Meditation: A Quick Tutorial
Mindfulness, Grateful Hearts or Greet your Thoughts
If you are tuned in to the emotional wellness realm, it is no doubt that you have heard the recommendation before: "medidate!"
It is something that is touted by business leaders, therapist, coaches, yoga and fitness instructors, and even doctors have recently joined this call.
But one thing that is not often taught... is 'how' to do it.
Thus, here we are.
I will guideline three different meditation methods that you can do today, tomorrow, or any day. See what it's like to do it when you have the clear instructions in front of you.
And - an important note: you may have heard that meditation is about 'stopping your thoughts'. That... is a myth. You are currently in a human experience, and thoughts are very much a part of that. When you meditate, just like your heart will keep beating, and your lungs will continue pumping, an your digestive system will keep moving... your mind will also keep doing what a mind does. And some of that... is 'thinking'. So it is important to remember when practicing any of the following techniques that the point is absolutely not to 'stop thinking'. Instead, you will focus on noticing your thoughts just like you notice a bird chirping, a refrigerator humming, a watch ticking, or a sink dripping.
Here we go:
Option 1: Mindfulness Meditation
1. Pick a fairly quiet time of day and space in your home
2. Set a timer for 5 minutes. This can be a regular timer, or a calming music track that lasts around 5 minutes
3. Pick one item - either physical, like a flower, a tissue box, a piece of fabric, or a memory-item, such as a beach day, a plane ride you once took, a memory of a hike you loved.
4. Close your eyes, and allow yourself to simply notice as many details about the item. Notice slowly. Notice again. Notice softly.
5. When the timer rings, take a deep breath, thank yourself for meditating, and get on with your day
Option 2: Grateful Heart Meditation
1. Pick a fairly quiet time of day and space in your home
2. Set a timer for 5 minutes. This can be a regular timer, or a calming music track that lasts around 5 minutes
3. Close your eyes, and start listing in your mind anything you are grateful for. Anything you've ever been grateful for. Anything you can envision yourself being grateful for in the future. The smallest gratitudes and the biggest. On and on. It's ok to repeat.
4. When the timer rings, take a deep breath, thank yourself for meditating, and get on with your day
Option 3: Greet Your Thoughts Meditation
1. Pick a fairly quiet time of day and space in your home
2. Set a timer for 5 minutes. This can be a regular timer, or a calming music track that lasts around 5 minutes
3. Sit down, close your eyes, and start to breathe naturally. As they do, thoughts will arise. Give each thought a gentle 'hello' as it comes up, and breathe until the next thought comes. Now give the new thought a gentle 'hello, thought', and breathe until the next thought arrives.
4. When the timer rings, take a deep breath, thank yourself for meditating, and get on with your day
There you have it! Three to start with.
An active meditation practice unlocks tremendous physical, emotional, and overall wellness benefits - and it starts with the decision to just sit down and start. If you've already decided to go for it, I hope this helps! And if you're still contemplating, save this for the time when you want to begin, to remember just how simple it can really be.
Many blessings for all the doors that this practice will unlock for you!