This summer, I began to practice meditation. At first, it was extremely difficult. My mind wandered, I couldn’t find a comfortable way to sit, my back hurt, and I almost gave up. But once I stuck with it, I’m so glad I did. Meditation is scientifically proven to be beneficial to the mental health and wellness of our body and minds. Meditation can improve focus and our sleeping patterns. In addition, meditation reduces stress and anxiety, an important tool to have as midterms are rolling around all too soon.
So now that we know meditation can be beneficial to our mental wellness, how does someone begin their practice of meditation? It’s simple!
Designate a time and space to meditate every day. It’s best to meditate in the morning, before the start of your day. Start with 10-15 minutes daily, and while that might seem like eternity now, once you master the basics of meditation, the time will fly by. The first important step in meditation is to have the correct seated posture. This will help reduce tension in your lower back and make the entire experience more comfortable.
The correct seated posture starts by sitting on top of a cushion. It is important that your hip bones are above your knees, so as to reduce tension in your lower back. Next, cross your legs in one of the three following positions: full lotus, half lotus, or generic criss cross. Your hands can be placed on top of you knees, resting on your knees with thumb and middle finger touching, or resting in your lap.
Once you have found your most comfortable seated position, close your eyes and begin meditation. Start by deep breathing in and out through your nose. My favorite way to meditate it by counting my breaths. My goal is to get to 10 breaths without my mind drifting to another topic, which can be hard at the beginning of your practice. You can also meditate on a topic or a person. It is important not to meditate on negative things, but rather positives, such as kindness and peace for the world.
Meditation might still seem daunting, so of course there’s an app for it! My personal favorite app is HeadSpace. It is a free app that has 10 minute guided meditations. You can set reminders for you to meditate to and move up along the steps of guided meditation. HeadSpace also has a lot of information about the scientific aspects of meditation and how by taking 10 minutes to calm our minds daily can be extremely beneficial to our overall wellness.
Not quite ready for meditation? Think about giving yoga a try. It’s another wonderful stress reliever exercise, with classes offered at the USF Rec Center!
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