Meditations and Mantras

Meditation is a practise that is growing in popularity. It looks to increase calmness and enhance overall health and well-being.  Meditation focuses on the positive connection between the mind and body. It does not look to change you into a different person. It looks to help you to explore yourself more deeply. There are many different types and reasons that people practise meditation but they all have 4 aspects in common;

• They usually take place in a quiet space.
• They use a posture that keeps the spine straight whether that be sitting, standing or laying down.
• They use focus on a mantra, object or the feeling of your breath.
• They focus on a sense of self compassion when watching thoughts come and go.

Meditation has been found to have a positive impact on health from health conditions such as IBS and high blood pressure to mental health conditions.

5 reasons to meditate:

"1: Understand your pain
2: Lower your stress
3: Connect better
4: Improve focus
5: Reduce brain chatter" - Mindful

Meditation is a form of mindfulness. It works by focusing our attention on just one thing. This helps us to remain in the present moment. It stops us from worrying about the future or contemplating the past. This can help us to make better decisions, to see things for how they are rather than how we are seeing things through emotional tinted glasses. Read my post on mindfulness here; Mindfulness

Headspace mentioned a study that found that "meditation actually appeared to shrink the amygdala (which is our threat detection control tower of the brain) while thickening the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is responsible for higher level thinking skills and behaviour modification. Exercising the brain in a way that strengthens your thought processes can provide the support and groundwork you need to control how you react to situations throughout the day."

I started practising meditation a few years ago and have found it to be very useful when I practise regularly. To start with, I found meditating difficult and to be honest a little annoying. However, the more I meditated the more I found power in practise. I find meditations such as visualisations (imagining being in a safe place you create) and mantras to be my favourite. I find that I feel more connected to the world and myself after meditating. It pulls me out of autopilot and into the present moment. 

How can I practise Meditation?

1. Find a space that you can meditate daily. This needs to be somewhere that feels peaceful to you. Find somewhere that you can sit comfortably. You may want to set up a space with candles, meditation stones or items of religious importance if you wish. Items such as cushions can also help to make you feel more comfortable. 
2. Work out why you a meditating/ set a purpose for your practise. Really work out what you want to get out of your meditation. You may want to feel calmer or you may want to tackle thoughts that you have been struggling with. 
3. Find resources that can help you. Meditation can feel hard at first. It is a skill you need to learn and therefore having guidance can be helpful. I would suggest finding guided meditations that you feel comfortable with. I find Headspace suits me but there are many different options out there (Here is a video from headspace to get started). If guided meditations aren't for you, try putting on some calming music. 
   
   
4. Make it a habit. Set a time each day to meditate and stick to it. It could be 5 minutes in the morning before breakfast or 10 minutes before bed. Morning meditations can help set the intentions for the day and get you off to a good start. Headspace stated"By creating a regular morning practice, we are cultivating peace of mind and happier relationships where we are kinder and less judgemental of ourselves and others. Due to the current fast pace of many people’s lives, our days may include quite a bit of stress and pressure. People assume this kind of stress is simply an unavoidable part of life, but meditation can help enable us to manage our home lives and our work lives more skilfully. Mornings can be the best time of day to incorporate meditation because of their quiet nature, whereas afternoons are more likely to be hectic with ever-changing to-do lists."

What are Mantras? 

Mantras are words or phrases that are repeated to bring calm, joy or self belief. They also help to bring focus to a meditation practise. Mantras can be created and used for many years or a new one can be used each day/week. Here are some examples of my favourite mantras: 

• I am worthy of good things
• I am deserving of peace and happiness 
• I forgive myself 
• I am working to better myself 
• I can 
• I am enough 
• I am in charge of how I feel and today I am choosing happiness 
• I choose me 
• I see my struggles as an opportunity to grow
• The past holds no power over me

Choose one or find another online that resonates with you. Repeat it during your meditations or when looking at yourself in the mirror. This may feel awkward or silly at first. Its a type of fake it till you make it exercise but I have found power in it. 

Give these a try and see how it goes! 

All the best,

Lozzy 

P.s. I found these websites very helpful: 

Mindful 

Headspace