Have you ever wanted to live the zen life but felt it took a ton of candles, incense, crystals, and possibly a mountaintop for complete mediation? It doesn’t have to be elaborate or as planned out as you would imagine.
Consider the benefits of meditation:
- Reduces stress
- Improves concentration and reduces distractions in your daily life
- Increases happiness
- Improves mood and emotional awareness
- Reduces premenstrual problems
HOW TO MEDITATE
A busy vina knows that it might not always be feasible to get in a full meditation session. One of the key things to remember when meditating is quality over quantity. You want to make sure that the way you are meditating surpasses the amount of time you spend doing it. Meditating for a solid five minutes where you can clear your head, gain mindfulness, and embrace the clarity is far better than 30 minutes of interruptions and tense shoulders.
BE STILL. LITERALLY!
Sitting or lying down is ideal when meditating. You need to be able to relax every muscle. Breathing in, concentrate on channeling your breath to the top of your head and relaxing yourself. With each breath, breathe in a feeling of light or positive energy to that area; on the exhale, imagine releasing the negative energy. Continue breathing like this through each part of your body, down to your toes. As a beginner, you can start with the larger body parts and with more experience get more detailed.
QUIET YOUR MIND
The hardest part of meditating can be quieting your mind. We have a laundry list of things that need to get done. We live in a society with deadlines and clock watchers, but that needs to be put aside when meditating. A lot of vinas recite mantras or affirmations to lessen the noise and streamline their focus.
Some examples are:
Today will be a great day.
I love myself and all my imperfections.
I release all negativity from my surroundings.
If you find yourself drifting into thoughts about the report that’s due tomorrow, simply allow it and gently bring your mind back to your practice. Forcing your mind to go blank will only make the process more difficult. Another great option is to look for a meditation soundtrack that can block out outside noise and reinforce your solitude.
FALL DOWN SEVEN TIMES….
Even if you don’t accomplish absolute bliss during your meditation session, don’t get frustrated. Being resilient and trying again will only help improve your skills. Try a different position or time of day. Maybe music isn’t your thing, but candles are, so give it a try! Anyone can meditate, it just takes practice to get good at it. Namaste.
Share your meditation and relaxation tips with other vinas to spread the positivity!
VINAZINE 
There are a tone of ways to meditate. Arnold Schwarzenegger says that to him working out is his meditation because he enters a deeply focused state. The method you mentioned is the easiest and most versatile of all. Works with most people as it worked for me too. A good tip for beginners is to not get stressed if you can’t reach a 100% zen state. Even if the 1% of your meditation is good, it’s a progress. Really helpful article.
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Thanks so much Nasos! I recently read that someone meditates almost his entire day. He does it while walking, eating, in the elevator, anywhere! At first it seemed a little bizarre to me, but after I read his schedule it seemed well planned. Mediating is really about the intention of setting your mind free, not about the how or where. Thanks for you comment! 🙂
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