Life in general and specifically during world events has become a stressor and Mindful Meditation can be the answer.
There is always a constant thought going at the back of mind, questioning the willpower to survive the pandemic. Besides this, a long list of to-do tasks always keeps us distracted from the present moment.
It is not difficult to get trapped in a pattern of swirling thoughts, reminiscing past, and anticipating the possible circumstances of the future.
In a rush to complete this always-pending to-do list, you may find yourself missing the present moment.
For instance, how many times have you eaten your meal while keeping an eye on the text from your boss?
I am sure many times. And, during distracted eating, you miss out on the actual taste of your favourite food.
Don’t you?
All of this takes the mind afar from living the present moment to the web of stress, anxiety and sometimes panic attacks.
We fail to find out time for ourselves that takes a toll on overall health.
Do you know studies suggest that every 8 in 10 Americans do not find time to relax their body and mind?
Consequently, they are always under stress that often leads them to heart problems, strokes, and other chronic medical conditions.
The simplest and the easiest way to put this to an end is practicing mindful meditation.
It is the training to bring you to a mental state where you can purposely focus on your present to accept your thoughts and acknowledge your sentiments.
Let’s quickly breakdown mindful meditation in literal meaning before heading to its ancient strengthening techniques.
What is Mindfulness and Meditation?
Mindfulness is the innate human ability to concentrate on the present and be aware of the surroundings.
Whereas, meditation is the training that helps you practice this focus.
It slows down the racing thoughts and lets you go of the negativity to calm the mind and body.
Moreover, mindful meditation enables you to allow time to yourself.
It unleashes curiosity and judgement to show peace the way to your body and mind.
Although mindfulness is innate, with meditation, it can be cultivated.
That means the proper practice and training can help you achieve the state of mind where you can focus on your wellbeing and stay positive to yourself and the environment.
There are quite a few ways to practice mindfulness, but all of them involve breathing to make you more aware of your body and mind.
Before I introduce you to the mindful meditation techniques, I would first mention the prerequisites to help you better understand the methods.
Prerequisites To Get You Started
When you have decided to learn to control your breaths, you should use these six prerequisites to learn the techniques quicker.
- Paying Heed
The first and foremost requirement is paying attention. If you fail to be attentive, you will fail the meditation.
Whichever meditation technique you are practicing, you need to use all five senses to focus on yourself and your surroundings.
While you would be focusing on your body and mind, you might get distracted by the reminder of a not-so-important to-do house chore. However, the catch is not to fall prey to these thoughts and allow every idea to flow in and out like a waterfall. Latching on a single thought will fail the meditation.
- Living the moment
Once you have mastered the art of being attentive, you will automatically find yourself living in the moment.
Congratulations, you have attained the first level of mindful meditation.
During this time, you will notice yourself less fretting about pending tasks and only enjoying the myriad of thoughts coming and going out of your mind.
- Accepting yourself
These two steps will thus reward you with your next level, which is self-acceptance.
You will no longer be reactive to negative thoughts. Instead, you will learn to accept them and replace them wisely with positivity.
Experience voices saying from inside that:
Your heart is more generous than you ever thought!
Life was not just about completing the pending task; you had happy moments as well.
The realization might be surprising, but it will be comforting!
- Focusing on your breathing
The entire meditation lies in the fact of how well you focus on your breathing.
If the mind starts daydreaming, remind yourself that staying in the present moment is essential.
To keep the negativity away, sit down if you were standing, and shift your focus on your breathing.
Observe the air as it flows in and out.
- Sticking to it
Practicing meditation can be hard in the beginning.
I mean, when your work and social life are all over the place, meditation sounds boring.
It is also possible that you might not find mindful meditation very relaxing initially.
Still, with the time, it will provide you with the key to unlock happiness and peace.
So all you have to do is stick to it!
Wohoo, you are good to start the practice now!
Oh, wait… I missed telling you something.
- Setting Aside Meditation Time
Setting time is not necessary, but I consider it a prerequisite for myself.
It helps me stay motivated and less distracted.
Therefore, I’d recommend you set at least a 20 minutes timer when you plan to practice mindful meditation.
Your mind will come out of the excuse of thinking that you have spent a lot of time away from your work.
Time to practice what you have been reading!
Can I please share a trivia here?
Do you know that most of the mindful meditation techniques are 5000- 3500 BCE old? Yep!
It’s old but gold as well. These ancient strengthening techniques target your body, breath and thoughts to bring only calm.
Mindful Meditation Techniques
Mindful meditation requires no props, candles, mats or dim lights. The only essential is a comfortable space to sit, walk and lie down for a mere 20 minutes.
I have mentioned this before as well that it is possible to cultivate mindfulness.
How?
Following mediation with a systematic method!
No worries, you don’t have to look up the internet for these methods.
I am mentioning them all here.
- The Body Scan meditation.
This method includes lying on your back with arms on your side, palms facing upwards, and legs extended.
Start focusing your attention on each part of your body, starting from toe and ending to the head.
Make sure you do not ignore any emotion, sensation or sound associated with every body part.
For instance, you should be able to hear the sound of your belly digesting the food.
- The Sitting Down Meditation
When you get tired of lying down, you can practice mindful meditation while sitting on your comfy chair.
However, you need to have your back straight, hands in the lap and feet flat on the floor.
Then, try breathing from your nose while keeping the eyes close to feel the air coming inside and moving out as you breathe out.
- The Walking Out Meditation
If you are someone who loves working out, then sitting is not your job.
Hence, you can practice walking meditation.
It requires you to have a quiet but small place where you can walk and pay attention to your sensations.
Begin the meditation by focusing on your walk, the subtle sensations as you take a step forward, and get aware of the force that keeps the balance
- The Sitting Cross-legged Meditation
The fourth option is again for those who enjoy sitting.
This is much like sitting meditation.
Simply sit on the floor with your legs crossed and allow your feelings to flow through your mind and heart without any judgement.
Accept every emotion that comes your way, be it joy, frustration or anger.
- The Urge surfing Meditation
You’d enjoy this method of mindful meditation since it is the most simple.
It is intended to provide you with a break from cravings.
While you are sitting idly on your chair, notice the change in your sensations as the craving kicks in, to help yourself cope with the needs.
Visualise yourself riding on a surfboard, going up and down as the waves rise in intensity, move to the peak and eventually crash.
With the crash of the waves, you’d observe the craving going as well.
Congratulations once again because you have successfully learned the basics of mindful meditation. Now, start practicing and become perfect!
The best part about mindful meditation is that it has its benefits beyond a stable state of mind.
When you increase your capacity of mindfulness, it helps to accept attitudes that contribute to a satisfying life.
It also sets you fully engaged in your activities and shapes you better to deal with calamities.
When you feel better, you cope up with heart diseases, stress and other medical conditions better.
Remember that mindfulness is entirely dose-related.
The more meditation you do, the more peace you would have.
Ideally, practicing meditation for 20 minutes provides the daily break, calm and the focus you are looking for.
Practice makes the man perfect!
Start it today!