Now that the end of the year is approaching, it is important to reflect. What have I extracted strength and energy from in the past year, and what does no longer serve me, what do I want to let go of and say goodbye to? Take time for yourself and take a few moments to stop and look within. That way you find out what really matters. Set a powerful intention for yourself with this meditation to take with you into the new year. But first some explanation so that you can better understand what meditation really is.
What exactly is meditation?
Meditation is about inner mental stillness. You allow your mind to completely relax and eventually come to a deeper clear state of consciousness where distractions of thoughts and feelings fade into the background. You do this first by fully focusing on the here and now. You can practice meditation in many ways, there is not one way the only right one. The important thing is that you do not try to control your thoughts, but that you recognize them, observe them and let them go. Many people think that you should completely empty your mind when you meditate, but that is not the case. It is more about observing and accepting thoughts. You let them pass, as it were, listen to them, and then let them go. You cannot “do” meditation, you can enter a state of meditation. Meditation is a certain quality. When your body, mind, energies and emotions develop at a certain level of maturity, meditation will happen on its own. Try not to worry too much about whether a meditation is going well or not. With continuous practice, you naturally develop experience, making it easier to get into a deep meditation. In addition, all meditations are useful, whether they are deep or not. The most important thing is that you have patience. The calmer you are, the easier it goes.
Why meditate?
Meditating is extremely useful because, consciously or unconsciously, we are lived a large part of our time. We respond 24/7 to stimuli around us, instead of making conscious, well-considered choices. To find a balance for yourself, meditation can offer a huge outcome. Meditating helps you find a moment of peace in your day, with the aim of training your consciousness and being less reactive to situations that arise. For a moment we leave the external world for what it is and turn inward to see what is actually going on there. By really taking time for ourselves, a seed is created, which after a while will develop into a beautiful flower. In other words, the peace within ourselves.
12 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Meditating
Have you never meditated? Then you may think that meditating is difficult, or that the threshold to start with it is very high. However, this doesn’t have to be the case at all! Most likely you have no idea where to start with your first meditation session and therefore prefer to postpone this session. That’s a shame! Anyone can start meditating: it is not as difficult as you think. In fact, you only need to follow the steps below to start your first meditation session. There are no rules, as long as you feel comfortable and comfortable with it. The location does not matter either, do you have your session on your kitchen floor or in the middle of nature? It’s all up to you!
Step 1: Adopt a position that is comfortable for you
The first step of meditation consists of adopting a nice and relaxed posture. Most people like to sit while meditating, but you can also lie down or just stand. Are you going to sit down? Then make sure that you don’t slump backwards, but sit up relaxed. Not too tight, but not too loose either. You can close your eyes, but you can also keep them slightly opened. Decide for yourself what you like.
Step 2: Arrive in your sitting position and pay attention
When you’re comfortable, take a few deep breaths in and out. This puts you in a state of relaxation. This is important, because you need to be well relaxed in order to meditate. Breathe in and out deeply until you feel that you are really relaxed. You turn your senses inward, as it were. You feel how you sit and what you sit on. You listen to your breath, your heartbeat, blood pressure. If you get distracted by the sounds around you, your thoughts that come up, look at it and come back to listening to your breathing and feeling how you are sitting there. Over and over.
Step 3: Focus on your breathing
In the next phase, you focus on your breathing for a longer period of time. Be aware of the breath that flows in and out. Feel your belly and chest rise slightly as you inhale, and fall again as you exhale. Concentrate only on this rhythm, completely without distraction. Don’t change your breathing, just observe your breathing, observe. Do you find yourself easily distracted? Then you go back to the observation of your breathing. Stay here for as long as you like (about 10 minutes) and end the meditation in your own way by making small stretches and breathing deeply in and out a few times.
I wish you a happy holidays!
Manon
