I woke up this morning to discover it is World Meditation Day.
I don't know how this was not on my calendar,
But I couldn't let it pass by without bringing you an extra bonus episode on the subject of meditation.
I have been practicing meditation for about 15 years or so,
So I thought I would talk to you today about my personal experiences with meditation.
My first introduction to meditation was via a free CD from a newspaper which gave me some guided meditations.
If you haven't heard of guided meditations before,
They are a little different to the images you may have seen of people sitting about chanting the OMMMM.
In a guided meditation,
You have someone talking you through and often they will focus on a specific area such as sleep or stress.
Guided meditations are a great way to get started with meditation because when we first start to practice meditation,
It can be hard to stop that internal monologue racing around in our heads.
With guided meditation,
We can focus our attention on the voice we are hearing instead.
As we develop our practice,
We can use meditation music,
Gongs or chanting to help maintain our focus.
In meditation,
We focus on our breath,
But thoughts will continually come into our minds and it's easy to get distracted.
One technique you can try is that as the thoughts come into your mind,
Acknowledge them,
Accept they are there,
But then visualize them flowing away down a river.
This technique is particularly helpful for example when you are dealing with something stressful.
We don't deny the thoughts and feelings exist,
We acknowledge them and then watch them flow away.
Although you might be thinking,
But the problems are still there.
In meditation,
You are focused on that one moment,
The present moment,
And you are looking to create a calm peaceful space,
Even if only for a short time.
The idea is that your body will begin to relax,
The tension in your muscles will ease,
And your breathing will slow down.
So when you finish the meditation,
You will feel better able to deal with that stress.
Meditation isn't for everyone.
For example,
People with depression or anxiety may find that they ruminate on their problems more when they are trying to meditate.
In my own experience,
This is where guided meditation can be helpful because the attention is focused on the voice guiding the meditation instead of the internal chatter.
As I mentioned,
Guided meditations are often centered around a subject,
So I would choose one that suited my needs at that time,
Such as stress relief or self-confidence.
One of my favorites was by meditainment.
And the guide took you on a journey to a spa,
Which is just lovely.
When you start looking into meditation,
There are lots of different types,
But don't feel overwhelmed or discouraged by this.
Try things out and find what fits for you,
And that may change as your practice develops.
This subject is one that we can talk about at length,
But this is meant to be a tiny podcast.
So for now,
I will put some links in the show notes of apps and websites that you may find useful,
And I will include a couple of links to meditations that I personally have found very beneficial and have come back to time and time again.
So thank you for listening to this little bonus episode.
I will be back with the next moment of gratitude very,
Very soon indeed.
But until then,
Always have gratitude.
