Creating Your Own Meditation Practice
Meditation is the practice of focusing in on the present moment, and gently bringing a sense of non-judgmental awareness in order to increase emotional balance and self kindness. When we can become more mindful of how our body feels, reacts and connects with our mind, we will have a sharper sense of our reactions to stress. When we recognize stress, we have the capacity to use coping skills to activate the relaxation response.
Meditation can be an intimidating practice for some. The idea of sitting still and “doing nothing” seems like the polar opposite of our busy lives. However, meditation is a practice for everyone, and can look different based on a person’s relationship to their own body and mind.
Regardless of the level of experience, eventually within a meditation practice, the mind wanders away from the present moment. When this occurs, gently guide attention back to the present moment by leveraging the following areas of focus. These focus areas provide tools to support your intrinsic needs so you can tailor your own mediation practice.
Components of Meditation
Movement and the Senses : There are many forms of mindful movement, such as Yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong as well as the active practices of the Flow State. These forms of mindful movement are brilliant ways to begin your journey into mindful meditation. Whether you choose a seated or a movement meditation, some people resonate with a focus of engaging with the senses, a tool that is amplified within other parts of this breakdown. For example;
Sight: Focusing on a calming vision within the mind or physically (See Imagery)
Sound: Truly listening to an inner soft hum as you exhale or listening to soft bells or calming music during practice
Touch: Concentration on a specific body part within movement, like the big toe or face (see Breath and Body Rhythms)
Taste/Smell: Utilizing one specific calming scent during practice or mindful eating before beginning practice and focusing on the long lasting flavor.
Breath and Body Rhythms: There is a plethora of research that offers reasoning behind this option as a helpful area of focus. To utilize it, try focusing on the movement within the body as you breathe. It can be achieved by placing hands on the chest and/or stomach, breathing in and out through the nose and bringing attention to the rise and fall of the body. This focus can expand to the recognition of other rhythms, such as heartbeat and/or additional muscle movement (see movement).
Mantra or Intention: A mantra is a short phrase with deep meaning that can be repeated as a focus. Using a mantra narrows the focus of your mind even further by decreasing the background chatter as you recite the phrase internally or externally. A mantra can be as simple as reciting “Inhale” as you breathe in and “exhale” as you breathe out. You may choose to research a mantra that resonates with you or create one that reflects an intention you set for your meditation. 99 Empowering Mantras to Shift Your Mindset. An intention is a positive goal you would like to work towards that can support your health goals. Examples of an intention for mediations could be: recognizing recent moments of happiness, to see the goodness around you, to be kind in your words, to be more empathic. There are many other articles about setting intentions which may give you an in depth view of this concept. Here is a recommended resource: Give Your Meditation Practice Staying Power: Set an Intention
Imagery: The use of internal imagery can help to elicit a positive emotion or encourage relaxation. An image in the mind can be created from a memory or you can use the imagination to create a place of peace. When practicing imagery, make the image as vivid as possible, bring all your senses, not just visual fields, into the practice. What do you feel, hear, taste, smell, and experience in the moment you are creating? Find every small detail to bring to the front of your mind, like you are creating a picture of a re-lived moment or imaginary place. What colors do you see? Who are you with in this calm image? It may be helpful to write out the details so that you can not only reflect on the experience, but also you can recreate the image each time you practice. Additionally, you could search for a meditation that uses “guided imagery” as a tool to support focus and engagement of emotion.
Begin your exploration into mindful and meditation practices slowly. If you find it hard to be still, explore mindful movement and ways of grounding in the body before moving to a still practice. Try writing a list of obstacles you identify as preventing a mindful meditation experience and then use the above skills to practice overcoming those obstacles one at a time. Encourage self-kindness and patience above all else and you will accomplish your health goals.
