8 Steps To A Beautiful Mind
OK, hands up - who else likes the idea of meditation, but doesn’t actually find themselves wanting to practice it? I mean, you know you’ll feel happier, healthier, less stressed and have a clearer mind if you actually just get on with it and put aside those 10 minutes a day, but when you do find yourself with a little time to spare, you really just want to plonk down with a book, head to a workout, or grab a wine and chill in front of the TV, right?Meditation may just be the most simple, effective and readily available personal developmental tool on the planet but just how the heck are you supposed to stop seeing it as that boring thing you should be doing and really start enjoying it?Well, I’ve decided that August is my month to really get my zen on! I’ve asked a bunch of seriously passionate meditators in my network for their top tips to make sure I stick to the plan this time and below is what I’ve learnt. Jump on board if you’re keen to take your own view on practicing meditation from ‘boring’ to ‘life changing’.
#1 – Start Small
If you came to me and said you wanted to train up for the City2Surf, but had never run further than a lap around the oval, I probably wouldn’t start you off with a 10km run in your first week. That would seem WAY too hard and you’d probably give up there and then! Same goes for meditation, so start with just 3 minutes a day, then 5, creeping up by a few minutes each week until you hit 10, 15, even 30 minutes plus. There’s no competition for getting over the finish line first, so even if it takes you a few months to get up to 5 minutes, that’s all good!
#2 – Get Help To Get Going
Just as you might enlist a personal trainer (a BUF girl, of course!) to learn how to get fit, it’s not always easy to kick off your meditation journey solo. If you find sitting quietly on your own a bit confronting, try guided meditation before you launch into solo sessions. It’s as easy as Googling “guided meditations”, or downloading an iPhone app, like “Headspace” for simple sessions that will step you up gradually each day. If you don't mind spending a bit of money, someone I've been recommended a few times is Jack Kornfield.
#3 – Stop Telling Yourself, “I’m No Good At Meditating”
A lot of people think meditation is about completely emptying their minds but actually trying to stop your thoughts will only create more thoughts! Meditation is about being present and experiencing the now (which includes your thoughts, feelings and emotions) without judging it as good or bad. If you’re mid-way through meditation and start thinking about everything you got up to that day, or what’s happening tomorrow, just watch those thoughts, calmly observe them and the emotions that might be associated with them, then bring your attention back to your breath.
#4 – If You Keep Watching The Clock…
Set an alarm so you don’t have to think about it. By pre-setting the amount of time you’ll meditate for, you’ll have one less thing to worry about going into your practice.
#5 – If You Think You’ve Got More Important Things To Do…
Maybe you think you've got way too much going on to meditate, but guess what? Those things will still be there after your meditation session and you’ll probably be able to approach them in a clearer, more focused way. Try writing the most important things on your priority list down before you start meditating, then set them aside and come back to them afterwards. You can use this trick to get more out of your yoga classes too – allow your mind to flick through all the to-do’s and explore any concerns in the first 5 or 10 minutes of your practice, then put them aside and focus on being in the moment for the rest of the session.
#6 – Just Like Exercise, Consistency Is Key!
Remember back to the very first time you started exercising. For most people, working out seemed like such an effort at first. The early alarm clock, the worrying about whether you’d keep up, not to mention pushing through those sore muscles! But after awhile, you started to get into a routine, the benefits began to flow and one day, BAM! Suddenly you were really enjoying it and couldn’t imagine life without it. Same goes for meditation - consistency is key and the more you just get on with it, the more you’ll want to keep going and the easier it will become.
#7 – Can’t Sit Still? Then Don’t!
Sitting calmly, focusing on the breath as it enters and leaves your body and observing your mind is a very traditional way to meditate, but it’s certainly not the only way to get the job done. If you really can’t sit still, try Mindfulness Meditation instead. This simply means taking small moments throughout your day to really focus on the things you’re doing. For example, as you walk to work, focus on the warm sun on your skin, the breeze on your face, the feeling of your muscles activating and releasing with each step. Or take a moment over lunch to really concentrate on how each mouthful tastes, chew your food properly and examine its texture. You can apply mindfulness meditation to absolutely any task you’re undertaking, from running, to showering, even doing the dishes can be meditative.
#8 – But Do You Really NEED Meditation…
You’re a pretty chilled person, so maybe you’re wondering whether you really need another, “thing to do” in your life. I recently asked myself the same question, then realised in the time it took to have that very thought, there was all this other ‘stuff’ racing through my mind...“I wonder if I’ll hear from James. That date was pretty cool, but maybe I shouldn’t have worn heels? Who cares! I hope Offspring is good tonight. I wonder if that new health food store near the gym is any good? I should check how many people are in my class tomorrow, it’s so different week to week. It’s Wednesday already, maybe I should go to Eveleigh Food Markets on Saturday, Tess said they were good. I should call her actually, need to get treats off her for the BUF picnic. Oops, today’s Wednesday, I was meant to go to yoga tonight…”Does that sound familiar to anyone? Please confirm my theory that other peoples’ minds sound something like this too? It’s not just me, right!?We all need a little meditation in our lives, whether it’s for stress relief, to give you some “you” time, or simply to give your brain a little break from all the multi-tasking. At BUF, we aim to develop and exercise our brains as diligently as the rest of our bodies (ok, we admit, maybe a little extra love goes to the abs!), to establish and maintain optimum health and wellbeing.Here are some great reasons to start a daily meditation practice…
- It will reduce your stress and relax you
- Your sleep will improve
- It supports weight loss
- It helps with anxiety and depression
- It helps you access creativity
- It helps you think faster
Bet you cant think of 6 reasons why not to meditate?! So give it a go!
Join us for some guided meditation and more
Come spend an afternoon relaxing with your best BUF buddies for some yoga, nutritious food, meditation and soulful workshops at our next Soulful Sunday’s event! This time we have Sarah Wilson advocate Kate Callaghan, alongside yin yoga and meditation teacher Persia Rutchinski.