up. It helps me connect with myself deeper and if a realization occurs…it’s a beautiful way to come back to it.
Here are three questions you can journal after your meditation practice:
What three things are you grateful for?
Reflect on how your body is feeling
Reflect on how this meditation practice made you feel
Still thinking…I don’t have time? I have a solution for you too!
If you DON’T HAVE TIME to sit down and meditate for 10 minutes…try this!
In the car or in between meetings, find 2-3 minutes to simply focus on your breath by doing the box breathing technique.
INHALE for 4-6 counts
HOLD for 4 counts
EXHALE for 4-6 counts
HOLD for 4 counts
Notice how your mind and body starts to relax. Breathing helps slow down your heart rate, blood pressure, and allow you to come into stillness.
Meditation has helped women deal with stress, anxiety, and depression. Especially for women who are pregnant or postpartum, this daily practice can help you deal with the everyday stressors, handle your daily tasks better, and learn to simply breathe through difficult situations.
HAPPY MEDITATING!
Namaste!
Andrea xoxo
