Is your day sometimes a little crazy? The hectic pace and demands we face on a daily basis often leave us feeling stressed, overworked, tired and even a bit glum. Meditation is a simple, effective and convenient way to calm your busy mind, relax your body, become grounded and reconnect with yourself, sometimes with a smile, we call this inner peace.
I was first introduced to meditation about 10 years ago on a coaching course I was attending. And it has just been increasingly a gift in my life ever since.
Newcomers to meditation often feel confused about what it is and how they should experience it. They imagine a monk sitting in lotus pose for hours on end on top of a mountain, who hasn’t had a thought in his head for hours. But the reality is that meditation is much easier and more accessible than most people realize.
Here are a few simple steps, a beginner’s guide to meditation:
- Sit tall. The most common and accessible position for meditation is sitting. Sit on the floor or in a chair. Sit up tall but relaxed.
- Relax your body. Close your eyes and focus on the different parts of your body, relaxing each body part one at a time. Begin with your head and continue down your entire body. Like a bathing in a beautiful waterfall of warm calm.
- Be still and silent. Now that you are sitting tall and relaxed, take a moment to be still. Notice and be aware of your surroundings, but just let it pass you bye like a cloud in the sky on a beautiful on summers day.
- Breathe. Turn your attention to your breath. Breathe silently, yet deeply. Engage your diaphragm or your belly and fill your lungs fully and deeply, but do not force your breath.
- Calm your mind. As you focus on your breath and be aware of your exhale and your inhale.
- When to end your session. There is no correct length of time to practice meditation, however when first beginning it is often easier to sit for shorter periods of time 5 to 10 minutes. Set an alarm or use a timer if it helps. Take a moment and make yourself aware of the world around you before to choose to re-engage with the world.
Meditation is a very simple and elegant way to calm your busy mind, and a practical and pragmatic way of bring a little piece of peace to a any day.
