Timely Topic: Meditation 101

There has been a lot of buzz lately about the benefits of meditation including stress reduction, enhancing self-awareness, increasing attention span, decreasing blood pressure, generating kindness, improving sleep and controlling pain. However, there are a lot of misconceptions that keep people from starting a meditation practice. 

Have any of these common traps been holding you back from starting a meditation practice? For example, do you feel like you don’t have enough time to meditate? Although it would be nice to have 30 minutes or more to meditate, just a few minutes of meditation daily can be beneficial. Or have you felt like you aren’t the meditating “type?” Meditation is for EVERYBODY! Meditation comes in many forms – it can be quiet, active and everything in between. Do you believe your mind is too busy to meditate? Meditation is not about clearing your mind, but rather focusing it. If meditation is something you have been wanting to try, here are a few tips to help get started: 

• Consider what type of meditation you might like to try – since there are so many different types of meditation out there, if one doesn’t fit, try another. You might consider using a meditation app like Insight Timer, Calm, Headspace or even YouTube to help guide you in your practice. 
• Start small – Allow yourself to start with just a few minutes each day. You can even start with just a few mindful deep breaths throughout the day or bring mindfulness to a task you enjoy. 
• Try to avoid putting pressure on yourself for the perfect meditation environment – our lives are busy, and it can be really beneficial to get used to meditating even with sound and activity around you. 
• When you notice your mind wander, gently bring it back. This may happen countless times – just continue to bring yourself back to the practice. 

There is no such thing as perfect meditation, so allow yourself some grace as you are starting a new practice. Consider joining our live meditations on Thursdays throughout the summer! Details to the left – we hope to see you there!