Meditation isn't as hard as you think
You don’t need to sit perfectly still and silent for 20, 30, 40, or 60 minutes every day to reap the benefits of meditation. There are no rules or right or wrong ways to do it, but doing something is always better than doing nothing.
According to NEOU instructors Ceasar F. Barajas and Elissa Marshall, as little as a few, conscious deep breaths throughout the day can go a very long way. Here, they share their very own mindfulness hacks.
The Blue Dot Method
After doing some work in a cognitive behavior therapy group working on his own mental wellbeing, Ceasar developed something he calls “The Blue Dot Method.” He purchased a package of blue dot stickers and placed them on various objects such as his wallet. “Every time I see this blue dot I take one deep breath, and that one deep breath activates a reduction in stress,” he says. So throughout the day, he’s performing several conscious breaths, and it adds up. “When you imagine two or three, or five or 10 breaths, that is the power of meditation.” And it doesn’t need to be blue dots, he says. It can be every time you hear a horn or stop at a stoplight. It can be anything that reminds you to stop and breathe.
Breathe Curiously
“Curiosity is the easiest way to steady and focus your mind,” says Elissa. Try this exercise: place one hand on your heart and count how many heartbeats happen during a full inhale, then exhale to the same amount of beats. Repeat the process a few times, then try to work yourself up to seven or eight beats. See how long you can stay engaged with it and notice how you feel afterward, she says.
Take your meditation to the next level
Want to know why meditation is worth the effort? Science backs it up.
Have anxiety? A review of research published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found evidence that meditation reduced anxiety in a study group of over 3,500 participants.
Have issues with late-night snacking? A review of 14 studies published in the journal Eating Behaviors found that meditation reduces the urge to binge eat.
Trouble going to sleep? Research published in the journal Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine shows increasing evidence that mindful meditation can be used to treat insomnia.
Even more convinced to integrate meditation into your life? Take the time for yourself to truly relax, recover, and rejuvenate with any (or all) of the full-length “Serenity Session” classes on NEOU.
