the meditation article of your dreams
mmm, mindfulness and meditation; written by Colette
In a nutshell, mindfulness provides an awareness of how we react to situations and gives us a sense of perspective. It’s essentially calmly acknowledging and accepting your feelings and thoughts without judgment, which allows us to manage the stresses of everyday life much better. Any form of self-care can help to lower your stress levels (journaling, creative arts, setting time aside to have a relaxing bath) but one of the most effective methods can be through meditation.
how does meditation help reduce stress?
Meditation produces changes in brain activity. With regular practice, it can lower your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, adrenaline levels, and levels of cortisol (the stress hormone). All these benefits improve your overall health. Additionally, meditation is now being incorporated in cardiac and mental health plans on a global scale to manage stress (Harvard Health).
I was first recommended mediation when I was working multiple jobs at all hours and finding it difficult to get a balance on my day-to-day; squeezing all the fun and excitement I could muster into moments of free time, and crashing after a long stint of tiring work days. Highs and lows are a natural part of being a human. However, it can be all too easy to be focused on chasing those highs, the feelings of excitement and high-energy (don’t get me wrong, these can be awesome) but contentment seems to be wildly underrated and often overlooked. Striking a balance in achieving a calm and accepting outlook can have a vital knock-on effect to your stress levels and your ability to manage stressful situations. Imagine contentment as a pedalo ride in Hyde Park, rather than a never-ending rollercoaster at Alton Towers.
At first when I was told this, I thought a calm and contented person would have to be an ever-glacial presence that never expressed themselves. I then realised I can still dance into the night at festivals, laugh until it hurts and cry when I felt sad, but it just meant that when life threw me lemons, I became more likely to make lemonade than squirting the juice in my own eyes.
3 top tips for mindful meditation I learned when I started:
1. Your focus: The biggest challenge I found when I began meditation was feeling like it wasn’t for me, or I wasn’t ‘doing it right’ because I couldn’t clear my mind, my thoughts would come and go and I didn’t feel focused. I slowly realised that no one has ever achieved perfect zen in their first steps into meditation and it hadn’t meant I’d ‘failed’ at it.
This handy video by our Gym Manager Dede may help you to start your meditation journey.
2. Your environment: sitting crossed legged on the floor in a serene setting or having complete silence isn’t necessary. Sitting on a chair or on the end of your bed is just as good, and even though sounds may distract you, you do not need an idyllic desert island to get started! I found that doing it just before going to sleep meant quiet time was more guaranteed than in the day.
3. Your achievements: at the end of each session, it’s important to give yourself a moment to reflect on how you feel. Are you a little bit calmer? A tiny bit more at peace? Has your heart rate slowed to a gentler pace? If not, that’s fine too, but taking a moment to appreciate the incremental little victories, can be one of the most effective ways to keep it up.
Here are some links to useful resources if you’d like to get started or learn more:
o Headspace - www.headspace.com
o Calm - www.calm.com
o YouTube – Just search ‘Guided Meditations’
o Buddhist Meditation Centres (Jamyang and Kagyu Samye Dzong both in Southwark) – all welcome, all levels, very friendly and often free sessions.