It’s really not that difficult
Meditation. The word that scares many people. The word that conjures up images of yogis sitting cross legged at the top of a mountain. It doesn’t have to be like that. We are living in a modern world. We have busy lives. Stress and stress related illness are seen more and more, manifesting in different ways.I could write the usual list …headaches, palpitations, migraine, insomnia, etc etc….but I’m sure you have read it all before. The question is, what do YOU do to manage your stress? In the ‘old’ days, when suffering with severe stress symptoms your GP may have said ‘Take a Holiday’! Now GP’s have a better idea of what to suggest, but some are still fixed on the ‘would you like some Prozac’ route, and this saddens me. However, many are now referring patients to ‘Mindfulness’ classes. These are obviously over subscribed in many areas although very useful in giving you the tools required to recognise and manage stress by developing the skill of being more Mindful. Being more ‘Present’. Not putting your energies into things you have no control over. Less worry. Less stress. Now, this is a huge subject…yes, we all have some stress, yes we can’t all live on a cloud of bliss all day – we have lives to lead….and for many, our lives create stress. We are human. It’s knowing what to do to relive these stresses that matters. Mindfulness may be the new buzz word, but it’s not a new thing. It has been given a new name to enable more people to be able to manage their life stresses. More modern. Less frightening than ‘Meditation’ Lets start here…. Breath Work Take a moment. Sit or lie down .Be comfortable. Place a pillow under your knees if you are lying down. Keep your feet on the floor if seated. Take your shoes off. Feel the ground beneath your feet. Now close your eyes. Don’t ‘do’ anything. Just settle. Just BE. Focus on your breathing. Don’t ‘do’ anything with it. Just watch it. Take a moment. Watch your breath. Then count. Count how long it takes you to breathe in…. Don’t try to change the length. Just BE aware. Count in…. count out. After about six breaths, you will notice you naturally slow down. Now extend the count by one second. Everyone will breathe a different length of breath. Everyone is different. Your natural breath pattern maybe a count of 7 or 8….it could be longer. As you count and extend, you will be focusing. Focusing just on your breath. Nothing else. That my friends is meditating. Focusing on one thing. Your body will become heavier. Your breathing will deepen. Start there. If thoughts of ‘what shall I have for supper’ pop into your mind, then watch the thought pass by. Try not engage in the conversation of ‘Shall I pop to the shops….where is my list? What time is it?’ Just allow the thought to pass by…. Like a cloud. And refocus.
On your breath. When you are ready, take a few deep breaths. Stretch. Bring your awareness back to where you are. Just five minutes a day can make all the difference. When you understand the concept you can do this on a train, at your desk, in the park…..then you can develop even further. But start here. Start with the breath.
Practice *Breathe * Meditate *Simple
