Doing it regularly brings benefits
Meditation is the "necessity" of life ... even for two minutes in the morning
Meditation increases self-awareness and lowers blood pressure. Archives
Finding a moment of calmness during a busy day often seems impossible, but achieving a few moments of calm can have a big impact in life.
It has been shown that regular meditation reduces stress and anxiety levels, improves sleep and focus, promotes kind actions and self-awareness, reduces blood pressure, and degrades knowledge.
But what exactly is meditation? “It's not about clearing the mind,” says yoga teacher Melanie Hansel, via the website of the British newspaper, “Mirror”. The two most common things that lead people to avoid practicing meditation are the belief that you have to sit down and clear your mind, and that you fail in this practice if you are distracted in thinking.
“It is really important to understand that we cannot completely empty the mind of thoughts, because our minds are created for thinking,” Hansel says.
“Mindful meditation is the practice of simple observation of emerging thoughts,” says Hansel. We start with the intention to focus on breathing, and when we notice the mind wandering, we gently bring the awakening back to the breath. ”
With the passage of time, one becomes aware of the kinds of ideas that are coming to him, without straying into them or judging them as "good" or "bad."
For starters, a simple way to think about meditation is that it is a mindfulness exercise, a bit like how fitness training works to train the body. And the more we practice meditation, the easier it becomes, according to Hansel.
And the yoga teacher adds that "the mind often begins to wander after just one breath, but there is nothing wrong with that, as she indicates that with the passage of time, moments of stillness and calm between thoughts may begin to widen, which helps a person feel more calm and focused." .
For the duration of the meditation, Hansel recommends setting small goals, such as meditating for two minutes a day in the morning. And when someone feels that things are going well, they should extend the time to five minutes, 10 or 20.
On the other hand, Hansel says: "One should not always sit down to meditate. Everyday tasks can be used as a way to get down in the present moment."
And the yoga teacher recommends, "We are often busy eating or doing some chatting, but one of us should notice how the food looks - its taste, the feeling and the sound - during the chewing process."
Melanie Hansel:
"It is really important for one to understand that we cannot completely empty the mind of thoughts, for our minds were created for the sake of thinking."