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physical well-being. Some studies also<br />
show that in certain cases, meditation<br />
may help with the management of<br />
anxiety, depression, chronic pain,<br />
high blood pressure, IBS, disrupted<br />
sleep patterns, migraines and tension<br />
headaches.<br />
Think of your mind as a computer or<br />
phone that is constantly gathering and<br />
sorting through data and information,<br />
filtering what it needs, discarding what<br />
it doesn’t.<br />
Eventually, burnout and overload<br />
become too much to ignore. Whether<br />
you are stuck in traffic, sitting at your<br />
desk, going for a walk or sitting in a<br />
doctor’s waiting room, you can take 10<br />
minutes to focus and bring your mind<br />
back into perspective - clearing away<br />
the overload of information that builds<br />
up on a daily basis, creating stress and<br />
anxiety.<br />
The most important elements to remember<br />
• Breathing - take deep, even breaths,<br />
expanding your lungs and slowing<br />
your breathing rate down<br />
• Concentration - free your mind of<br />
any distracting thoughts and try to<br />
focus on your breathing or a mantra<br />
• Surroundings - in the beginning, try to<br />
meditate somewhere quiet, preferably<br />
where you won’t be disturbed<br />
• Position - you can meditate while<br />
walking, lying down or sitting up - the<br />
key is to be comfortable.<br />
There are many different types<br />
of meditation, and many of the<br />
techniques that are aimed at relaxation<br />
of the body and mind are based on<br />
forms or elements of meditation,<br />
such as visualisation, mindfulness,<br />
Qi Gong, mantras, yoga and Tai Chi.<br />
You can attend classes for any of<br />
these, and there are also a number<br />
of downloadable apps (some of<br />
them free).<br />
Meditating need not be rigid and<br />
formal, and don’t be put off by the<br />
thought of sitting stiffly on a yoga mat<br />
and chanting “ohm” at regular intervals<br />
- unless that is how you want to do it.<br />
You can choose to start or end your<br />
day with a session or snatch a few<br />
minutes during the day when you have<br />
a gap - the key is that time spent must<br />
be quality time. Practising meditation<br />
can be as simple as becoming more<br />
aware of your body and concentrating<br />
on various sensations, deep, focused<br />
breathing, reading sacred texts or<br />
poetry, praying, listening to beautiful<br />
music, writing in a journal or sketching.<br />
There are no hard and fast rules. This<br />
is about serenity and mindfulness,<br />
and anything that makes you feel<br />
stressed or uncomfortable has<br />
no place. Learning how to keep<br />
your mind focused takes time and<br />
patience. Adapt your time and type of<br />
meditation according to how you are<br />
feeling and an easy rhythm will soon<br />
start to form, and you will find that<br />
your emotional, mental and physical<br />
health will thank you.<br />
The emotional benefits<br />
of meditation<br />
• Gaining a new perspective on<br />
stressful situations • Building skills<br />
to manage your stress • Increasing<br />
self-awareness • Focusing on<br />
the present • Reducing negative<br />
emotions • Increasing imagination<br />
and creativity • Increasing patience<br />
and tolerance.