How To Do Mindfulness Meditation
Although mindfulness has its roots in meditation, meditation isn’t the only way to practice being mindful. However, when it looks like a way to relieve stress, meditation is an excellent place to start.
If you have stress and anxiety, meditation can help you be grounded and restore your inner peace. With its accessibility, it is something that can be done by any and everyone wherever they are.
What is Meditation
In general, there are different man types of meditation practices out there. At it’s most basic, the definition is that it is an ancient wellness practice where an individual focuses on an object, awareness, thought, or activity—a simple form of meditation that is often widely used is mindfulness meditation.
How To Do Mindfulness Meditation
Below is a simple formula to start mindfulness meditation. Like meditation in general, there are different ways to mindfully meditate that grow in complexity for experiencing the world around you. For the sake of introductions, this is typically the type of practice that is introduced at the start.
Step 1: Settle In
Find a comfortable place that you can sit up straight but not stiffly. Relax your head and shoulders, and put your hands on your lap with your arms resting to your sides.
Step 2: Breathing
You can choose to do this with your eyes opened or closed. The goal is to pay attention to your breathing, so do whatever way you find that easiest. Focus on the fall and rise of your chest as you take deep breaths. Notice the details in your breath. How does it feel?
Step 3: Focus
Your thoughts will drift, acknowledge them but let them pass and circle back to your breath. One method is to count your breaths to remain focused.
Step 4: 10-20 min
Practicing it daily will provide the most benefits. If you find it challenging to stay still for 10 minutes, the idea is to start. Once you start, you can build up to more and more time. Five minutes is an easy start, but you may overlook as many benefits. Twenty minutes a day is recommended for maximum benefits. (With Mindfulness, Life’s In The Moment, Liz Mineo)
Other Ways To Practice Meditation
Meditation doesn’t have to be something with the firm structure if you don’t want it to be. Meditation is a practice that can be incorporated into your daily life. Mindfulness, in itself, is a form of meditation.
Here are some necessary components of meditation so that you can adapt them to what fits best with your life.
Deep breaths.
The idea is to focus on your breath. This one is seen as the most straightforward meditation component because it is something the body naturally already does.
Body scan.
This method involves focusing on what you are feeling physical and being in tune with the different sensations you are feeling at the moment.
Walking meditation.
Combining both walking and meditating by focusing on the world around you and noticing and acknowledging things such as sight, sounds, and smells. (Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress by the Mayo Clinic Staff)
Focus on gratitude and love
Think about positive things in your life that you are grateful for. It may be helpful to keep a journal to reflect. According to “Mindfulness and Self Acceptance,” an article by Shelley H. Carson, there is an increase in a positive mental state from those who remember festive events, most prominently seen in creativity and problem-solving.
Building Skills
Overall, like anything, meditation takes time and practice to get good at.
According to the Mayo Clinic, it’s common for your mind to wander when meditating.
You may find experimenting with different meditation techniques to be beneficial. Don’t be afraid to try new things. The purpose of meditation is the act of doing it. There isn’t a right or wrong way. The act of doing it will be what helps you reduce stress and anxiety.