Meditation for time poor beginners
Here’s a secret for you — prepping for quality sleep starts well before you tuck yourself into bed. It actually begins with a disciplined sleep routine, an optimized sleeping space, and the way you handle your thoughts and emotions throughout your day.
Thinking, "Uh-oh, are they going to suggest meditation now?" Yes, indeed, but WAIT…we’re not merely going to advise you to dedicate 20 minutes each day to sitting in silence with your eyes shut.
Instead, we're going to show you how to incorporate meditation into your hectic schedule, even when finding time for traditional meditation seems impossible.
Let's start with the fundamentals.
Why does everyone talk about meditation?
In essence, meditation is universally beneficial, including for enhancing sleep quality.
Scientifically speaking, meditation facilitates a reduction in heart rate by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, the component tasked with relaxing the body. It achieves this by promoting slower, more mindful breathing, increasing bodily awareness, and calming mental activity. The mechanism behind its success is that an active parasympathetic nervous system suppresses the sympathetic nervous system, which otherwise keeps the body in a state of readiness.
In simpler terms, this means that meditation contributes to both mental and physical calmness, fostering an optimal state of balance.
Meditation and sleep
The ideal amount of sleep is often said to be between seven to eight hours per night, but the real secret to beneficial sleep is not how long you sleep, but how well. Sleep complications frequently arise from a mind that won’t quiet down, particularly during the moments when we try to settle in for the night.
Meditation steps in as a powerful ally for encouraging sleep, offering the essential ingredient for achieving quality rest: a peaceful mind.
Start with practicing the one-minute breath
Initiating a meditation habit might seem ambitious, so why not start with the basics? Enter the one-minute breathing technique. On those days when the mere thought of squeezing another task into your schedule feels overwhelming, remember: sparing just one minute is feasible for almost anyone.
This technique could dramatically shift the balance of your day, embodying the essence of effortless meditation. Here's how it's done:
- Take a deep breath in over 5 seconds
- Hold this breath for another 5 seconds
- Gently exhale over 5 seconds
- Wait for 5 seconds before the next breath
- Continue this pattern for a full minute
Indeed, this shows that finding time for meditation is possible, regardless of how packed your day may seem.
Habit stacking
Incorporating meditation into existing daily habits is a brilliant approach to make it a part of your life. Whether you're driving to work or taking a moment before starting your car, use that time for some mindful breathing. Each red light is a chance to consciously inhale and exhale in four-count rhythms until you're on the move again.
The wait for your morning coffee or tea can also be transformed into a meditative pause. Instead of reaching for your phone, use these brief intervals to center your thoughts on your breathing. This practice can quickly become a valuable habit, with benefits accumulating as effortlessly as the habit itself forms.
Don't overlook the mindfulness features available on most smartwatches, including timers or breathing apps. These tools make practicing mindfulness as simple as selecting an app and following the soothing vibration on your wrist as a guide for your breathing sessions.
Making meditation a regular thing
The thought of starting a regular meditation practice can bring to mind images of tranquil yogis and enlightened Zen masters. Yet, the truth is that meditation is a practice as versatile as life itself, not requiring specific postures or settings. Remarkably, it's an activity that doesn't even necessitate the closing of your eyes.
So, how does one delve deeper into the art of meditation? Fortunately, we live in an era where there's a digital solution for almost everything – including meditation. Applications like Headspace and Calm stand out by offering beginner-friendly guided meditations that start at the mere length of three minutes. This duration, though brief, marks an important entry point for novices.
Incorporate a three-minute meditation into your daily commute, be it on the bus, the subway, or the train, both when you're heading to work and on your way back. These sessions can be with open or closed eyes, making it look like you're merely resting, or you can simply relax your gaze. Initiating your practice with such short and simple sessions can be a gentle way to discover how it feels.
Headspace and Calm also feature sleep stories, which are a boon for those who find guided meditations particularly beneficial. You can listen to them as you're falling asleep, further incorporating meditation into your daily routine in a pleasant and effective manner.
Meditating for longer
Starting with quick meditation and mindfulness exercises is a great stepping stone, but the real rewards come from extending the time you dedicate to calming your mind.
To deepen your meditation practice, you have a variety of options: finding a personal meditation coach, engaging with comprehensive courses available online, or opting for longer sessions via the myriad of apps at your disposal. Participating in local meditation groups can also offer a supportive environment and additional encouragement to enhance your practice.
It’s important to remember that meditation is, fundamentally, a practice—a skill that must be nurtured and honed regularly. Should your attention wander during meditation, which is a common occurrence, kindly redirect it to your breath without harboring any guilt.
By integrating more moments of mindfulness into your daily life, your practice of meditation and mindfulness will flourish naturally. This not only ensures mental tranquility throughout your day but also promotes a deeper, more restful sleep. Embracing this approach is beneficial on all fronts, marking a true dual victory.
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Setting yourself up in a sleep environment that’s cool, comfortable and relaxing is the first step to being able to drop into a deep sleep. Our sleep mask brings a soft pressure to the eyes and a few drops of Sleep S.O.S Essential Oil into a room diffuser is sure to use the deep relaxing power of aromatherapy to help calm the mind.