5 Useful Meditation Tips

When we meditate, we trigger long-lasting benefits into our lives, Here are my five reasons to meditate:

1. Help manage stress or depression
2. Connect better
3. Improve your focus
4. Reduce brain noise
5. Boost your memory

Here is a great article on the science-based facts of meditation.

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” Buddha

How to Meditate

1. Get comfy

Find a place to sit or lie that makes you feel calm and quiet and make sure you’re wearing something comfortable. You can sit in a chair, you can sit on the floor with your legs loosely cross, you can kneel or you can lie down. Just make sure you’re stable and in a position you can stay in for a while.

2. Empty you’re mind

Take a some time to clear your thoughts and empty your mind.

3. Focus on your breathing

For a few seconds, simply follow the sensation of your breath as you inhale and exhale.

4. Pay attention…

Before long, your attention will leave your breathing and begin to wander. When you notice this it may be a few seconds, it may be a few minutes, don’t obsess over your thoughts simply return your attention to your breathing. You can begin with around 10 minutes, and increase as you get better.

5. Finish when you’re ready.

When you feel relaxed and ready, Slowly open your eyes, and take a moment to return. Notice your thoughts and emotions, how you feel. Do you feel more relaxed?

If this is your first time and you experienced distractions, don’t worry, we all do, in the beginning, it is difficult to switch these thoughts off, we are essentially on automatic pilot, our mind and thoughts darting here and there. This is where most of us live the majority of the time, never switching off. Mindfulness is the complete opposite of this and being able to switch these off takes practice. Mastering meditation helps us have a much healthier relationship with ourselves.

That’s it!