Stress shows up in our body in many forms including anxiety, depression and many health-related complications including an increase in blood pressure and sleep complications. Studies have shown that meditation, when practiced regularly, can help reduce stress and anxiety. In an 8-week study called the ‘Mindfulness Meditation’, meditation was shown to reduce inflammation caused by stress (1). Science aside, we all know how good we feel when we simply take a little time out.
So, what actually is meditation? Meditation is simply taking time out to give back to yourself and fill your own cup. It's an opportunity for you to quieten your mind even for just a few minutes a day, but as we now know its effects are lasting. In connecting meditation to Yoga,
we need to look at the 6th Limb of Patanjali's 8 Limbs of Yoga. Dharana, Focused Concentration. Dha meaning 'holding or maintaining' . Ana meaning 'other or something else'. So, meditation is to hold our concentration. And this limb invites us to use techniques such as breathwork and visualization. Now breathwork is a powerful tool to help us on the journey towards meditation. I won't go into the science as to why our breath is so powerful now, but there is a reason why you will hear so many yoga teachers and meditation teachers tell their students to pay attention to your breath. It simply helps you to focus by drawing your attention inwards. How many of us have started a meditation practice only to sit quietly, eyes closed and soon enough you're thinking about a million different thoughts at once. 'Why am I doing this, I can't sit still, what's that noise I can hear? I swear betty looked at me funny today... I wonder why? Did I do something? I'm hungry. What the hell am I doing this for, meditation sucks.' Our minds go a million miles an hour, which is NORMAL! We all do it. Even the most seasoned of meditators does it. But with daily practice we can get better at it, and we can also get better at recognizing when our mind is pulling us into a flurry of over thinking.
Now the object of meditation is NOT to switch off our thoughts, but rather to not place any attachment to our thoughts. What does this mean? Well one of the single biggest causes of anxiety is thinking the same thought over and over again. We create stories in our own mind. So, placing attachment to thought is simply letting thoughts take over our minds and when we do this, we tend to also attach emotions and feelings to these thoughts creating anger, sadness, worry, fear etc. BUT, when we draw our attention to something, in this case our breath, we tend to lose traction with the outside world and our thinking mind and are able to begin to focus. When we focus on our breath in meditation it enables us to anchor to something and hold our concentration. This leads to what is known as the Flow State. That moment in which time seems to stand still because you are so completely focused. When you reach that stage, you are starting to get the hang of it.
This week I encourage you to all find 5 mins a day, sit quietly with your eyes closed if that is comfortable for you to do and pay attention to your breath. Just breath naturally as you normally would. There's no need to take deep inhales and exhales, just breath. And then with a curious mind examine what your breath feels like. Does it feel cool as it hits your nose? Can you feel your belly rise and fall? Yes, these are creating thoughts in your mind, but this curiosity is asking you to focus on your breath to answer the questions. These questions enable you to hold concentration. Also remember there are a number of guided meditations available on my website for you to access at any time and for those of you who would like to dive deeper into this beautiful practice, please contact me for one-on-one meditation and mindset coaching.