Implementing Meditations Into Daily Life
Living in today’s fast-paced world can often feel overwhelming. Finding the balance between work deadlines, maintaining a social life and focusing on the constant buzz of social media, it is easy to feel burnt out. I’m sure you have thought about putting both your phone and your mind on do not disturb every once and a while, and incorporate the art of mindfulness and meditation into your daily routine to regain clarity, balance and a sense of calm.
Finding a small window of time within your day to practice mindfulness can be tricky. You should prioritize and make time for yourself so that you don’t feel like your mind is constantly going 100 miles per hour. So, I’d say that making time to relax and just to be here to seize the moment is really important, after all, nobody wants to be grey in their thirties.
Therefore, I have taken some time this week to incorporate meditation into my daily routine. Although this journey was difficult at times, I was able to learn some new skills and tips which I will be sharing in the article.
Understanding The Meditation
First thing I did was try to truly understand meditation and its cultural significance. You can’t solve the problem without looking into the root of it, right? So, I started with a simple google search which generated the brief definition: ‘focusing your mind and body to achieve a state of calm or heightened awareness’. And then I tried to dig deeper to find my own understanding of meditation and what it means: a discipline where you make time for yourself within your daily schedule to connect with your inner self to find peace, clarity and stillness. This is what came out in the end. Meditating isn’t just a small practice; it’s a whole discipline to learn to.
The origins of meditation are deeply rooted in Buddhist traditions, where it served as both a spiritual practice and a path to enlightenment. However, in the 1960s, the Western world began to see the physical and mental benefits of meditation and adopted the practice into their lifestyle. Since then, it has been altered and perceived into the many different forms of meditation known and used today. A few examples include yoga, body scan, mindfulness, focused, transcendental, loving, walking, zen, mantra and etc. That’s a lot, I know! But the best thing is that you can find a type suiting you the best and become comfortable with practicing it every day. Personally, I preferred yoga – also known as ‘moving meditation’ – as there is also a focus on the body and the mind.
Why Meditate?
There are many different benefits to consistently practicing meditation. Of course, there is a feeling of relaxation and being in the present moment, but how else can meditation be beneficial for our lives? Is it worth incorporating into our daily routines?
A study by the University of California concluded that there are ten major benefits of meditation: better sleep, reduced stress, increased attention, greater will power, less anxiety, less depression, lower blood pressure, better memory, greater compassion and higher pain tolerance.
Scientifically, meditation has been proven to decrease grey brain matter in areas of the brain associated with stress, making you feel more relaxed and lowering your blood pressure. It also increases grey brain matter in the areas associated with memory.
Additionally, when examining the brains of Buddhist monks, scientists found that they had higher levels of alpha brain waves. Humans have five different types of brain waves (delta, theta, alpha, beta and gamma) and alpha brain waves are produced in a person’s most conscious, relaxed state.
So how can we incorporate meditation into our daily lives and achieve all these pro’s? It can be really challenging to rest and “turn off” your mind even for a small time. I have come up with a set of tips based off of my experience and research to help you incorporate meditation into your daily routine and find peace within your day.
Start off slow
You don’t have to do an hour of meditation twice a day. Start off with 2-5 minutes of breathing exercises or guided meditation. Initially, I used YouTube for 10 minute guided meditation to get myself comfortable with the practice. Make sure that you also try to get comfortable as this is a very important part of mastering meditation.
Explore the different types
As you can see from my list above, there are a lot of different types of meditation. Tailor the meditation to yourself and make sure it is the right one for you. Remember, this is your journey, therefore it is important that you are relaxed and at peace, and the only way to do that is to find out what you like.
Choose a consistent time
Building any daily habit requires consistency. Try to dedicate a time to meditation that fits well into your routine. It could just be 10 minutes before bed for reflection or 10 minutes in the morning for clarity. Once you have built this small daily habit, you can begin to build on it and mould it into your daily life.
Peaceful place
Dedicate a space to your meditation. This could be an entire room or just your bed. Associating a physical space with your meditation can help you wind down and subconsciously begin to relax when you are in the space.
Remove any distractions
The last thing you want mid-way through your meditation is an Instagram live notification. Make sure you put your phone on do not disturb, or even leave your phone in another area for the time being. This will help you really connect with your inner self and be present.
Practice mindful moments
When researching meditation and its importance, I came across a comment under a YouTube video about being mindful. The comment explained how when you are completing your daily tasks, try to focus on the things around you. For example, if you are washing dishes, focus on the feeling of the plates, the smell of the soap, the sound of running water etc. Focusing on your senses and current surroundings can really help to ground yourself and be present in the moment.
Be patient
Building a habit can be hard. It is important to be patient with yourself and understand that practice makes perfect. If you miss a day, don’t be too hard on yourself, there is always tomorrow. Remember that this is your journey.
Incorporating meditation into your daily routine can seem daunting, but the benefits are undeniable. This simple practice can truly transform your mental and physical well-being. So, why not take 5 minutes today to pause, breathe, and let this simple practice open the door to a more balanced, peaceful you?
Here are some guided meditations I personally loved.
Namaste