By Dr. Arti Patel, PT, DPT, CSCS
Stress can easily consume our lives. Whether it is due to the pandemic, our jobs, or our financial stability. That is why here at California Therapy Solutions we have decided to do a blog post on at-home meditation. Meditation is a common practice that has been around for centuries with increasing popularity in the 20th century. Because of gaining popularity, there are many resources and forms of how to practice meditation at home. Meditation is a practice using different techniques (i.e. guided, zen, mantra, chakra, insight) to achieve a heightened state of awareness, attention, clarity, and improvement with your overall mental and emotional state. There are many benefits and different forms of meditation.
Why should you try meditation?
Manage stress
Increase self-awareness
Reduce negative emotion
Increase creativity
Gain a feeling of inner peace and calm
Improve your well-being
Reduce anxiety
Improve your quality of life
There are countless anecdotes from people saying how helpful meditation can be in their daily lives and many studies performed on the benefits.
Meditation is the habitual process of training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts. Need some tips on how to meditate at home? Try these!
Tips:
Start with a 2-minute meditation and increase your time with more practice
Find a comfortable place where you will not be disturbed
Find a position that is comfortable for you
Breath naturally
Reflect (on your emotions and why you decided to meditate)
Keep practicing
There are multiple different forms of at-home meditation. Each one can benefit you, but as an individual, you may favor one above others.
Guided Meditation: With this exercise, a teacher guides you through the practice. It can be done in person or through apps on your phone such as calm or headspace.
Unguided Meditation: Incorporating this independent method, requires you to sit in a comfortable position, in a quiet area, and be aware of your body and thoughts. You can listen to calming music or sounds to help further immerse you in the moment.
Zen: With this form of meditation your main focus is on your breath while being alert and present. Your goal is to dismiss any thoughts that pop into your mind and essentially think about nothing
There are many more forms of meditation but these are a great place to start. Meditation is something everyone can do to improve their emotional health. You can do it anywhere, without special equipment or memberships. There’s a myriad of forms, enjoy the process of finding one that suits you best!
Let us know what type of meditation you tried and how it went on your favorite social media.
References: https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/the-12-major-types-of-medita
tion-explained-simply