Meditation is a way to practice mindfulness within your life. Meditation allows you to be present, increasing self-awareness. This can allow an individual to feel centered in this world that is constantly moving around us.
Commonly when the word meditation is mentioned there is a pretty universal image that comes to mind. People picture sitting on the ground, legs crossed and quieting the mind. This is a common misconception.
At the start of your journey, you will experience mind wandering, feeling antsy, and emotions arising as you sit with yourself. This is a learned skill that must be practiced over time.
When starting a meditation journey, our minds can be easily distracted as we are not used to being in this state of present. There will be setbacks along the way and achieving the benefits will take time. Essentially, you are training your mind.
Mindfulness has been implemented by psychologists all over the world as individuals have reported reduced stress and anxiety, increased awareness, and improved memory.
Meditation is a practice that can be extremely beneficial to an individual. This can be practiced in many ways, and finding the one best suited for you can be a trial and error period. Some ways to explore meditation are explained below!
Progressive muscle relaxation
- We constantly are faced with a multitude of stressors in our everyday lives. Over time, this stress builds up and we store tension in our bodies. In this practice, you will start at the bottom of your body with your feet and end at the top of your body. You will spend time focusing on each muscle group thoroughly and focus on deep breathing. While you inhale, imagine all tension from that area is being released, rest before moving to the next muscle.
Box breathing
- This is a simple practice that can help during periods of heavy emotions. In this practice, you will imagine a box. Imagine you are tracing the box with your breath patterns. As you move along the square, you will repeat a breath pattern of holding, inhaling, holding, then exhaling. This can be done for your time preference of choice.
Walking
- First, you want to find a path, I love the trail here at Bonaventure. You want to focus on the steps you are taking, noticing sensations felt by your feet. Allow yourself to be aware of what you are feeling and focus on this along with your breath. As you walk, you will notice distractions. When noticed, direct your mind back to your steps.
Shower meditation
- Meditation can happen anywhere, we can incorporate this practice of mindfulness within our day-to-day activities. When you are in the shower, imagine you are washing away negative energy/stress and cleansing emotions. Envision the water as power, washing away the worry and feeling more present.