I think many of us can agree that the last few weeks of the semester, especially right after Thanksgiving break, seems to be the most stressful and hectic. Some of us may take study breaks that consist of going for a short walk, listening to music, catching up with a friend or even taking a nap. Yoga and meditation seem to be becoming better known and practiced nowadays, especially on college campuses. For a majority of people, the terms postures and stretching come to mind when someone mentions yoga. This is the difference between postural and traditional yoga; body versus mind. Interestingly, Mark Singleton’s “Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice” discusses that many of these poses that are commonly seen in yoga classes today are actually about 100 year old gymnastic poses. (I highly recommend you read this book to learn more about the modern practice of postural yoga). Postural yoga is what we know of yoga today, all those poses that include the downward facing dog and different stretches that strengthen your core, which may cause you to lose focus on your breathing. Traditional yoga originated from India and it mainly focuses on the transformation of the mind.
A benefit of meditation is you become more self-aware of who you are, stripped away from the judgments that you’ve placed on yourself. You let go of judgments and you focus more on things that are happening in the moment within you and your thoughts. Additionally you become more comfortable with being with yourself for a couple of minutes in silence, which I personally think is something that majority of college students do not get the opportunity to do as often. Â
In meditation, you aren’t trying to be anything. You’re allowing yourself to sit there with your thoughts and feelings, allowing whatever to be felt. After each mediation session, you may find yourself more and more open to allow yourself to experience this self-acceptance. You will also find yourself being able to concentrate better; not only on your thoughts, but also on other tasks you may conquer later on in the day after your meditation session.
If meditation is completely new to you, here are a few simple steps to help get you started:
1.Find a quiet spot with no distractions
You’re going to want to find a quiet area where you can focus on your own breathing in silence. Any noise or distractions will prevent you from being able to fully focus on yourself.
2.Sit or lay down in a comfortable position
Your body should be comfortable enough but not too comfortable to the point where you feel you might fall asleep. You should be able to be relaxed enough that you can sit in a position for the duration of the meditation so you can focus on the mind and not the way your body feels. The position you sit in should be almost effortless.
3.Start with smaller increments (5 or 10 minutes each day)
To start getting used to meditation, you should start off with shorter time to see how far you can meditate.
4. Let yourself go wherever you bring yourself
Whether time passes without you realizing it, or an indescribable euphoria fills you, let your mediation bring you wherever it may. With a mind clear of concerns and ego, allow yourself to become yourself.
5. Incorporate poses and keep focusing on your breathing
If you feel you can focus on your breathing while trying some beginner poses that were used by Indian yogis, you can incorporate some of these into your process.
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I recommend looking at this link that gives other information about how to meditate: https://www.nyimc.org/how-to-meditate/Â Â