Meditation Basics
Last week I had the wonderful pleasure of having Dr Ian Gawler and his wife Ruth over to my home prior to his Toowoomba seminar on “The Science of Health, Healing and the Mind”.
Together we recorded an interview for my YouTube channel over a cuppa and some raw chocolate, discussing some of our favourite topics: lifestyle medicine, mind-body healing, epigenetics, cancer recovery, psychoneuroimmunology, and of course, meditation.
Throughout an evening of research and inspiration, I saw many people inspired to begin meditating after experiencing a taste of inner peace first hand.
Often people are curious about meditation but aren’t quite sure how to get started, or what the whole ‘meditating thing’ is supposed to mean. As a meditation teacher and therapist, these are my answers to the most popular questions I encounter to help you decide if you’d like to try it for yourself.
1. How do I actually meditate?
There are many ways to Meditate. The most common is to sit in a comfortable position, keeping your spine straight while sitting upright on a chair or crossed legged on the floor. It is commonly considered that you will experience a better Meditation before a meal rather than after a meal.
Focus on something until your attention transcends the random thoughts and mental chatter that may be occurring in your head.
Your object of attention could be one of the following:
• Your breath (observing not altering the rhythm of your breathing)
• A mantra (words or a sound repeated out loud or in your mind)
• A solid object (usually a candle flame or flower)
• A picture (usually a mandala which is a highly coloured symmetrical painting)
• A guided visualisation (picturing images and situations as guided by a voice or that you imagine yourself)
Guided visualisation is very useful for bringing you into a meditative state quickly. Alternatively visualisation may be used once a meditative state has been reached to produce specific results.
We are often not aware of all the mental activity that we are engaged in. Meditation asks you to focus and allow your mental activity to settle down. If you find yourself caught up in a thought pattern while trying to Meditate, gently bring yourself back to the object of your focus. It is normal to experience itches and other bodily sensations, so if this occurs relax and simply observe.
2. What are the benefits of Meditation?
Meditation is great for stress management. With regular practice, you will experience relaxation, increased awareness, mental focus, clarity and a sense of peace. As Meditation involves becoming more aware and more sensitive to what is within you, facing unpleasant parts of yourself is sometimes part of Meditation. This added awareness and clarity can help you advance your spiritual growth and clear negative emotional patterns you are attached to, which can be a catalyst to positive changes in many areas of your life.
The following physiological effects of meditation have been proven through clinical research:
• Decreases the heart rate
• Decreases the respiratory rate
• Decreases blood pressure
• Decreases oxygen consumption
• Decreases muscle tension
3. When is the best time to Meditate?
Meditation will benefit you at any time. Many people believe that first thing in the morning is the best time to Meditate. They believe that the hectic pace of the world has not yet begun, so it is easier to establish the right ambience. Meditating in the morning also lets you carry some of the energy and peace of the Meditation into your day.
Meditation practiced at other times allows you to throw off some of the accumulated stress of the day and rejuvenate yourself for the next activity. It is best to choose times that suit your personal schedule. Having a specific time of the day or week set aside for Meditation helps with your habit creation and maintains regularity.
Regularly practicing Meditation will result in you becoming more peaceful, calm and focused and is a preventive measure in self-care, health and well-being for your future.
And don’t we all want that!
I offer private meditation tuition and therapy for stress and chronic illness, and run popular 6 week introduction courses for stress management and self-care. The next course begins in September.
Viki xo
About Viki
Viki Thondley is a Mind-Body Wellness Specialist and qualified Holistic Counsellor, Food, Stress & Lifestyle Coach, Meditation Therapist, and Eating Disorder Recovery Coach who inspires women to shift from dieting and restriction to whole-self nourishment, self-care and healing. Recovered from bulimia nervosa and the many years of hormonal imbalances, food prison and self-sabotaging behaviours’, Viki is an inspiring coach, speaker and event host who also provides personalised holistic programs, workshops and retreats to instil self-love, happiness, body confidence and real food freedom. She is author of “Achieving Your Wellness: Create a Life You Love” and “Healthy Chocolate Delights: Real Food Sweet Treats”.
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