Meditation is the ultimate self care (I'm not taking myself off the hook, I will write more about self care soon, promise, for those waiting for more info on that).
Very simply meditation is quieting the mind. Simple, not easy. We have around 70,000 thoughts a day. If more than half of those thoughts are negative, we will feel negatively and usually not know why. These thoughts pass through out minds eye unchecked, unfiltered and sometimes unwanted. Imagine you can select the thoughts you would like to think or rather upgrade them to more positive affirming and loving thoughts. Through the practice of meditation, or quieting the mind, we eventually get that power. You will know peace.
So where do we begin with meditation? First of all, find a nice quiet spot in your house, someplace where you will not be distracted or disturbed. Sit on a chair or the floor, cross legged, with your back straight and your hands gently resting in your lap. Close your eyes and take three deep slow breaths, the kind of breaths that make your stomach stick out. When you come back to normal breathing focus on your breathing and count each exhalation until the count of 10 and then start all over again. Do not beat yourself up if you get to a count of 15 or 35, just start all over again gently. Another definition of meditation is “bringing the mind back.” Bringing the mind back to whatever you are focusing on. You will find as the mind quiets the body relaxes. Try to do this for 10 to 15 minutes a day, around the same time of day and sitting in the same spot.
There are many benefits to meditation once you’ve been doing it for a while. A few of the benefits is you will find you have better focus, more emotional regulation and a sense of peace in your life.
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