Meditation – Time for You

Have you ever thought meditation wasn’t for you? Or have used the excuse that you don’t have time?
Struggling to switch off? Then maybe meditation is for you after all.

All you need to do is find 5 minutes to take the first step, and there are 1,440 minutes in a day – surely we can find 5 spare per day? Meditation has so many health benefits that finding a few minutes a day will be worth it.
Meditation has science-based research behind it in reducing stress, lessening the symptoms of anxiety, improving mental health, improving concentration, assisting in pain control, improves sleep and helps to lower blood pressure.
Here’s a short exercise to get you started (you can even do this whilst you’re sat at your desk) …

Sit comfortably in your chair with your feet flat on the floor, spine long, shoulders down and eye gaze forwards. Take a deep breath in through your nose, and exhale slowly through your mouth. Do this again and as you breathe out, gently close your eyes.

Next time you breathe in, feel your breath travelling deeper down into your belly, and feel your belly filling up with air. As you exhale feel your shoulders drop down away from your ears and relax further into your chair.
As you breathe in, in your mind say the word ‘let,’ and as you breathe out say the word ‘go,’ so you are slowly repeating the phrase ‘let go,’ as you breathe in and out. Repeat this phrase up to 20 times, and then take another deep breath in and out and gently open your eyes.

Notice after this exercise how much lower your heart rate is, how much steadier your breath is and how much calmer you feel. Now think how much better you will feel if you did this every day for 5 minutes? This World Wellbeing Week (24th-30th June 2019), why not set yourself a challenge to meditate every day for 5 minutes! Don’t forget to tell us how you’re doing on!