Meditation is a fantastic technique which has multiple health benefits.

However, there are many myths about meditation, which have become widespread.

As a result, you may feel that meditation is not an option for you, because it is ‘too spiritual’ or time-consuming.

Nevertheless, this is not true, and it shouldn’t stop you from practicing a technique that can positively impact your mental wellbeing.

What Meditation Isn’t

 

• • Practicing yoga in expensive gear whilst listening to soothing panpipe music

• • Sitting in a dark, candlelit room

• • ‘Radiating awareness’ or ‘listening with an awakened heart’

• • A spiritual journey

• • A practice which takes a significant amount of time

What Meditation is

 

• • The ability to notice your thoughts without getting caught up in them

• • Learning how to exist in the present

• • Learning how to focus on one thing

• • Creating an ‘anchor’ which you can return to when stressful thoughts take over

 

Meditation can be practiced anywhere and doesn’t necessarily have to be done sitting down with your eyes closed.

You don’t need to breathe as slowly and deeply as possible.

It’s possible to meditate on the move, or when doing simple tasks.

At its core, meditation is about training your mind to focus in times of stress.

The goal is to able to guide your thought process back to an anchor in order to achieve this focus.

 

‘Meditation teaches you that you don’t have to give every unhappy thought too much importance’

 

 

This anchor could be anything you like.

For instance, you could meditate by watching steam rising from a hot cup of tea.

It’s almost impossible sometimes to concentrate on one single thing, so if you find that your mind keeps drifting away from thoughts of the steam, that’s ok.

You should simply acknowledge this before slowly bringing your focus back to your chosen anchor.

Practicing this meditation technique from just 1-10 minutes a day has been scientifically proven to ‘re-wire’ your brain.

Meditation has the power to help you become calmer and happier.

It shows you how to exist in the present and enables you to handle stress in a more permanent way.

Daily meditation can change your life.

So, what are you waiting for?

Get meditating!

 

 

This extract is from My Mind Won’t Shut Up by Marion and Linda Williamson (Trigger Publishing, £7.19)