It’s Time To Conquer Stress

Defeat stress with meditation

“If we know the divine art of concentration, if we know the divine art of meditation, if we know the divine art of contemplation, easily and consciously we can unite the inner world and the outer world.” ~ Sri Chinmoy

Meditation is a very effective technique used in stress management but often overlooked. A person who is riddled with problems often finds it hard to focus; which often leads to more problems or incompleteness and dissatisfaction being presented.

Meditation techniques helps a person achieve a calm state of mind without having to resort to drugs or relaxation tools.

Remember that meditation is a process. It is almost impossible to attain a calm state of mind in just a matter of minutes, especially if it’s your first time meditating. It is essential that you keep on practicing meditation until you have conditioned your mind to instantaneously achieve the state just by thinking it.

Here are some steps for a beginner to start with meditation in a path to stress management.

Step 1: Establish A Daily Sitting Practice – Find A Quiet Place

Distraction is a hindrance to those who are new to meditation. When you close your eyes, your sense of hearing will be twice as good so it is quite possible to hear almost anything in your surroundings that will make it hard for you to concentrate.

Before You Sit:

It is important to have the mindset you will sit each day. Then plan the time, place and length for your meditation.

Choose a time: Morning is typically the better time as the mind is less taxed and in a calmer state as opposed to later in the day. However, anytime during the day that you can sit is a good time as long as you commit to this time regularly. One sit is better than no sit. If one longer sit isn’t possible, try two shorter ones.

Choose a place: There really is no perfect place. If possible, dedicate a space to your daily sitting exclusively. Choose a quiet space where you can leave a cushion or chair so it is there for you when you return. It’s not necessary but you may want to set up an area with inspiring photos that can be beneficial and motivating.

Choose a sitting duration: As a general guide sit as long as it is comfortable. Typically fifteen or twenty minutes will be sufficient but as you sit each day you will experience significant benefits and will be able to increase your sitting time.

Step 2: Begin Your Meditation

Recall your motive: At the beginning of each sitting, be cognizant of why you are meditating. It is helpful to remember your purpose of stress reduction.

Set your posture: It is advisable for beginners to avoid lying down when practicing meditation. The aim here is not to sleep, and it is a guarantee that you will immediately fall off to sleep if your mind reaches a relaxed state. To stop this from happening, you can start your meditation in a lotus position or you can find a chair you can sit on. Make sure that your back is straight and your hands are relaxed on the armrest or on your lap.

Relax: Once you are in the proper position start your meditation with the proper breathing exercise. You inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. This way, you can develop a rhythm that you can easily focus on. Let everything else relax. Loosen the face, neck, hands and stomach. Also, the amount of oxygen in your body will be enough to keep you relaxed. Just remember to consciously release body tension. Do not forget this step as it is one of the key components in your journey of stress reduction through meditation.

Step 3: Focus On Your Mind

While you are busy with your breathing, you will achieve a state wherein your mind will start throwing images at you. These are mostly in random — events of the day, future plans, problems and worries, fears and so on. It will be hard to ignore these thoughts and you are not supposed to ignore them. The object here is to focus on these thoughts without really paying any attention to it.

This might sound hard but here is a simple example to understand the concept. You know that you have furniture at home — you can see them clearly with your eyes but you are not really concentrating on it. Focusing on the furniture will usually make you think of its color, its material, how it looks in that part of your home, and more. You need to be able to look at these random thoughts in the same way in a detached state — seeing them clearly in your head but not focusing your attention on it.

There will come a time that these random thought patterns will cease and you will notice that you are already in a blank space in your mind. This is the state you want to achieve during meditation….a place of clarity and a place of less stress.

Helpful hints for maintaining your meditation sitting practice:

Sit daily, even just for a short period of time. This will help reinforce the reduction of your stress.
If you miss a day, week or month simply start again.
Re-establish contact with your body and breath throughout the day.
Sign up for a class on meditation. This will strengthen your practice.
Practice meditating with a friend or group. This can help in accountability in your practice.

As I said earlier, meditation is highly effective in reducing stress, especially stress induced by everyday life. It remains an overlooked practice today but if you adopt a meditation ritual you will be following in the path of thousands over the years who succeeded in finding relaxation and clarity naturally.

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