Meditation is an age-old practice which has been hailed as the game changer in the daily routine of its practitioners. Individuals from all walks of life swear by having a meditation practise that has led to massive mental, physical and spiritual benefits. These benefits surpass any other practise and bring you a whole new world which creates a space for true expression of mindfulness, highly productive days and rest-filled nights.
Thousands of years ago the sages perfected the art of meditation to the point that they could live without food and water, which enabled them to achieve a state of enlightenment. In today’s lifestyle meditation is viewed as a practice to de-stress, rejuvenate and invoke self-awareness. It is a scientific process which basically equals to rebooting the brain power and stopping it from overloading the way one would reboot a computer or a phone.
If we ask who needs meditation today, the answer is: everyone!
From a school-going child to a 60-year old retired professional, everyone needs it. But what happens when meditation as a discipline becomes a difficult practice, when missing meditation makes you feel guilty, low and eventually leads to you dropping it altogether? Many people eventually develop a negative attitude and eventually wean off meditation only to slip back into their old ways.
Meditation is a mental practise which can be done anywhere with proper guidance and training. It does not mean becoming a new person and it may differ in definition from person to person. The journey may be different but the destination is the same!
So how can you go about your day and still ensure that you are reaping the benefits of meditation? Some cues:
- Ideally, if you can ensure that the first half an hour after you wake up is dedicated to self-care and if you are wholly invested in it, all self-care is meditative. If you are brushing your teeth, taking a shower or having breakfast, meditation can be practised.
- Meditation can enable you to pay keen attention to detail in every situation, how you feel, react, behave or emote accordingly, hence making you a faster, more productive individual.
- Full awareness of one’s environment creates a deeper connection internally and externally, causing the meditator to enter a state of deep relaxation which helps have clarity of mind.
- Short guided meditations in the midst of tasks, visualisation or mental relaxation exercises can be extremely beneficial for your mental state.
- Sometimes listening to music or spending time around loved ones or even caring for animals may serve as a good initiator to calm the mind and help relieve stress
- Embracing the flow of your thoughts and feelings without judgment and with acceptance.
Meditation is not restricted to traditional practises anymore. It’s not about forgetting the world around ourselves. In fact, meditation is the perfect way to internalise the world and yet not be overwhelmed by it. It’s the practise to reach shunya or zero, which helps you unleash the true mental and physical potential you desire.
Don’t let on one of the most relaxing activities in the world, guilt you to worry!