Mental health is probably one of today’s most discussed topics. From common individuals to celebrities, people all across the world are having a hard time dealing with stress, anxiety, and depression.
Many are turning to ancient techniques like meditation and yoga to get over these hardships. While most of them start practicing this approach enthusiastically, they give up without any results due to their lack of knowledge regarding how to meditate.
Whether considered a spiritual or a physiological exercise, attaining the expected results is not feasible without the right approach. Here, we have got you a helpful guide to assist you in the right direction of calming your mind and moving to that unwinded mental state.
How To Start Meditation: The Basics
- Preferably, start your session in the morning with a fresh mind.
- Get in the most comfortable clothes and sit cross-legged with a straight back. Sitting on the floor using a yoga mat, a rug, or any other sheet is suggested. Otherwise, you can also sit on a bed or a couch.
- Make sure your body is relaxed and comfortable in this position.
Start Meditating
Begin by closing your eyes and concentrating on your breathing. Sit with a straight backbone, but do not stiffen your body; relax and loosen it. The basic task is to focus completely on your respiration going in and out.
At this time, you are closest to yourself, and endless thoughts are going to run through your mind and intervene in the process. You will get distracted, and your focus will shift to anything from the email you received lately, your emberring moments, past incidents, future, your work, and whatnot!
Understanding And Dealing With Your Wandering Mind
Many people just get frustrated by these constant reflections, and that’s when they lose. The most important thing to keep going on with your meditation is knowing that “IT IS ABSOLUTELY FINE TO HAVE SEVERAL RANDOM THINGS PROCESSING ON YOUR MIND”. Even the very experienced ones find it hard to keep up with this practice, and all these thoughts are normal.
What you have to do is, every time you become conscious of losing your focus, immediately get back to your breathing without judging yourself. This will happen multiple times after a few seconds or a minute.
It is completely normal for your mind to divert the focus, so be gentle with yourself. Do not think about why I am getting these thoughts? why I am unable to focus? Is this gonna work? The only think your mind must remember is keeping the focus. Over time, you will learn to balance out better and be at ease with these random thoughts.
How To Wrap Up Every Session
Do not rush to get up immediately when you want to finish the practice. Before ending, you can stop focusing on your breathing and stay in a relaxed position for a few seconds. Once you are ready to finish it, open your eyes slowly and get up after a couple of seconds. This mindfulness will stay with you not just in the moment but the entire day.
Meditation Techniques That Support Your Sessions
As a novice practitioner, you will need supportive elements to commence your journey. Here are some of them:
- While starting your meditation session, play soft music. There are plenty of them available on YouTube. Once you find your mind calm, you can stop playing it.
- Instead of watching movies or scrolling social media feeds, try to read a book or meditate for a few minutes before sleeping at night. This will help your wandering mind to stay free of disturbing thoughts of the previous night’s movie story, reels, or anything else. You will wake up with a calm mind, ready to focus better.
- Keep your phone on silent; even one notification can disturb your entire session.
- Try to spare time every day to be consistent in your practice. Atleast keep your practice for 15-20 minutes.
- Do not judge your performance or compare it to someone else; every mind is different, and everyone’s journey is unique. The only motto is to be consistent.
The Experience Expectations: The Benefits of Meditation That Get Your Way
- Self-connection and self-understanding
- Improved focus
- Reduced stress and anxiety
- Self-control
- Ease to deal with life’s complicated
These perks are certainly associated with daily medication practice; however, do not just start craving them at the earliest. Patience is what will introduce you to all these self-reviving advantages. Keep your expectations at the lowest, and you will certainly relish an unimaginable experience out of it.
Lifestyle Tips That Let You Stay Calm and Ready for Meditation
- Keep your space decluttered and organized. Adjusting the bed sheet after waking up, dusting, and cleaning are good starting moves.
- Kick off your laziness and complete your tasks on time. This is one of the most satisfying things that help with anxiety and stress.
- Read more books and avoid excessive use of the phone and TV (today’s most disturbing elements).
- Practice forgiveness and gratitude.
- Surround yourself with supportive and positive people.
- Start working out (even if it’s for 15 minutes); a healthy body encourages mental relaxation.
Your Turn to give it a try
Meditation is the most inexpensive way to attain peace of mind and live a life with mindfulness. Don’t let your mind make excuses, and start with as low as 5 minutes. Give it a shot, and this is definitely gonna be the best decision you’ve ever made!
