What is Mindfulness Meditation? Some Steps You Can Try Today to Begin…

During the pandemic many of us turned to meditation to reduce our astronomical rise in stress levels.

Some of the benefits of Mindful Meditation include reduction of anxiety & depression, stress relief, helping the brain reduce distraction, & the increase of your body satisfaction.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.

~ From mindful.org

Meditation is not something you can be bad at, like anything it’s a practice. Your brain will always seek to think, plan, drift & worry, so the main intention is to bring your thoughts back to the breath, quieting the mind.

Mindfulness meditation in steps from the Harvard Gazette:

Settle in

Find a quiet space. Using a cushion or chair, sit up straight but not stiff; allow your head and shoulders to rest comfortably; place your hands on the tops of your legs with upper arms at your side.

Now breathe

Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and relax. Feel the fall and rise of your chest and the expansion and contraction of your belly. With each breath notice the coolness as it enters and the warmth as it exits. Don’t control the breath but follow its natural flow.

Stay focused

Thoughts will try to pull your attention away from the breath. Notice them, but don’t pass judgment. Gently return your focus to your breath. Some people count their breaths as a way to stay focused.

Take 10

A daily practice will provide the most benefits. It can be 10 minutes per day, however, 20 minutes twice a day is often recommended for maximum benefit.

You can practice your meditation in a designated quiet space in your home. Or sometimes going into nature, such as near water, on a hike or even a park will do. Whatever is available to you and whatever you choose is perfectly ok.

Your area can simply be a cushion in a corner or you can design a serene space however you’d like.

Calm and Headspace are 2 apps you can use for guided meditations, but there are so many free YouTube videos and websites you can utilize.

Personally, I lost my job and 3 family members in the last year. I’ve slowly found my way back to peace using some of the steps above to reduce my anxiety and bring me a sense of calm.

I do hope you found some value in the above.

You can practice your meditation in a designated quiet space in your home. Or sometimes going into nature, such as near water, on a hike, or even a park will do. Whatever is available to you and whatever you choose is perfectly ok.

Do you have a meditation practice of your own? What do you do to lower your stress levels?

In Health, and a little extra Love & Light,

Amanda


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