All Things Meditation
INTRO
Have you heard of all the health benefits of meditation and wanted to try it but thought you wouldn’t be good at it? Too much silence, concentration, time, or sitting in the same place? Same. I was so reluctant to get started with such a boring practice–until I learned what meditation really was. And ever since, I have been looking forward to every time I get to practice. In this blog I will be sharing all things meditation, from 3 minute meditations to meditation room decor. Things I will cover are:
What is meditation?
Health benefits of meditation
Common reasons why we can’t meditate and debunking them
Different types of meditation and how to practice them
How to set up for a relaxing meditation
So if you are looking to better your lifestyle and need reasons to meditate, you came to the right place. Let’s get started!
WHAT IS MEDITATION
If you're like most of the western world, when you imagine meditating, you probably imagine a monk sitting in a painful cross-legged position levitating above the ground. Fortunately for us, this is not what meditation requires. Meditation is a small part of the practice of yoga, an ancient Indian practice meant to help in achieving enlightenment and union with the divine. With that being said, the goal for us is simply to become more connected.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF MEDITATION
Physical
Lowering high blood pressure
Reducing anxiety attacks
Decreasing tension-related pain (e.g. headaches, ulcers, muscle and joint pain)
Improving mood and behavior
Improving the immune system
Lowering resting heart rate
Mental
Calming the mind
Improving emotional control
Improving self-awareness
Increasing creativity
Improving patience
Improving attention span and memory
Reducing stress and anxiety
Reducing depression symptoms
Improving productivity
There are endless benefits to meditation, and the studies are continually showing more and more reasons why we should meditate. This small lifestyle change is going to result in huge health improvements, both physical and mental.
COMMON REASONS WHY WE CAN’T MEDITATE AND DEBUNKING THEM
Too busy
We can go ahead and ditch that excuse now that we know what meditation actually is. Once we learned that we can meditate for a few seconds and during almost any time of the day, that excuse went down the drain.
I don’t know how
Meditation can seem intimidating when you don’t know what it is. But the only thing that we need to do to meditate is become aware. One of my favorite meditations to do is something called tea meditation. Make a cup of your favorite tea and sit in a comfortable position with eyes open. Gently start to deepen your breath and become aware of your body. Do you have any pain or uncomfortable feelings at this moment? With a relaxed gaze and attentive ears, look and listen to your surroundings. Don’t label any sights or sounds, just let the images and sounds play with your eyes and ears. Simply be mindful of both your inner and outer worlds while feeling the warmth of the tea in your hands. There–you know how to meditate.
It takes years to benefit from it
This is simply not true. Its effects will absolutely get more and more beneficial the longer you do them, but I notice a positive change the moment I finish a meditation, no matter how long it has been since my last one and no matter how small the meditation.
I can’t calm my mind
That is completely normal and completely okay. You don’t have to have a calm mind to meditate. Just like everything else we practice, the more you do it the more natural it will come and the better you will feel doing it. But to get started, all you have to do is become aware of your busy mind. Every time you start to feel a distracting thought come up, acknowledge it and gently let it go. In a 10 minute meditation, one day you may do that 5 times and the next day you may do that 100 times. One is not better than the other, the goal is just to be aware.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF MEDITATION AND HOW TO PRACTICE THEM
There are many types of meditation, including mindfulness, self-inquiry, mantra, visualization, and dynamic to name just a few. I want to go further into mindfulness, visualization, and self-inquiry, because I think these are the best to get started with.
Mindfulness:
We discussed this meditation briefly before, but being mindful is one of my favorite meditations to do. It isn’t always necessary to dedicate an hour of your time to sitting in silence. Sometimes we just need 5 minutes in the morning before work to get into the right headspace to have a productive day. My absolute favorite mindfulness meditation to do is “Tea Meditation”. I mention it in every book, blog, or course that I can, because it is a wonderful 3 minutes to add to your day.
To do a tea meditation just get some pillows, comfy clothes, and make your favorite cup of hot tea. When you have the tea ready, have a seat in all your pillows, making sure to adjust to your greatest comfort. This meditation will be done with the eyes open, but relaxed. Start to deepen the breath while becoming aware of your body and surroundings. Tune into all your senses. Feel the warmth of the teacup in your hands, smell the fresh scent of the tea, feel the softness and support of the pillows on your hips and back. Notice any parts of your body that are calling for some attention and become aware of any tightness in the body. Take another deep breath, sending some extra love to those places. Let the sounds surrounding you play with your eardrums without feeling the need to judge the sound or label it good or bad. With a soft gaze, look around the room and take in any information with your eyes–maybe you notice the slight sway of a plant under the air vent, or the sunlight creating pretty patterns through the blinds. Keep deepening the breath. When you’re ready, bring the tea to your lips to take a drink. Become aware of the warmth settling on your face from the steam from the cup, the distinct taste of the tea as it touches your tongue, and the smooth warmth of it traveling down your throat. Take another deep breath, maybe smiling, becoming more and more aware of the little things that make up the present moment.
There you go! What an easy and beautiful reminder of the beauty of life.
Visualization:
I’m sure you have, at some point, at least heard of manifestation. Maybe you’re into it, maybe you think it’s a load of “you know what”. Well, it is real. However, there are a lot of misconceptions and a lot of people who only care about making money off of it. So, like everything else, there are some trends going around that are just out there to offer instant gratification with crazy promises, which in turn make manifestation look like a farce. But manifestation is just a really intense visualization. And because it works, I want to share how to practice it to get actual results–which I hate to say, but truthfully, will take time and consistency. This will take practice and will not get you a million dollars overnight. But, if you are committed and believe in what you are doing, it will allow you to create your life.
The most important step to a visualization practice is believing in what you are doing. The point is to get to a place of trust and complete surrender. Once you are in this place, you are open to receive whatever you desire. BUT, you do not have a say in how it happens. So your only focus is to surrender, send out your requests, and receive.
A visualization meditative practice will look like this: Find a comfortable position that you know will not cause you to drift to sleep but where you can relax. Close your eyes and begin to deepen your breath. When thoughts arise about the day to come, problems that need to be fixed, or anything other than the present moment, acknowledge that they are there and gently breathe them out and away. Do this until you feel you have reached a meditative state. It may take 10 minutes, it may take an hour. But the more you practice it, the quicker it will come. Once you feel like you are in the proper state to receive, imagine the specific life you are trying to manifest. Maybe it’s a job. Think of every detail about that job and how it would feel to have it. Feel as though you just got the job and are filled with joy and excitement. Imagine yourself doing the job and what a day in that life looks like. Feel in your whole being as though that is happening right now in your reality. What are the things you would see? The smells you would smell? The conversations you would be having? Think of all these things and just enjoy the pure bliss of having this job. Do this as long as you want, the longer the better of course. When you’re done, continue your day as though you are living in that dream reality.
Self-Inquiry
Self-Inquiry is a meditation we can use to become more connected to our true selves. It is the art of learning who we are underneath all the stuff we think we are. Here is a 4-stage technique I learned to use in Costa Rica to bring awareness to myself and heal inner wounds.
Stage 1- Check In
This stage is simply to become mindful of your body. Check in with yourself to become aware of any sensations or thoughts that are coming up. Make note of them as they pass, but do not dwell on them or force them away. Just observe.
Stage 2- Catching the Uncaught Mind
This stage is to focus the mind and travel inward. The goal of this stage is to become less affected by external stimulation.
Begin in a comfortable seated position that you can maintain throughout the entire meditation. Breathe in and out at a slowed, but natural, pace. Count each exhale up to 7. Then start back at one and do the same thing up to 14, then 21, 28, and so on. Every time you lose track of the breath you are on, start back at the very beginning. Continue this until you begin to feel focused and unaffected by the world around you.
Note: the goal is not to get the highest number, but to catch your wandering mind and gently bring it back to the meditation.
Stage 3- Blowing Upon the Embers of the Heart
This stage is to achieve higher sublimation. In other words, we are moving our awareness to our heart chakra-the center of our being.
Begin by imagining a glowing ember in the cavern of your chest. Inhale, feeling the warmth of the ember, exhale, seeing the ember’s glow brighten. With each breath we grow and strengthen the light in our chest, warming and illuminating our heart center. Continue this for as long as you need.
Stage 4- Self Inquiry
The final stage is to abandon the “I”, or the persona we know as ourselves. The goal is to let go, like jumping into an abyss.
As you find yourself in the meditative state, begin to ask “Who am I?”. Question who it is observing these thoughts and feelings. Let go of the mind and the body. Focus on the eternal being that you are. You are not your body, and you are not your thoughts. You are simply the one aware of them. Abandon the physical and allow yourself to embrace the spiritual being that you are. “Who am I, really?” This question requires no answer and no thinking. Simply ask the question and sit in the silence.
Note: At any point in these 4 stages feel free to go back to the previous stage if you feel yourself drifting out of focus or need a little extra time.
HOW TO SET UP FOR A RELAXING MEDITATION
It is important that we have a comforting set up when we meditate. A clean room with the right props can be very helpful for unwinding the mind. The more stimulation, whether it be visual, audible, or anything else, the more stimulated your mind will be. It is also extremely helpful to set up a space that is a place you feel safe and excited to go to. With that being said, I wanted to share my favorite props to use while practicing meditation. Disclaimer–these are affiliate links, but I will NOT suggest anything I do not believe in.
Meditation pillow– a meditation cushion is essential for me. Comfort is a big deal in meditation and I find it hard to get comfortable without a pillow under my bum. This is a great pillow that I love from Amazon.
Meditation pillow: https://amzn.to/3z2osv9 (Amazon)
Blanket– this is not necessary for some people, however I feel safe and comforted when I cover my legs or shoulders with a light blanket in meditation. I use a woven blanket that we used in my month-long teacher training in Costa Rica. I will link it here.
Blanket: https://amzn.to/4gaL1hS (Amazon)
Incense– again, this is optional. But incense is a cheap option to set the scene for a meditation.
Decor– this is not necessary, but very helpful. I love my little meditation trinkets. They make my space feel safe and cozy. Some of the things I have are a himalayan salt lamp, crystals, ceramic mushrooms, and a small water fountain.
Meditation decor: https://amzn.to/3X7kzgG (Mushroom incense holder Amazon), https://amzn.to/3MA6DXn (Himalayan Salt Lamp Amazon), https://amzn.to/3Z7AP3L (Desk Zen Water Fountain Amazon)
Travel Meditation Seat– this is a great option for traveling, but honestly I use it when I am having trouble with my lower back. Sitting up just a little bit helps take the pressure off when I plan on doing a longer meditation.
Travel Seat– https://amzn.to/478mGVQ (Amazon)
Like I said, you don’t need anything to get started with meditation. But these things can help to create a space that you look forward to being in and can help create a routine so that your mind knows it’s time to relax.
CONCLUSION
Meditation is a beautiful practice that can be used by anyone in an endless number of ways. I hope you have a different view on meditation after reading this blog and I hope you are excited to give it a try. Be sure to read more on my website HERE where I talk about all things mental health and returning home to YOU. Sign up below to join my Wildflower Family, where we learn how to heal the deepest parts of ourselves through things like yoga, art, writing, and more and get my free eBook “Finding You: A Journey Inward”. Let’s create a healthier world together.
