Many people picture meditating as requiring you to sit cross-legged on yoga mat whilst humming.
Whilst you might want to try this in the future, for now, we’ll guide you through a simple breathing meditation that is perfect for complete beginners!
In one of our previous posts, we discussed what mindfulness is all about.
But just to recap, mindfulness is the practice of focusing your attention on the present moment.
Yup, that straightforward!
We can become more mindful through meditation…
Meditating can simply involve just following your breath.
Your breath is truly central to your life. The process of breathing oxygenates the body, regenerating cells and empowering the blood to continue circulating the body and allow you to go about your daily tasks.
A breathing meditation involves focusing your attention on bodily sensations, emotions, thoughts and your surroundings.
Meditating allows you to consciously focus on your moment-to-moment experiences in a non-judgemental way.
Meditating helps build the core foundation on which you can build your mindful lifestyle.
Why practice a breathing meditation?
The brain is a powerful tool.
It is used to racing from thought to thought throughout the day. Sometimes the brain enables us to be productive. Other times, our mind wanders and unwanted thoughts can arise. Focusing on the breath can bring a new sense of awareness to the body and our thoughts.
However, mindfulness is not about trying to block unpleasant thoughts and emotions.
Mindfulness is about learning to observe our thoughts and then finding a space between the thoughts and yourself.
You are not your thoughts.
The breathing meditation will help increase that space, and help train your brain to identify less with thoughts and relax a little more!
Through practising a breathing meditation, it is possible to feel a sense of inner peace and stillness even if the world around you is in complete chaos.
The key to success is to meditate daily…
Whilst this may sound daunting at first, it’s really not that difficult.
The best way to improve your ability to be mindful is to practice frequently. Set a time of day that you can dedicate to meditating. Make it a daily habit.
Find a time that is best for you. The breathing meditation below can literally be practiced anywhere and anytime that is suitable for you.
We recommend setting aside time in the morning.
But, I just don’t have time I hear you saying?!
You might find yourself thinking that you don’t have time meditate in the morning before work.
You are probably right!
Therefore, it is better to set aside some ‘me time’; even if that means going to bed 5 minutes earlier and getting up 5 minutes earlier.
If you plan ahead you will be much more likely to be consistent in your approach. You CAN do it!
Create the positive foundation and build on it bit by bit. You don’t need to spend more than a few minutes each day to start with.
Wait, before we start, what is your Vision?
It is important to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve before you start your mindful pursuit. What situation are you in now? And where do you want to be?
The questions may seem to be contradicting the fact that mindfulness is all about living in the present moment.
However, reminding yourself why you have the desire to practice mindfulness will help provide with the motivation you need.
Once you have experienced the life changing benefits that mindfulness can offer, trust us, this will provide you with the motivation to integrate meditating into your daily life.
A short breathing meditation
If you have never tried meditating before, don’t panic!
Find a place that provides you with a feeling of tranquillity. If necessary, it might be best to let others around you know that you would prefer not to be disturbed.
Turn off any distractions and put devices such as mobile phones on silent.
This is your time.
It is recommended that you complete the meditation whilst sitting on a hard backed chair. Guide yourself forwards so that you are sitting towards the edge of the chair. This will enable your spine to be self-supporting as you sit upright.
Allow your shoulders to relax and gently guide your shoulders back, enabling the chest to open.
Place your feet flat on the floor and allow your hands to rest gently on your thighs. The aim is to ensure there is no tension in the muscles to allow you to feel completely relaxed.
You can choose to maintain a soft gaze or completely close your eyes. It is worth experimenting to see which method you prefer. If you choose to have your eyes open, allow your gaze to become unfocused on an object a few feet in front of you. It could be something on the wall or on the floor. Imagine you are resting your eyes, but maintain a level of awakeness.
Remember, it is perfectly normal for the mind to wander off thinking about different things during this exercise. Simply use this as an opportunity to acknowledge the thought and then gently guide your concentration back to your breath. Picture the thoughts floating away like small white clouds in an otherwise amazing blue sky.
As you practice the meditation, your ability to focus will increase.
Let’s start…
1) Begin to focus your attention on the natural rhythm of the breath, you don’t need to consciously alter the natural smooth flow.
2) As you breathe in, follow the cool relaxing air as it softly flows past the tip of your nose, your throat, down your windpipe until you feel your chest and stomach rising.
3) As you breathe out, feel the stomach and chest softly contracting as you follow the warm air as it rises up through your windpipe, your throat, and brushes past the tip of your nose. Imagine that the warm air leaving your body contains any unwanted feelings.
4) Repeat this exercise and count as you breathe in and out. For example, breathe in and count one, breathe out and count two, inhale and count three and exhale and count four. Simply relax and enjoy 3 sets of counting to ten.
5) Slowly open your eyes and take a moment to experience the calmness throughout your body before moving on with your day.
Well done!
By following the natural rhythm of the breath you have just experienced what it is like to truly live in the present moment.
If you found it hard to concentrate as thoughts rushed through your mind, don’t worry. This is completely normal.
With practice, you can learn how to better manage thoughts. Always remember, you aren’t your thoughts. Let them pass by.
Just a few minutes meditating each day is all that is required to experience the wonderful feeling of a calm and focused mind!