As wellness receives more streamlined attention and begins to come to the frontline of people’s minds, we realise it encompasses more than just physical health, but mental and emotional as well. With that being said, if you train your body, why wouldn’t you train your mind too?

That’s where meditation comes in. It can seem a bit intimidating – just sitting there with your thoughts. But you’ve probably noticed its increasing popularity and believe us when we say it’s for good reason. Meditation is a great tool that hosts a variety of benefits: it can reduce stress and anxiety, enhance self-awareness, allow you to stay present, improve sleep and decrease blood pressure (just to name a few 😉).

People use meditation for a variety of reasons, but no matter what the reason, it doesn’t necessarily come easy and can definitely take some time to get the hang of. If you’re interested in trying, here are eight easy steps you can follow to help get you started.

1. Pick a time that works for you. Choose a time where you won’t feel rushed and can truly relax in your environment.
2. Start small. It’s common for our society to both pressurise and idealise the idea of ‘busyness.’ Because of this, it can feel foreign to sit alone with your thoughts without doing anything. Our suggestion is to ease your way into it by starting off with just a 2-5 minute meditation.
3. Get comfortable. Sit, lay, stand – you choose! Whatever you do, make sure you’re comfortable enough to stay still for a few minutes without being distracted.
4. Put on some light music or nature sounds. If you’re not quite ready for complete silence, calming music or nature sounds can be a great option to help get you in the right headspace.
5. Focus on your breath. Bring your attention to your breathing and recognise how your body feels through each inhale and exhale.
6. Get to know yourself and your thoughts. Take notice of how your mind works and try to recognise areas of distraction. Once you identify this, you can better learn how to control it.
7. If you wander, just find your way back. Don’t be too harsh on yourself. It’s easy to get distracted so simply recognise that it’s happened and come back to your breathing.
8. Ease out of it. Open your eyes, recognise your environment, take a few breaths and slowly stand up.

References:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-benefits-of-meditation
https://www.gaiam.com/blogs/discover/meditation-101-techniques-benefits-and-a-beginner-s-how-to