Being Mindful of You

story by Noah Wright | photos by Jakob Burnham | design by Evelyn Perez-Sanchez

Work, life and relationships are just a few examples of a long list of things in our life that can stress us out. While many people just sit around, turn on their TV and lay around, there is something else that will help people reduce their stress faster.

Meditation is a great way for someone to relieve their stress and fatigue while also getting more in touch with their body. According to the article “How to Meditate” by Mindful.org, “When we pay attention to our breath, we are learning how to return to, and remain in, the present moment—to anchor ourselves in the here and now on purpose, without judgment.”

While many people hear meditation and think, ‘sitting around and breathing methodically,’ there is so much more that goes into meditation for you to get the best results.

1)

Find the best place for you to be calm. This is something that you will need to figure out for yourself, some people may relax and focus the best in complete silence while others may like open areas where they can hear the sounds of nature.

2)

Set a short timer when you are first beginning your journey. In your first couple attempts it may be best to keep your meditation session to under five minutes until you get used to everything.

How To Meditate 3)

Meditating is something that you will have to practice and keep trying before you can get good at it. But these steps may give you a simpler layout to help navigate on your journey to mindfulness. Once you have found your desired spot and time to meditate, you can now begin to position yourself. We often see in popular media that meditation is done sitting crosslegged with your hands clasped. But in actuality, the best position to meditate is whatever one will allow you to be present and stable in the moment: sitting in a chair, laying down, kneeling or even standing. Whatever is comfortable for you is what matters.

4)

Start breathing, deeply and slowly, feeling the air go in and out of your diaphragm. When breathing, you should try not to breathe through your lungs but instead your stomach. Notice your stomach fill with air as you breathe in and feel it contract as you breathe out.

While you’re breathing, you may 5) notice that your thoughts will begin to race and your mind will start to wander. When this happens, you should try to bring it back so that you can solely focus on your breathing.

When your time is up, notice what 6) is around you. Take note of how your body feels, what your surroundings feel like and what your mind feels like.

Meditation is not going to make your life completely stress-free, but it can be a tool to help calm and focus your mind and body in times when you are feeling unwell mentally.