Why You Should Consider Meditation

It’s so easy for us to get caught up in our minds and our thoughts, spending much of our time planning, rehearsing scenarios or re-living events that have already happened. Did you know that when your thinking mind is engaged, your jaw clenches and the muscles in your body start to tense up? I’m sure you can imagine the result over time can be varying levels of discomfort in your body, not to mention the mild undercurrent of anxiety or worry that can start to feel ‘normal’.

What else is there other than my thinking mind? You might be asking…

The alternative to your thinking mind is to be present in the moment; to allow your awareness to focus on the sensations in your body and the sights and sounds around you. The most well known practice used to cultivate this awareness is meditation.

Oh no – not another person saying I need to meditate! (I hear you cry!)

Meditation is very much a part of the yogic lifestyle, in fact traditionally the yoga poses are used as a preparation for creating ease and flexibility in the body, in order to sit and meditate effectively.

In recent months I haven’t been meditating very much at all, I left it to the bottom of my ‘to-do’ list and never got round to it. The result has been; scattered thinking, anxiety, racing mind, low quality sleep, being busy without being very effective and physical tension, especially in my shoulders and neck.

I realised that even though it doesn’t necessarily feel ‘fun’ or ‘productive’ I needed to do it for the sake of my wellbeing. The results have been amazing! I am sleeping like a baby, the tension in my body is easing, my thoughts are slower and my decision making much better. Plus I am more effective at work and nicer to be around.

Meditation doesn’t need to be you sitting in a supremely uncomfortable lotus pose, alone in a darkened room with gongs playing in the background, for hours and hours! There are lots of ways to cultivate this present moment awareness:

1. Go for a meditative walk outside – instead of listening to music or talking on the phone, walk in silence and take in the sights and sounds around you, rather than spending the time thinking, planning and rehearsing the presentation for your next meeting or what you need from the supermarket.

2. First thing in the morning or last thing at night lie down in bed and listen to a short guided meditation or relaxation audio/ video. Keeping your thinking mind occupied with following the instructions of the narrator is a brilliant way to deeply relax.

3. Bring your awareness into your body through movement: for this I recommend yoga, pilates or even a fun dance class. For this particular practice, avoid exercise where you are encouraged to ‘push through the pain’ or in other words to ignore your physical sensations to achieve an end goal.

I promise you will not regret giving yourself the gift of present moment awareness – it will improve your own wellbeing and allow you to be more present and fulfilled in everything you do; at work, as a parent, as a friend and in making healthy choices.