How Meditation can help keep you healthy
Meditation can be used to calm your mind, relax your body, help you to get a good nights sleep, wake up refreshed and energised every day and can help to achieve a serene state of being. Stress and anxiety can be relieved by carrying out the following simple routines for meditating. Aside from the inner peace that meditation brings, it can also improve your body’s general health. Meditation is an extremely personal journey. Your meditation experience will be different to someone else’s, as we all experience everything in life in our own unique way. What is right for somebody else, does not mean it is right for you. You will be able to see what works for you and what doesn’t work.
A great tip is to record your sessions in a journal. You will be able to look back over the entries you have recorded and see what experiences you have had and if needed, where you can help improve your techniques. If you need some clarity on an important question or a challenging situation, try meditating on it. See what comes up for you. To first start meditating, find a quiet safe space, where you won’t be disturbed by phones, loud noises, other people, pets, etc.. Find a comfy position, preferably not lying down, meditation is very relaxing and you may fall asleep. The idea is for you to be comfortable, try sitting on the floor or in a chair, see what works best for you. Just make sure your back is straight.
Breathe. Try experimenting with different breathing techniques. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Find your rhythm. Any thoughts that come into your mind during this time, allow them to come and go. Acknowledge these thoughts, thank them for showing up and then release them. Imagine them floating away on a cloud into the sky. This can be really difficult to do at first as you may have hundreds of random thoughts showing up but this will get easier with time and practice. You can start by meditating for just a few minutes a day if you find it difficult at first, each day just try and meditate a few seconds longer than the day before. You can choose anytime to meditate, there’s no set rules here, just do what you feel most comfortable with. You don’t have to sit there in silence if that’s not your idea of peace.
Try a guided meditation, there’s so many amazing guided meditations out there, they really are useful in the beginning. Consider putting some soothing music on in the background or wonderful nature sounds. Try a walking meditation if sitting in one place doesn’t appeal to you. Go for a walk, once you are in a comfortable stride, become aware of how you are breathing. Centre yourself and start breathing in and out in a rhythm that suits your pace. Look around at your surroundings. What do you see, what do you hear? What did you feel? Just be fully present in the moment. You can walk mindfully anywhere you like. It doesn’t have to be in a forest, just round the block is absolutely fine too.
There are many tools to help enhance your meditation experience if required, they are absolutely not necessary, but can be useful once you have established your routine. Crystals are extremely beneficial in your mediation practice as they have their own unique energies. Clear Quartz is an excellent choice, it helps with the healing process and provides clarity of thought. It also amplifies the energy of other Crystals. Amethyst is another good choice as it can assist with providing calmness and helps open your third eye. Other tools that can assist in your daily mediation are Essential Oils, Candles, Himalayan Salt Lamps, Tibetan Singing Bowls, Incense Sticks and a nice warm Blanket to wrap yourself up in. The choice is yours. After each session, grab your journal and write about your experience and remember to write down and feel what you are grateful for on a daily basis and watch the magic unfold in front of your eyes...