Forget the "chill pill" it's time to learn to meditate

March 07, 2021

Wellbeing, How To

Photography - Robin Schreiner

Contributor - Amy Wilkinson-Lough

What are the health benefits of meditating?

Meditation is the habitual process of training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts. Its popularity has increased significantly as more people become aware of its many health benefits for both the mind and the body. Most widely known for being a long-term fix for stress and anxiety, meditation is also widely practiced to develop healthy habits and feelings, such as a maintaining a positive outlook, instilling self-discipline, as well as aiding in improved sleep patterns, decreased blood pressure, reduced age-related memory loss and a lengthened attention span. At this point, how could you say no to giving it a try?

Why you should introduce meditation into your daily routine:

Ever heard the term, disconnect to connect? This is precisely what’s happening when you take anywhere from five to 20 minutes to meditate. A practice that doesn’t require specialised equipment or expensive memberships, meditation can be done from practically anywhere. Basically, there’s not excuse not to do it. With so many different types to choose from, there’s a style for everyone. The key is, there is no right or wrong way to meditate, once you find the one that works for you, it’s up to you to decide when, where and how you incorporate it into your daily routine.

Where to begin

Practicing meditation is exactly that, a practice. The first time you sit down to meditate; naturally, feelings of uncertainty in the unknown may arise and it may feel difficult to concentrate. However, the purpose of meditation is to help us accept the status quo for what it is. Drop all expectations of how your practice should flow, and sit with the feelings or emotions that rise; a much more difficult concept for some than others, there are a few ways to make meditation easier that just might do the trick.

Download an app such as HeadSpace for guided meditation focused on the areas of your life you are interested in improving. HeadSpace.com
Go for a walk – not all meditation practices require lying down with your eyes closed.
Keep it short and sweet. It doesn’t have to be long to be effective. Sometimes it makes more sense to give yourself five minutes to pause and take a few deep breaths, this is a great way to introduce meditation to your working day (just try not to doze off at your desk when the relaxation kicks in).