Meditation has been around for a long time, but for many of us it's only just popped up on the radar. Far from being a fad, meditation is slowly changing a busy, stressed, and erratic approach to life, and with a wide range of incredible benefits it's become the most important bandwagon to hop right onto.
The benefits of meditation affect almost every aspect of our lives, and in this fast-paced, anxiety-riddled world it's worth your while to find out how it can help slow things down. We've picked our top three reasons below.
Stress Relief
Whether our stress comes from work or from home, meditation can help tune out all those niggling worries by shifting our awareness to the present. By doing so we can size up our problems more realistically, and more often than not see that they are not quite as terrible as they first appeared. Not only does it help us filter out the mental garbage, but meditation serves as a long term coping mechanism for stress; with prolonged meditation, stressful events just don't bother you quite as much if you're able to ground yourself when the crap hits the fan.
Reduces Anxiety
In the aftermath of controlling your reaction to stressors, so too will your reaction to anxiety lessen. Anxiety can often feel like a baseline state of being, when really it's just an unwelcome visitor. By focusing on the present you begin to realise that anxieties tend to be formed in ifs and maybes, not situations that have actually happened. Meditation takes our minds away from living in the past or future, and allows us to enjoy the present moment, which when you think about it, is the only thing that really matters.
Focus on a Better You
The practice of meditation turns our gaze inwards, and an increased sense of self-awareness feeds into our ability to understand negative thought patterns and how to stop them. Once we realise our bad habits, meditation allows you to nip them in the bud and focus on honing the good ones instead.
& So Much More...
Research also suggests that making meditation a habit can make us kinder, healthier, and sleep better, so really all we have to think about is how we can start meditating yesterday.
So, how?
The easiest excuse in the world is not having time, but if you have time for bottomless mimosas, Netflix, and Instagram, then you definitely have time for a ten minute meditation. Meditation can be practiced anywhere, and there are hundreds (thousands? millions?) of guided meditations online in the form of podcasts, Youtube videos, and apps, for you to explore whether you're relaxed at home, sat in a park, on the train to work, or walking down the street (walking meditations are a thing, hooray for efficiency!). We've collected some of our favourite free (yay!) guided meditations below to get you started:
Purely Being Guided Meditations (Podcast)
These short podcasts are a pleasure to listen to, and cover a whole range of things to focus on; from cultivating positive emotions to learning how to relax to taking the time to slow down. One of our favourites is how to Revel in Your Rest - something we all tend to feel guilty about when we take a time out.
Mindful Peace (Youtube)
These videos can be listened to anywhere, but we've found them particularly useful on commutes. One of our favourites is a video on Contentment and Gratitude - two things we think would make the world a better place if we all strived for these goals. Mindful Peace now also has a playlist on SoundCloud for those who sign up to their channel.
Final Note
Do you have any great podcasts or videos to share with your experiences of meditation? If so, email us at hello@sundaysanctuary.co as we would love to share your experiences with the community.
Further Reading