MEDITATION MADE EASY
Experienced teacher Agnes offers gentle, encouraging ways to begin to relax our tense bodies and quieten our racing minds
Meditation has been used by cultures around the world for thousands of years. What is meditation, you may ask? It can be described as being a specific state of awareness and consciousness. It is also about stilling the mind and focusing on one thing instead of many things. It is about focusing inwardly, not being distracted by external events and situations.
When we are fully awake and active our brain is in a beta brain wave state and when we are sleeping this changes
I t is best to tr y to find your own routine for meditation, either early in the morning when you get up or at night before going to bed.
We all lead busy lives these days and all have our own daily routines, so it is up to you to decide when, where and how! A regular practice can really help, but even if you only meditate occasionally, it will still have beneficial relaxing effects.
Star t slowly and build up the time you meditate.
You don’t need to be able to sit in the full lotus position to meditate ef fectively. Instead you can meditate sittingo n ac hair ,us in ga meditation to delta brainwaves. In meditation, the aim is to go into alpha brain waves, which is the mid state of conscious calmness. When a person is in a deep meditative state, the brain waves change into theta and sometimes even gamma waves.
Like all new things, it can take practice to learn meditation, but there are lots of ways to do it. So don’t be put off, and don’t be scared to try different methods until you find something that suits you. Meditation is anything you want it to be!
Agnes’ Expert Tips
cushion or stool or sitting crosslegged. Tr y to keep your back straight. You may want to lean against a wall or something to help suppor t you if you are sitting on the floor.
You can lie down if you want to, but you may fall asleep. This is not the same as meditating!
Find a place where you feel warm, comfor table and safe and ensure you are not going to be disturbed by anyone. Make sure phones, TVs, computers etc are switched off.
Prepare physically by wearing loose, comfor table clothing. You may want to have a blanket and some water nearby too.
Tr y to keep your back straight, but still relaxed so you are not tensing up muscles.
Use some suitable background music if you feel this will help you to relax. You may want to do something like lighting a candle, burning incense or using one of your favourite cr ystals.
If unwanted thoughts come into your head, just tr y to let them go. The more you meditate, the easier it will be to still your mind. It’s normal to think about other things when you first tr y meditating, so don’t give up.
You may like to have a journal next to you so you can note down any insights, thoughts or feelings you may experience. Do this at the end of the session.
Make sure you are grounded at the end of the session. Imagine roots going down into the ear th, or imagine yourself wearing red boots – it works! Have a drink of water and a snack if you still do not feel grounded.
Above all, practice makes per fect so tr y to meditate regularly, relax, and enjoy it!