March- Meditation

What is meditation?

Meditation is a relaxing practice that helps you to let go of stress and refocus your mind to achieve a state of deep peace. This is achieved when the mind is silent or focused on one simple thing and is in the present moment. We can sometimes overthink and have negative thought patterns but meditation can break this sometimes unhealthy mind process.

Who can meditation benefit?

If you find you are constantly busy, talking a lot but not always listening because of the dialogue of your own thoughts, using social media and TV etc and not connecting with others or indulging in harmful or addictive behaviours and habits, these are signs to indicate that you would benefit from meditation. We live in a technological age, and being surrounded by so many distractions, we have started to believe that these activities stop the mind chatter, however, the reality is that many of these practices have a negative or toxic effect on our minds in an unconscious way. We can use other ways to take a break from mind chatter by walking, reading and hobbies that engage the thinking part of our minds.

The mind’s influence on our emotions:

We are often trying to avoid our emotions. The thoughts that we generate in our minds have a strong effect on our inner mindset and emotions. Thinking distracts us from feeling, but when the thoughts are negative, the feelings and emotions are also negative. This means that there are always new thoughts, fears, and emotions being generated, so ironically, we are generating more of what we are trying to avoid! The mind is such a powerful ‘machine’. Imagine a memory of something really funny that happened in the past, as you remember it, a positive energy is generated in your body, you actually begin to feel happy again by just remembering it! Your body begins to relax, and any stress that you were feeling is reduced, all because of one simple thought! The mind becomes more inflexible and rigid with overthinking and repetitive negative thoughts which can cause us to be impatient and judgmental, leading to frustration and stress.

During meditation, a thought occurs and is witnessed, while in a non meditative mind the thought occurs and controls the behaviour. By changing this lifelong habit of attaching to and buying into our thoughts, we can really enhance our lives. After practising meditation for a while, your reactions and perceptions begin to change, and you start to view people and events in a much more objective way.

The benefits of meditation:

• Reduces stress
• Controls anxiety
• Promotes emotional health
• Enhances self-awareness
• Increases attention span
• Helps control addictions
• Reduces age-related memory loss
• Improves sleep
• Helps control pain
• Decreases blood pressure
• Can create creativity and intuition
• Develops compassion, courage, peace and happiness
• Develops resilience
• Develops a deeper understanding of Self
• Leads to deeper relaxation
• Decreases muscle tension
• Enhances the immune system
• Increases energy
• Provides clarity
• Relaxes the nervous system
• Builds self-confidence
• Increases serotonin levels, helps mood and behaviour
• Helps control negative thoughts and feelings
• Improves memory
• Develops creativity
• Increases productivity
• Reduces negative or addictive habits
• Increases listening skills and empathy
• Greater tolerance and patience
• Develops emotional intelligence
• Develops present moment thinking and gratitude

A lot of research has been carried which shows the benefits of meditation, but the real benefits can be seen in the improved relationships of those who meditate.

It is important to live in the present moment, most of our thoughts are projecting negatively into the future, causing worry and fear, or revisiting the past. It is the mind and the ego that want to keep us from losing control and are fear-driven. In meditation, we accept the past and choose not to keep revisiting it and also choose not to project into an imagined future, which can create negative thoughts and emotions. Being in the present moment brings greater focus and peace to our lives. A person who meditates regularly listens well, speaks less, adapts to change, focuses well and doesn’t react to drama.

How to meditate:

Ideally, a quiet space where you hopefully will not be disturbed. If you can make time, a morning meditation will put you in the right frame of mind for the rest of the day. When first starting to meditate, it is best to start with 5-10 minute sessions and over time increase the length of sessions. Many people sit for 15 minutes up to one hour, daily, every other day or weekly. However, it is a matter of what fits best with your needs and lifestyle. Finding time to meditate may seem like a sacrifice at first, but once you make that decision to include it in your routine, it quickly becomes something that you look forward to doing. If youre time is limited, meditation could be added to your daily routine by turning off the TV a little earlier on an evening or setting the morning alarm a little earlier, these are small sacrifices for the benefits you may gain.

Beginning meditation can sometimes be frustrating as it’s difficult to clear the mind. This is why it’s important to be non-judgmental and if you find it difficult to let your mind relax, stop and try again tomorrow, but don’t give up!

Although it is advisable to meditate sitting upright, if that’s uncomfortable, try lying down.

A few steps to take before beginning to meditate:

• Allow your chest and stomach to open up, then allow your face and muscles to relax.
• Take three deep breaths in, as you breathe out, let go of any stress in your body. Make sure you breathe out fully each time and allow your shoulders and muscles to move downwards and become heavier each time you breathe out.