Meditation has a ton of benefits. Here’s how to get them.
Calm Your Mind One Breath at a Time 10
BURST
By Ryan Ogden
W
ith COVID-19 breaking down the normalcy of our lives, we have to remember to always take time for our mental health. Think about it: You have a Zoom class at 2:00, and then you have to go to your minimum-wage job, where you will get yelled at by a middle-aged woman for telling her to wear a mask during a global pandemic. And let’s not even start on the current political state of the world. Lately, life is making it a little too hard to take time for yourself, but being able to sit in your own mind for at least 10 minutes a day can truly change your outlook. The simple act of meditation can be done at almost any time in any place. Buddhist meditation is the practice of intentionally working with your mind. The important thing is that you are working with and not on your mind. A common thing you hear about meditation is that you meditate to better your mind and yourself. In fact, you need to meditate not to better yourself, but to love yourself and be okay with who you are in the universe at that moment. There are many different forms of meditation, but the one I want to focus on is breath meditation. Follow these steps to try meditation for yourself.
Step One Take a seat and sit as if your back is against a chair.
Step Two
Follow your breaths and focus on the time it takes to inhale and exhale.
Step Three
Notice the feelings and thoughts that take your focus away from your breath. Explore those thoughts. Allow yourself to feel your brain and what it is telling you.
Once you feel like you’re in a good place from your meditation, you can continue your day. A lot of things in the world can and will distract you from your meditation, and that is okay! The world is a distracting place. One easy way to get away from those distractions is by playing music that makes you feel calm and focused and then allowing that feeling to block out other distractions. With the act of meditation once a day, you will find yourself going easier on your own mind, and you’ll notice things in life starting to flow a lot more smoothly. Just always remember that no matter how crazy life is, you can always do it. I believe in you.
