Meditation is very underrated and misunderstood. It’s a powerful tool for fostering happiness and confidence, for overcoming addictions of all sorts, as well as depression and anxiety. Meditation never fails as a relaxation and de-stressing method, and there’s significant scientific evidence showing that meditation is restorative and healthy for your brain. Use this as as guide on how to get present to the moment and to pass it on to others.
The Biggest Reason
People in today’s society are addicted to distracting themselves, to numbing their minds and to being unconscious. Some people use illegal drugs, others use legal drugs like alcohol, and some eat comfort food any chance they get. Many more are addicted to looking at a screen or checking social media every 10 minutes.
Do you struggle to fall asleep? Does your brain never shut off? Do you overthink, get too “in your head,” or experience anxiety? Are you in near constant need of stimulation?
If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then you should begin meditating. People in our society have lost the ability to be still, to quiet their mind, to be alone and still with themselves, and to be present to the moment. Meditation teaches us how to do that and being present allows us to find inner peace, gratitude, and mental clarity.
Getting Present
Keep in mind that building presence is like a slow drip into a cup. You won’t immediately and rapidly blast into presence. It’s something you must take your time with and practice consistently. Try to do one of these or a combination for at least 5 to 20 minutes per day.
1. Deep Breathing
Sit upright in a comfortable place, with eyes open or closed, and inhale for 5 seconds, hold for 5 seconds, exhale for 5 seconds, hold that full exhalation for 5 seconds, and repeat. When you breathe, your stomach should be pushing outward as you inhale. Your shoulders and chest should not be rising, that’s how you know you’re breathing wrong. This type of breathing is great for people who deal with shallow and incorrect breathing, anxiety, lack of energy, and sleep problems (do the eyes closed version.)
2. Mindfulness
You can do this after deep breathing or by itself. Sit down, ease into your chair, relax your body, and begin by focusing on your breath. Don’t control it, merely pay attention and follow it throughout the entire breath. Do that for a little bit and then you can extend your mindfulness elsewhere. You can do a body scan, focusing your attention to each part of your body, bit by bit, and notice any tension and stress being held in your muscles. You can extend your attention to your environment. Be present to your sensations – sounds, touch, sight, colors, anything in your field of experience. What will happen is your mind will wander off into a thought, so once you realize you’ve been sucked into that thought, pay attention to the thought, let it go, and bring yourself back to the present moment. This will help you not be dominated by excessive thinking.
3. Humming
Humming and breathing combined can be very relaxing and grounding. Humming loosens up your throat, gets you out of your head, and makes you feel relaxed and centered. Take a deep breath in and then make an “mmm” sound and repeat. You’ll feel energized, awake, and at ease.
4. Look At the Hairs and Lines on Your Hand
Do this after you’ve been meditating for a little while. Take a couple minutes to just look at the details in your hands and arms. And consider how many hundreds of thousands of years it took for humans to evolve into the highly specific and unique individual you are now.
Paying attention to these details will wake you up, make you feel more real and alive, and it will help you feel gratitude. Pay attention to the details in your environment that you never notice. Take some time to look at yourself and around your environment. Feelings of peace, being at ease, awe, gratitude, and laughter are all normal results from this.