Meditation: The Omnipotence of the Om

 When I talk about meditation, people always seem to associate it with a Buddhist monk, sitting in the lotus position in a temple while chanting "Ommmmm" over again, but meditation is something that we can all practice in our everyday lives. 

Because people associate meditation with religion, or with the caricature of being "zen", it often appears to be inaccessible, boring and even a bit weird. Meditation comes in so many different forms however and is so incredibly beneficial to us, that I'm so surprised that we aren't all doing it. With apps like Headspace, meditation has become increasingly popular in the past few years, but I still feel it is something that a lot of people misunderstand. You see, you don't need to be Buddhist, Spiritual or Zen to practice meditation and a lot of us could truly benefit from incorporating it into our lives.

Meditation is simply thinking things over - it's looking at things that have happened to us or areas in our lives, but doing so in a calm and tranquil state so that we can look at them from a different perspective and heal from them.

I have been practicing regular meditation since around 2017, after going through a particularly difficult time. I actually found a guided meditation on Youtube, and had no idea what to expect, as I knew nothing about it at the time. I followed the video and when it had finished, I felt so incredibly calm and so much better about what I was going through. I was able to look at my situation from a different perspective, and that inspired me to take action rather than to see myself as a victim. I have since used meditation to rid myself of any negative feelings towards people who have done me wrong, to improve my self-esteem and to let go of any sentiment toward people who have proved to be toxic and that I wanted to remove from my life.

Meditation can also be used to help with anxiety, increase your patience, reduce stress and help you to reduce any negative feelings you may be harbour.

I would absolutely recommend using guided meditations, as there are videos that can help you with specific areas of your life, and by talking you into a hypnotic-state, also appeal to your subconscious mind. However, you can meditate just about anywhere and anytime. Pick somewhere where you will not be disturbed, sit or lie down, close your eyes and simply focus on your breathing. Breathe in through your nose, and breathe our through your mouth, focusing on the sensations this brings. This will help to calm your mind and you can then begin to work through things that have been bothering you. The simple act of doing this in a calm state helps you to look at things from another perspective and helps you to deal with difficult situations.

Some people may worry that it might be difficult to concentrate and meditation does take practice, but if you feel your thoughts drifting in a different direction, gently bring your concentration back to the recording. It doesn't matter if you do this one hundred times, just allow yourself the time to immerse yourself in this process and be kind to yourself. My mind often drifts to what I'm going to do next or what I'm going to have for dinner, but I just bring my concentration back to the guiding voice.

You can also meditate, simply by being in a quiet place and slowing down your breathing in order to calm your mind. I often meditate when I'm walking, because being outside also helps bring me clarity and I find that within minutes of doing this, I am able to cope with anything that life throws at me.

If you are going through difficulties, do try meditation. It's not silly or odd - it's calming and brings clarity in situations where you can sometimes become over-emotional. 

My favourite meditation videos on Youtube are by Michael Sealey and The Honest Guys. If I ever struggle to fall asleep, don't feel myself, feel anxious or I'm in a really bad mood, my first point of call is their videos and I'm so grateful to myself once I've completed their meditations, as I feel a million times better afterwards.

So next time you're feeling down or you're struggling to fall asleep, do consider mediation. You might find that it benefits you beyond belief and that it is something that you can also incorporate in to your daily life.