The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win. Roger Bannister
Do you have a pattern, a way of doing things? A routine, I do, my alarm is set for 5am, I go down and put kettle on for a mug of hot water, whilst waiting for that to boil, I put my mobile on to charge, open the back door for the dog and do a few stretches. Next I log onto the computer, start up iTunes then press play. That’s the start of my day. Is yours typically predictable?
This morning the first song that started playing on my iTunes was “Silence is Golden” which helped me decide today’s subject “meditation”. Have you ever tried it, do you do it? Do you realise how great it is for you and how easy it is to do. I know I’ve talked about it before but I bet not many of you have tried it and if you have I bet you didn’t make it a habit of it like those things you do in the morning. I know because I dabble now and again even though I know I should do it all the time.
Okay then meditation WHY? What’s it all about?
Lots of people including myself at one time, think it’s really difficult to meditate and don’t really know why people do it. Well let me try and make it as simple as possible. meditation describes a state of concentrated attention on an object of thought or awareness. It usually involves turning the attention inward to the mind itself. Meditation can be used for personal development; it can also be very calming, rejuvenating and restorative. When practiced regularly, it can aid in reducing stress, lowering blood pressure and increasing personal awareness.
I personally find guided meditations helpful as they help me to concentrate, however, the simplest meditation doesn’t need anything other than you and a quiet ten minutes, here’s how to do it;
How to meditate
- Find somewhere quiet where you will not be disturbed for at least ten minutes, turn off your mobile phone.
- You could have some relaxing meditation music playing quietly in the background.
- Select a comfortable chair or place to sit, and assume a sitting position with your spine relatively straight, you can do it lying down but your more likely to fall asleep.
- Close your eyes.
- Breathe in, allowing your rib cage and belly to expand as you inhale.
Don’t worry too much about whether you’re breathing correctly, just breathe and relax.
- Exhale slowly.
- Concentrate on your breathing. Be aware of each breath and the feelings of deeper relaxation.
- Allow thoughts and feelings to enter your mind. Acknowledge them, allow them to pass, and refocus on your breathing. You can continue this for as long as you wish.
- Open your eyes after you feel more relaxed and centered.
Tips
- There are many forms and variations of meditation, experiment with them, if one particular form doesn't work for you, try another. Look at some books on meditation to discover which type is best for you.
- Begin with 5 to 10 minutes of meditation each day and increase to 20 minutes or more twice each day. This may not always be possible, but anything is better than nothing.
Well that’s all from me, I’m actually going to practice what I preach and have ten minutes meditating!
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless your living!
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