Mindfulness is a meditational practice to slow down the thoughts and improve overall physical and mental health. It is a practice of combining mindfulness with meditation as the name suggests. It can prove to be beneficial for even those who cannot find time in their daily routine. Practicing mindfulness can be overwhelming at certain instances but you must not give up on the practice. Even few minutes a day or 3-4 times a week can be helpful for you. Read further to know about its benefits and helpful mindfulness techniques.
Mindfulness meditation benefits
We might feel that we are too busy in our daily lives and it is difficult for us to find time for ourselves. Most of us experience that we are not able to relax our mind and body even after proper rest and sleep. Mindful meditation doesn't only help you in attaining a peaceful life but it benefits us physiologically too. Here are the benefits of mindfulness meditation:
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1. Increases concentration
When we become more mindful willingly, our concentration power automatically increases. If we pay attention to our own tasks we can avoid all the unnecessary thoughts that pop up in our mind, and it helps to focus on the ongoing activities.
2. Reduces stress and anxiety
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Meditating on regular basis can help you attain a significant drop in your stress and anxiety levels. Excessive stress can have a bad impact on your mental health and it can interrupt your sleeping patterns. Stress can lead to anxiety and it reduces stress as well as various symptoms of anxiety like rushing thoughts.
3. Improves emotional well being
Multitasking meditation and your work simultaneously can prove to be helpful as it gives a feeling of satisfaction. People who have practiced meditation for more that 6 weeks have shown remarkable improvements like positive self talk and increase in confidence.
5. Helps to keep your mind young
Meditation slows down the ageing of brain as well as the body. Our body has two responses - fight or flight, but our modern day life brings us to numerous situation where none of them are helpful, it can damage us internally. Meditation majorly helps in slowing down ageing process because it helps us fight the toxins that are released due to stress. Mindfulness meditation can also help in managing blood pressure levels.
Also read: 7 Ways To Teach Mindfulness Meditation To Children
6. Improves sleep
Mindful meditation helps you in taking the pressure off before a good night's sleep. Studies have shown that meditation can help a lot in treating various sleep disorders. It is also proven to improve the quality of sleep. It can help you with maintaining a good sleep schedule.
7. Improves physical health
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Mindfulness not only helps you improve your mental health but regular meditation has also shown significant improvements in physical health of the person. It strengthens our immune system. It also helps in regulating blood pressure. It helps in relaxing muscles because our body relaxes overall.
Mindfulness meditation techniques
You can perform any task more mindfully, even in your busy schedule you can practice meditation. You can do it even while doing simple activities like driving, eating, doing laundry etc. Here are a few examples of how you can meditate:
1. While walking
You can focus on walking like how your foot presses against the ground, listen to the noises around. You try walking barefoot in your garden or parks and listen to the chirping of birds and smell of various flowers, mud and rain.
2. Driving
You can focus on your breath and how your body inhales air. You should pay attention to every detail including all your visual, audio and olfactory sensations.
Also read: Can Mindfulness Aid Hypertension or High Blood Pressure? This Study Answers
3. Cooking
Cooking is a very nice technique for practicing meditation. You should focus on the smell of food and the crackling sound of spices. You can also play some calm music for better relaxation. You can also focus on the warmth of the food.
4. Prioritize tasks
Sometimes, when you feel very anxious, you should just keep your phone aside on silent and sit back and relax. Doing one task at a time will help you deal with anxiety. Just make sure you give your full attention to the task in hand and jump to the next task only after fulfilling the previous one.
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How to sit for meditation?
Firstly, you should find your spot where you can sit. You can try folding your feet or if you are using a chair you should try that your feet touch the ground. Straighten your spine,and pull your arms backwards so that you don't slouch. Then, you should start focusing on your breath and follow it as it goes in and out. When you are ready, you can continue with your day. It is very much possible that initially you will have some problem focusing but this is pretty normal. You should bringing back your thoughts consciously towards your breath. You will definitely be able focus better after some practice, but you should not give up and you will notice drastic improvement in your mental and physical state.
Also read: 5 Types Of Meditation That You Must Do Now To De-Stress From Corona Scare
Meditation is not something very difficult to learn but it needs regular practice. With time, you will be capable of focusing better and longer. Mindful meditation has long term positive impact on our brains. Some researchers claim that it even reduces the risks of diseases like Alzheimer's. It can be practiced by all age groups. Students can practice mindfulness to improve their memory. Working individuals can use it for better sleep and old age people for physical benefits. It also promotes healthier mindset, thoughtfulness and overall improvement in brain waves.
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