Meditation: Why it Should be a Regular Practice
Meditation can mean and look different for everyone.
It might even provide different benefits for everyone. That’s the beauty of it. Finding what works for you and how the practice fills your cup.
According to Oxford Languages, meditation is defined as “thinking deeply or focusing one’s mind for a period of time.”
Another definition I like is from Dictionary.com that states “to engage in thought or contemplation; reflect.”
When most think of meditation, they think about having to clear their mind of all thoughts. Although this may be a goal for some, it is not a requirement. Thoughts will always pop up in your mind.
The idea is to notice and acknowledge a thought then allow it to pass. When you intentionally set time aside to do this exercise, it creates a foundation. This then flows into later moments when you aren’t meditating.
After acknowledging the thought, reconnect to your breath. Always focus on connecting and reconnecting to the air entering and exiting your lungs. This will keep the session going.
Meditation can be done by anyone, anywhere. Whether you have a dedicated area in your home or prefer to pick a new spot every day, the practice is flexible. There is no one size fits all approach.
Determine a part of your day where you can devote at least five minutes to meditation. It can be the same time every day or whatever works for your schedule. It’s consistency that matters most.
Making it a priority to meditate every day is where the changes lie.
If you’d like to meditate at the same time every day, utilize habit stacking. Add this new habit to an existing, established one. This will remind you and ensure you are building this new habit.
How do you Start?
Pick your time and place. Set up your environment if you want to – light a candle, turn on a diffuser, lay out a blanket/pillow, whatever sounds relaxing. Wear clothing that is comfortable to you as well.
It’s common practice to sit straight up – head over heart, heart over pelvis with relaxed shoulders. You can choose to sit anywhere. On the ground, a couch, a chair, in your car, in bed, etc. Some meditation practices may suggest laying down.
You can place your hands in your lap or on your knees with your palms up or palms down. If you’re laying down, they can be by your side or on your stomach. Again, lean into what feels good to you.
There are several ways and types of meditation. One can decide to follow a guided meditation, a YouTube video, play meditation music or follow a technique in silence. Next up, focus on your breath.
Guided meditations and techniques will provide instruction and cues. Telling you when to breathe in; when to breathe out; the duration of breaths; when to pause; whether to breathe through your nose or mouth; and more. If meditating on your own, lean into whatever feels best in the moment.
Benefits of Meditation
Meditation invites moments of mindfulness and presence into your day. It positively impacts almost every part of the brain. There is an endless amount of benefits including, but not limited to:
Helping relieve anxiety and stress
Improving focus, compassion, immunity and sleep
Increasing awareness and sense of calm
Stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest)
Lowering levels of cortisol, blood pressure and heart rate
Positively changing mindset and perspective
As mentioned above, meditation can impact and change the brain. A regular practice can lead to a decrease in negative neurological connections to the “me center” of the brain. This means a decrease in fear, stress and anxiety, and an increase in counterparts.
It can also increase gray matter and cortical thickness. These areas influence emotional regulation, planning, problem-solving, learning and memory. The amygdala, the area that controls how we feel stress, fear and anxiety, decreases.
Resources
The Headspace website provides a TON of information regarding meditation. It was used as research for this article, but it was impossible to include everything. I encourage you to take a read (This article is not sponsored by Headspace).
Below are five of my favorite guided meditations on Spotify:
Takeaways
Meditation is a skill and a practice. It may feel silly and pointless at first, but overtime you will experience the benefits. The mindfulness and ability to control your breath will trickle into all areas of your life.
When working out, this will aid in breathing properly through movements. When frustrated with traffic while running late, you’ll be equipped with meditation techniques. When feeling overwhelmed and anxious, you’ll be reminded to reconnect and focus on your breath.
Meet yourself where you can in this season of life. Only have five minutes a day? Perfect! Start there and overtime you can always practice longer.
Meditation brings stillness and consideration into our very busy, overstimulated days. It creates an opportunity to sit, feel and do nothing. I challenge you to try meditating this week. Keep up with it for a few days and you might be surprised by how you feel.