Frankly, over the past two years I have tried to meditate several times, but only now I managed to make meditation my daily habit. Starting to do something new regularly is quite a challenge, but I am sure that my advice will help even the laziest. Meditation is a very beneficial activity, and the more you practice it, the more you become aware of it. Through meditation, you can discover where stress is hiding in your body: tense jaws, arms, legs… the list goes on. My stress was hiding in the jaws. After I began to meditate regularly, I became so aware of my body that now I can track how stress is born and not let it take over me. Here are five tips to help you make meditation a regular practice. 1. Find a teacher One of the most helpful groups I went to was the How to Manage Stress group (it had some awesome academic name, but I forgot it). We worked on mindfulness, positive thinking and meditation. As a true New Yorker, I came to the first session rather skeptical, but after the first meditation under the guidance of our teacher, all my false beliefs vanished into thin air. Meditation under the guidance of a teacher is a very valuable experience, especially for beginners. It allows you to stay focused and focus on your breath, which greatly affects the state of mind and body. Breathing practices are the most effective way to deal with stress. Want to try? Then right now, take one deep breath through your nose (so deep that you can feel your lungs)… hold your breath for 2 seconds… and now exhale slowly through your mouth. Do the same five more times. Come on, breathe, no one is looking at you. Really, it’s not difficult, is it? But the feeling is completely different! My teacher was simply incomparable – I wanted to meditate every day, and I began to search the Internet for audio meditations. They turned out to be quite a lot and different: lasting from 2 to 20 minutes. 2. Find what works for you Audio meditation is a great springboard, but you may find other meditations more effective later on. Over the past two years, I have tried a dozen different techniques and have come to the conclusion that the meditations that tell me what to do are more suitable for me. I just follow the instructions and relax. 3. Set aside just 10 minutes a day for meditation. Everyone can set aside 10 minutes a day for meditation. Try meditating in the morning, afternoon and evening and find your time. Ideally, if you can meditate in the morning before leaving for work. Meditate in a chair, then you will not fall asleep and will not be late for work. When you finish your practice, try to carry this sense of peace throughout the day. This will help you not to get involved in everything that happens in the office, and in this way, you will protect yourself from stress. 4. Don’t get upset if you don’t meditate on some days No matter how serious you are, there will be days when you won’t be able to meditate. This happens to everyone. Do not worry. Just keep meditating. 5. Remember to breathe Whenever you feel anxiety creeping in, take a few slow, deep breaths and notice where stress builds up in your body. When you find this area, breathe into it and you will immediately feel relaxed. And remember, the reality is not as terrible as we sometimes think. Source: Robert Maisano, businessinsider.com Translation: Lakshmi
2022-11-11