Meditation is a just as important to your health as exercising, eating well, and sleeping. I like to think of it as a shower for your brain. We shower daily to clean our exterior bodies but do very little to take care of ourselves inside our bodies when it comes to our brain. Meditation allows our brains to turn off, relax and reset. The best part is that it doesn’t take that long to do. I personally feel very balanced after 20 minutes of mediation. I found when I tried to go longer I became more inconsistent and didn’t notice a difference between 20 to 30 minutes.
One of the first comments I hear from clients when we begin implementing meditation is that it’s “so hard to quiet my mind” and right behind that is “it’s uncomfortable sitting that way for so long.” I’ve taken meditation classes and have read books which explain various methods. If you are struggling send me a message and I can offer some other variations. For me I have found that if I sit on a pillow on the floor, sit up tall along a plain wall, set my timer for 20 minutes on my phone and focus on my breath going in and out, I’m good. However, this did not happen overnight. I set a reminder on my phone for every afternoon to go and meditate until it became habit. Yes there are times life gets busy and I forget to do it but when listening to my body realize that is when I need it the most.
If you are really struggling to quiet your mind and let’s face it some days are more stressful than others, I suggest you think of a simple mantra that you slowly repeat in your mind as you inhale and exhale. You can also try soft music or a guided meditation which can be found on Spotify, itunes and Apple. Lastly, realize there is no way you are going to sit for that long and not have one thought pass through your mind which is okay. Let the thought come through the front door, pass through and exit out the back door. That visualization helps prevent you fighting to get a quiet mind and just to be. Jump In!!