1. Set aside the time every day. Psychiatrist Dr. Charles Raison told CNN
that meditating for even five minutes a day can lead to major benefits.
"What you should begin to notice if you’re doing it correctly [is that]
you’ll feel like things are a little bit more slowed down, you’ll feel a
little bit less stressed out, you’ll have a larger perspective on
things," he says. "So rather than getting sort of stuck on little
irritating details, you’ll find it easier to take a look at the whole
picture and stay calmer in dealing with all the things you have to deal
with every day.”
Raison says that while meditating, "Some people find it useful to
have a little clock that they can put in front of them where they can
just glance at it so they know [how much time] has passed."
On the other hand, Business Insider's Pennell—who meditates for 45 minutes every morning—uses an iPhone app called a "Zen Timer" because "it stills feels like a distraction having to worry about time," she says.
2. Create a specific space to meditate. Just like
going to the gym or the office, having a designated space to perform a
task is psychologically motivating. This could be as simple as having a
cushion at the end of your bed, or a corner of a room decorated in a way
that calms your mind.
"There have been times when I've had a really busy week and a lot has
been going on and I'll sit down on the cushion and then I'll just start
crying and I'll realize that I'm so sad about this one thing, but I had
no space to grieve, no space to think about it; I was zipping from one
thing to the other all week," says Pennell, who has studied at Insight Meditation Society,
one of the top meditation centers in the country. "One of my meditation
teachers likened it to a washing machine. You put the laundry in, maybe
all the water comes out gray and the laundry comes out clean. It gives
you space to experience what is happening, too."
3. Focus on your breathing. The key to any
meditation practice is focusing on the breath. Controlled breathing
stabilizes blood pressure and increases oxygen flow, thereby increasing alertness, reports Pooja Biraia at medimanage.com. She
says to "stay silent and focus. Inhale and exhale in controlled and
deep breaths ... your stomach should rise as you inhale; and you need to
draw your navel in as you exhale." This is known as mindful breathing or pranayama.
"Meditation is a word like 'exercise,'" says Pennell.
"If someone says 'exercise,' there are 3,000 ways you could do it. A
very simple type of meditation for beginners is mindfulness, which is
watching your breath. Find your own way and what works for you."
Pennell also says that, even after a few years of practicing, "I get
distracted, too, but one of the things that meditation teaches is muscle
memory, repetition. You sit on the cushion so many times, your body and
nervous system start to learn the practice. It trains the brain to
notice when you're getting distracted. Meditation creates more decision
space around everyday tasks."
4. Read about meditation. To develop a truly
successful meditation practice, it's important to understand the
philosophy behind it. Pennell recommends reading "Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love and Wisdom," by Rick Hanson, and books by the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh.
But there's a lot of literature out there. Browse the bookstore
aisles to find something that resonates and infuses your spirit. Even
reading a few simple passages from a daily meditation guide can dramatically improve your perspective.
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