Personal reflection, concentrated breathing, finding inner awareness and peace of mind. However you define it, meditation is a practice that allows you to quiet your mind and learn to be still amid the bustling world around you. The neat thing about it, is that it's free and open to anybody willing to try. All it takes is time and practice, and the payoff is hugely rewarding.
Meditation and guided imagery, which essentially is going on a meditative journey while visualizing various images, is known to have many positive effects. Practicing meditation and guided imagery can help you reduce anxiety and stress, improve your mood, inspire and motivate you, lower your blood pressure, reduce headaches, improve work performance, and enhance your creativity. These are just a handful of researched benefits. There are numerous other physical, emotional, and spiritual advantages to meditation.
Meditation involves finding a quite space free of distractions where you can concentrate on your breathing and letting go of all your thoughts. It may include focusing on the different muscle groups in your body and teaching you how to relax them so your body feels completely relaxed. It can include instructions to visualize yourself at a certain place or to feel a positive emotion, all with the intention of helping you feel calmer and more at ease. Once the meditation is over, you tend to feel lighter physically and emotionally. But don't be too upset, if it doesn't do much for you the first time around. Like any activity, it takes practice and with time, will surely inspire you.
You can practice meditation anytime, although many people find it helpful to set aside time first thing in the morning or before going to sleep at night. Having quiet time before bed is particularly useful in helping you wind down from the days activities. It's also likely to help you sleep better. With all these benefits, why not get started today?!
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