“Quiet the mind and the soul will speak.”
Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati
Meditation has been proven to significantly improve mood and mental clarity, which is why it’s become such a popular activity – both personally and professionally.
This can be a difficult habit to get started with, not because meditation itself is difficult, but because – in today’s fast-paced world – sitting still for periods of time can feel completely alien to most. Regardless of this, the benefits of working meditation into your daily routine are many and varied.
From our founder and CEO Julia Perez, here are some meditation tips for beginners:
- Find a safe and calm place – find a quiet and undisturbed place (preferably always the same place) where you can sit comfortably for your meditation. Use candles, pillows and incense to make your environment even more restful.
- Do it when you’re tired – meditating when you’re tired (for example, first thing in the morning or directly after exercise) will mean you experience less mental resistance than at other times of the day, and it’ll be far easier to relax.
- Use a timer – use a timer or your phone. You can start with 5 minutes and then gradually work yourself up to meditating for longer periods. You’ll notice that, in time, your ability to concentrate will increase.
- Use a point of focus – this could be your breathing, a mantra, a repetitive sound in your environment (such as the air conditioning), a candle, a picture… you can use just about anything, as long as it draws your mind to a point of concentration.
- Be consistent – mediation may be hard to begin with as you find your mind wandering – but stick to it! Even if it’s just for 3 minutes a day, give yourself the time to form a new habit and reap the benefits of this deceptively simple daily practice.