How to Meditate

Everyone can benefit from the easy practice of meditation, which can lower stress, improve clarity and relaxation, and foster happiness. The benefits of meditation can be felt right away, and learning to meditate is simple. Here, we provide some fundamental advice to set you on the path to increased joy, acceptance, and equanimity. Inhale deeply and prepare to unwind.

How to Meditate

Meditation is something everyone can do, here’s how.

STEP 1: Choose a chair that is comfortable for you and adopt a relaxed yet attentive posture. Try to straighten your spine without being overly rigid.

STEP 2: Breathe slowly for a few moments while keeping your eyes closed or slightly open. Breathe deeply for a short while longer and spend some time relaxing your entire body, from your head to your toes.

STEP 3: Take a moment to become aware of how your body feels: warm, chilly, or uncomfortable at all. Try not to fidget too much, but be mindful of them.

STEP4: Focus your attention on a single sensation, such as the sensation of your breath coming in and going out. Just pay attention to that.

STEP 5: Return your focus on the breath whenever your thoughts stray. In a short while, your thoughts can stray once more. Just acknowledge it once more and bring your focus back to the here and now.

STEP 6: After a minute, ten minutes, or thirty minutes, when you're ready, open your eyes. Your formal meditation practice may have finished, but you can still maintain mindful awareness throughout the day.

How to Make Mindfulness a Habit

Ninety-five percent of human behavior is thought to be automatic. This is due to the fact that brain networks, which underpin all of our habits, convert the millions of sensory inputs we receive every second into digestible shortcuts that allow us to survive in this bizarre environment. Because these automatic brain signals are so effective, we frequently revert to our previous habits before realizing what we were supposed to accomplish in the first place.

The complete opposite of these automatic mechanisms is mindfulness. It allows for deliberate acts, willpower, and decision-making because it is executive control as opposed to autopilot. However, it requires practice. The purposeful brain becomes stronger the more we use it. Every time we intentionally do something novel, we activate our grey matter, which is full of newly sprouting neurons that are not yet trained for the "autopilot" brain. This process of purposeful action stimulates neuroplasticity.

Here's the issue, though. Although our conscious mind is aware of what is optimal for us, our subconscious mind leads us to take short cuts in life. Therefore, how can we make ourselves conscious when we most need it? The idea of "behavior design" enters the picture here. It's a means of taking conscious mental control. This can be achieved in two ways: first, by placing barriers in the autopilot brain's path, it can be slowed down; second, by clearing the way for the deliberate brain to take charge.

It does require some work to tip the scales in favor of your purposeful brain. Here are a few methods to begin going.

• Put reminders for meditation all around you. Place your yoga mat or meditation cushion in the center of your floor so you can't miss it when you go by if you plan to practice yoga or meditate.
• Regularly update your reminders. Let's say you choose to utilize sticky notes as a tool for self-reminders of new goals. That might help for a week or so, but after that your automatic mind and old habits kick in again. Try penning yourself fresh notes; be creative and/or humorous. They'll stay with you longer if you do that.
• Make fresh patterns. To easily make reminders to switch into the purposeful brain, you may try creating a series of "If this, then that" messages. As an example, you could think about the phrase, "If office door, then deep breath," to help you into a state of mindfulness just before you begin your workday. Alternatively, "If the phone rings, inhale before answering." Your purposeful brain will get stronger with each deliberate action you take to become more aware.

Mindfulness Meditation Practices

On your own, you can engage in mindfulness meditation at any time and anyplace. However, basic guided meditations can also be beneficial, particularly in the beginning. A skilled instructor's guidance can serve as a helpful reminder to return to the here and now, let go of distracting ideas, and stop being so hard on ourselves.

Here are some guided meditations you can listen to that will help you remain in the present moment.