The Beginners Guide to Meditation

Meditation is no longer just for ‘hippies’.

In many people’s lives, life itself can get extremely busy, stressful and complicated. When we take on too much, and or our thoughts simply start to overwhelm us, our bodies can feel the effects physiologically through headaches, stiffness in the neck, shoulders, inability to sleep soundly (insomnia) and constant worry. These are just some of the effects.

Learning how to meditate can be an opportunity for the mind to switch to another way of thinking. Many of us can be sceptical and sometimes cynical towards the concept of meditation and choose to brush it aside as a lot of nonsense. However, science is now proving and supporting the benefits of meditation (Schreiner, & Malcolm, 2012), particularly with regards to stress, anxiety and depression. It doesn’t mean we have to sit, cross-legged for hours on end. It can be a simple 5 minute meditation that allows your mind to relax and switch from the millions of thoughts and feelings you’re getting overwhelmed by, to one of being present on the voice or music you hear and without realising it allowing you to cognitively re-focus.

You might initially find it difficult to focus and distracting thoughts continue to come into your mind, but like most things in life, the more you persevere and practice, the better you’ll become at it and then you’ll start to feel and realise the benefits. So don’t always expect to feel a miraculous shift straight away, it will take time, like mastering any new skill does.