Meditation
I recently read “Why Woo Woo Works” by David R. Hamilton Ph.D where he dedicated an entire chapter to the benefits of meditation and the science behind why it works.
“The practice in meditation isn’t not to think, but to notice that you’re thinking. The goal is awareness; stillness is a side effect.”
Meditation is something that I personally have been doing for a couple of years now as part of my spiritual practice and personal growth. I prefer to do guided meditations as I’m the type of person who really struggles to turn off their mind. There’s always some conversation, train of thought or random song I heard three days ago playing in my head!! One of the first benefits that I noticed was that it became easier to breathe when I was running.
What is meditation?
Meditation is a practice (not a one-time fix-all) that allows people to train their attention and focus to allow them to maintain a calm and stable state. It is also good for your health and concentration. Once you are able to relax in a meditative state, you can listen to your inner guidance and intuition, often finding solutions to problems that you have been worrying about.
One of the biggest challenges people face with starting a meditation practice is the belief that they don’t have enough time. Meditation is a personal preference. If you want to devote an entire room in your house to finding peace, quiet and inner reflection, then you go do that. Personally, I just sit on my bed, or sometimes I will sit outside if the weather is nice. And it doesn’t have to take long. A few minutes of focused breathing can be just as good and beneficial for you as spending three days and fasting to gain enlightenment!!
How does Meditation help reduce stress?
Stress can come in many forms and from many places and a lot of the time it is easy enough to cope with. Sometimes it can become too much if you are not doing anything to manage it and you feel like you have the weight of the world crushing you. By calming your mind during meditation, you can take back that sense and feeling of control over things, and stress becomes easier to manage. While your actual problems won’t go away through meditation, you will at least feel more mentally prepared to face them.
Meditation is something that has really helped me. As I mentioned at the start of this blog, one of the first things I noticed was how my breathing became easier when I was running. Instead of panting and feeling out of breath, I’m able to control my breathing, to empty my lungs and fill them back up again. Running uphill still causes me to struggle to breathe, but meditation is a practice and running is a work in progress!!
My favourite times to meditate are first thing in the morning and at bedtime. In the morning I like to take some deep breaths and focus on what I want to achieve that day before drawing a tarot card for guidance. I’m still working on recognising the difference between the ongoing chatter in my head and my intuition giving me guiding nudges. A tarot card can help me to see what I didn’t hear.
At bedtime, I like to lay down to meditate, to relax my body for sleep and to try and let go of any nagging thoughts that are likely to keep me up all night!! First thing in the morning and last thing at night are the best times to meditate because you are usually more relaxed and open to meditation. But of course, you are free to meditate at any time you like. If I’m feeling out of balance or disconnected from myself, then I might go for a walk to clear my head. Walking meditation is a thing you know!!
I’m currently putting together a 28-day meditation experience to help anyone feeling stressed, stuck or exhausted, to connect with themselves and develop a meditation practice. We will meet daily and use the energy of the moon to guide us in our meditations. For more info click the button below!!
