Photo by Ulric Collette

“Meditation brings wisdom; lack of mediation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.” - Buddha

You don’t need to be a Buddhist monk surrounded by burning incense and candles to enjoy the benefits of mediation. It’s something we can all partake in. Even your kitty cat loves to do it 22 out of 24 hours in the day. All your need is a tiny amount of discipline, a quiet environment and a desire for a peaceful mindset.

Meditation works on all levels, and even science has proven the benefits. It allows our brainwave patterns to go into the alpha state, which is the state that promotes healing. It can relieve pain, improve blood pressure, it slows down the ageing process, improves the flow of air into the lungs (great for asthma patients) and can alter our stress levels. And that’s just the physiological benefits! Meditation can increase creativity, emotional stability, self-actualisation and decrease depression, irritability and anxiety. The spiritual benefits may be discovered further into the practise.

With all these scientifically proven benefits, I find it hard to believe it isn’t taught in schools, or incorporated into hospitals or nursing homes or even in the workplace. While the industrial world catches up, we can reap the benefits in our own free time. So how do we meditate? Well, the basis of all meditation techniques is focus and attention. The aim is to slow down the thinking process and limit the number of thoughts in our mind. There are many meditation techniques which help us focus. You might want to look at a bodyscan meditation, meditation based on an object, or a breathing exercise like the ’simple stress solution’;

Simple stress solution:

Put aside 10-20 minutes a day.

Find a quiet environment and sit on the floor or a chair (don’t get too comfortable).

Concentrate on your breathing.

Breathe naturally and freely.

Pay attention to how the air passes through your nose, fills your lungs and flows out again.

When you begin to feel at ease, start counting your inhales and exhales. Breathing in… one… breathing out… two… breathing in… three… breathing out… four…

Rest in a state of relaxed, undistracted awareness. If a thought crosses your mind, don’t respond, notice it, let it go, and return to your counting.

Notice if your breathe is slow or fast, or goes to your stomach or chest, concentrate on it’s rhythm and speed.

You may feel your body begin to twitch - that’s just your body relaxing and entering the state just before sleep. Acknowledge it, let it go, and return to counting your breathing.

When you feel relaxed enough and want to end the meditation, imagine your surroundings, move a little, stretch your muscles, and then open your eyes.

When I was starting my meditation journey, I found these videos extremely helpful. It’s a 5 part series which has easy step by step instructions and great background music.

Like with everything in life, practise is the key. You may not ‘feel’ anything or notice any differences to begin with, but soldier on! With time, the sense of clarity and calmness is achieved with ease.

Extra reading: The Meditation Society of Australia, How to Meditate, Sahaja Yoga Meditation offer free classes!

Big love & om,

Ivy

xx