Meditation is merely an accessible practice to achieve mindfulness, which is awareness of senses and feelings in the moment without fixating on, judging, or analyzing them.
The key issue here is this could be one of your most important techniques for reducing daily stress. It is also literally cost- free once you know what to do, completely portable (of course) and accessible. It can be performed in 15 to 20 minutes either privately or even in public. I nearly always meditate on flights and have done so waiting at medical and dental offices.
It is also almost free of all adverse effects unless you have had severe trauma, in which case you need to check with your physician before commencing.
You can easily learn the technique even though many mistakenly regard it as a skill that takes a while to develop. Rather than viewing meditation as some sort of achievement, know that there is no right or wrong way as long as you remain awake, aware, and don`t obstruct or dwell on your thought flow.
I like to think of it more as going back to a previous time in your life, pre-school, when you probably while playing alone, drifted into a quiet state, still awake and aware, but not over-focused.
The major benefits are an almost immediate reduction in your stress level as well as (later) more control over your thoughts. You come to view your thoughts for what they truly are…. thoughts…and not reality. Some of your thoughts can be helpful, but when feeling unwell, many can be completely unhelpful and disruptive, delaying your recovery. While meditating, you try not to oppose thoughts that may surface, you merely view them passing you like leaves blown by the wind.
Meditation also slows you down and with time you realize that you were previously perhaps acting immediately, almost reflexively in response to stressful situations. With practice, your range of response possibilities expands and also whether or not you want to react in the minute…. or even at all.
Meditation obviously works best with a daily routine, say 20-30 minutes. Do not feel that it is not working if at the start you skip some days, as this is a new discipline for you. What usually happens is that once you see the benefit, you become way more motivated to continue on a daily basis.
Initially, it may feel quite strange because we are so used to cramming a tremendous amount into one day and are strangely at ease with our minds constantly racing. Once in a meditation routine, you may become surprised at how you coped effectively before meditating.
Some learn meditation through disciplines like yoga, or after exercise or aerobics sessions, and others are self-taught through books, Internet videos and apps.
Meditation is at heart a quiet practice that often stretches the novice’s belief how something so simple could possibly be so effective,…. but it can be a game-changer!
Photo Credit Max on Unsplash