Meditation

"Meditation is a mind and body practice that has a long history of use for increasing calmness and physical relaxation, improving psychological balance, coping with illness, and enhancing overall health and well-being. Mind and body practices focus on the interactions among the brain, mind, body, and behavior." (ncchi.nih.gov)

Developing a meditation practice has many health benefits, including Mindfulness.  Mindfulness is our awareness of the present  or rather being present in each moment. It is part of what we hope to achieve through meditation.

 As explained by Greater Good Magazine:
"Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens. Mindfulness also involves acceptance, meaning that we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging them—without believing, for instance, that there’s a “right” or “wrong” way to think or feel in a given moment." (greatergood.berkely.edu)

 There are many types of meditation - techniques if you will. These include MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction), Yoga Nidra, Guided, Zen, Transcendental Meditation, Mantra, Breath Awareness, and the list goes on. How do you choose the 'right' one?

I began my meditation practice about 18 years ago with guided meditations and then moved on to mantra meditation during my yoga teacher training. While I still practice my mantra mediation and Yoga Nidra to keep my mind and body focused and relaxed, I have started to incorporate Mindful meditation practices into my day. A course in Positive Psychology turned me on to mindfulness and I just completed my Mindful Teacher certification at the Dallas Yoga Center.  I found the process enlightening and powerful and plan to further my study.

 You can sit, lie down, walk, or even practice yoga to meditate. There is no one right method for everyone. Some people find it frustrating to start with a 20 minute session, so most suggest starting with just a few minutes a day. Our minds begin to wander, our bodies are not used to sitting quietly and reflecting causing all sorts of emotions and responses to bubble to the surface.

Meditation takes practice, so please be patient and kind to yourself. There is no right or wrong way to meditate and everyone's practice is different as we are all unique individuals. Simply being mindful of your thoughts is a way to begin.


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