It occurred to me recently, just how much I talk to clients about incorporating a little meditation into their daily lives. It’s something we all can benefit from! From those moments in the middle of the night when we just can’t sleep, the times when we feel highly stressed or anxious, to the times we just need a little headspace in the middle of the day…meditation is a soothing, helpful balm. Equally, when practiced daily at the beginning of the day, it gives us a huge advantage for things going well and how we want them to. All too often we react to things happening to us from the moment we drag ourselves out of bed. Children and partners demand of us, our moods drop as we check out the news and social media and we’re full of anxious thoughts about work deadlines and places we’ve got to get to. If we give ourselves just 5-10 minutes when we first wake up to either listen to a positive guided meditation or actively think about (intend) how we want our day to go, it can make such a difference. The good feeling lasts and impacts not just us but those around us.
If you’ve never meditated before, consider a short session. You can just sit or lie with a timer and try to focus on your breath flowing in and out. You can also sit or lie and in turn focus on what you can hear, near then far, what you can see, what are the colours around you, what you can feel, different parts of your body, a breeze, your clothes, what you can smell etc. Another way is to download an app (I use Insight Timer which has thousands of free meditations) and listen to a guided meditation on a theme of your choice. You can choose to listen to themes such as anxiety, sleep, gratitude and so on. Meditation has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, blood pressure, control pain and so much more, so why not give it a try?
