Five simple meditation techniques to help you live and feel well

What is Meditation?

Meditation is a practice where an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state.

Simple Meditation Techniques

Before jumping into your work tasks for the day, this technique will bring clam in 5 minutes.

The counting breaths technique is a small, mindful practice can significantly improve your focus and mental clarity, setting a positive tone for the day ahead. Here's why taking this short break is beneficial and how to do it effectively:

• As little as five minutes can make a big difference in your day. One of the easiest ways to engage in mindfulness meditation is to focus on the breath.
• Sit comfortably. Close your eyes. Now take natural, even, rhythmic breaths. While you're breathing in, count one, when you breathe out, count two. Once you get up to the count of 10, start over at one.
• This simple meditation technique is excellent for beginners and individuals that want to develop razor-sharp focus.

Step outside for a moment and try a walking meditation

Before you immerse yourself in your daily work tasks, take a brief moment to step outside and engage in a walking meditation. This simple practice can refresh your mind and body, preparing you for a more productive day. Here’s why it’s worth trying and how to do it:

• Get outside of the office and deep within yourself. Standing still, bring your awareness to your feet, ankles, calves, knees, hamstrings, quads, and your hips. Begin walking slowly and really notice what it feels like to walk--how many moving parts are involved in each simple step. Synchronize your breath with each step for bonus points.
• This type of active meditation is not only relaxing, it can help you release unnecessary tension from your mind and body.

Experiment with the "silent mantra" technique

• Feel free to create your own mantra or phrase to repeat during meditation. You can pick something as simple as "relax," or "I am here, I am present, I am ready." After you've decided what mantra you'd like to focus on, start repeating it over and over again in your mind. Align your words with your breath so that it can be rhythmic and consistent.
• This type of meditation can help prepare you for upcoming events when you need to perform your best.

Try a visualisation based meditation technique

• For something new, try visualising something. This can be as simple as imaging yourself sitting by a stream. As you're sitting at this stream, notice how beautiful the clear blue water is as it flows right to left. When you notice a thought, visualise it as a leaf on the stream. Watch it float away as you remain in the calm presence of watching this scene take place.
• This type of meditation is great for re-connecting to the present moment. Sometimes there are many leaves--and that's perfectly okay! Notice them and you are meditating.

Download a free meditation app on your phone.

• There are 100’s of free and paid meditation apps that you can download on your phone for a quick guided meditation to help you reboot, refocus and relax.

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