12 Jun Meditation
In this day and age, we are exposed to a multitude of factors that contribute to our anxiety and stress levels. Technology, schedules, demanding work commitments, always needing to be ‘on’, wanting to be a great mother, father, wife, husband, friend… the list goes on. I think it’s more important than ever that we take time to tune into our bodies and focus on just being present.
If you’ve never tried meditation before, sitting still to meditate can be challenging initially. Find a position that helps you relax, get comfy and put any judgement of what it should look like to one side.
Give it time. Some studies say it takes anything from 18 to 66 days to form a lasting habit, so set yourself a goal to practice every day for at least three weeks and do your best to stick to it. However, don’t stress if you do miss a day. If you find yourself wanting to give up, pacify yourself with a short pep talk because, hey, even Buddhist nuns feel this way sometimes. You got this!
Keep it short initially and aim to set yourself a goal of 2, 5 or 10 minutes a day and build from there. By setting an easy goal you’ll be more likely to stick to it. And when you’re starting out, it’s about cultivating the habit. A study showed that we can reap the benefits of mindfulness meditation in just 10 minutes a day. It’s preferable to meditate at the same time every morning. That way you’ll establish the habit, and pretty soon you’ll always meditate in the morning, just like brushing your teeth. Also meditating on your lunch break is so great and re energises you for the second half of the day. Whatever time you choose, make it work for you.
When our team at Western Women’s and Men’s Health, Hoppers Crossing started incorporating meditation and mindfulness into our lives, we noticed a huge improvement.
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