MEDITATION

WHAT IS MEDITATION?

Meditation is a mental training practice in which focuses on becoming aware of one’s thoughts, feelings and/or sensations in the moment, without interpretation or judgement. It helps you to calm both your mind and body, including your nervous system. “Mindfulness” is the mental state of being fully focused on “the now” and is one of the main forms of meditation we practice during MindBody Friday, through a variety of forms.

Meditation has been studied in many clinical trials. The overall evidence supports the effectiveness of meditation to improve various conditions, including:

  • Stress
  • Anxiety
  • Pain
  • Depression
  • Insomnia
  • Cognitive Challenges
  • High blood pressure (hypertension)
  • Never System and emotional dysregulation

Preliminary research indicates that meditation can also help people with asthma and fibromyalgia, among other illnesses.

MEDITATION PRACTICES:

3 Minute Breathing Space Mindfulness Practice: Position yourself quietly and comfortably where you won’t be interrupted.  Close your eyes if you wish, or soften your gaze.

  • 1 minute Awareness – gently, simply with curiosity and no judgement, become aware of your body, your thoughts, your emotions – what are you feeling/experiencing? (reminder: curious/no judgement)
  • 1 minute Redirect – now direct your attention to your breath – breathe into your tummy area – if other thoughts float in, just acknowledge them, and redirect your attention back to your breath
  • 1 minute Expansion – now expand your awareness to the border of your body, your whole self – where you are in contact with your chair/the floor, the soles of your feet to the top of your head, your arms, your legs, your torso – whatever you sense as your border.
  • At the end of the 3 minutes, gently bring yourself back to full awareness opening your eyes when ready.

VIDEOS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MEDITATION:

GUIDED MEDITATIONS: