How To Meditate In 4 Easy Steps

There are many benefits to meditation, it has been scientifically proven to increase your focus, optimize your immunity, increase your emotional well-being and extend your longevity – And you can unlock all these, without any special tools or spending any money. All you have to do is to commit to a daily practice, whether it is for 5 minutes or an hour for amazing results.

So the question lies, how does one begin to meditate?

​1. Set a time in the day where you can be alone, without distraction

For me, it is the first thing in the morning when I wake up. For some, it is just before going to bed, or as you commute to and from work. Whichever time you choose, make sure you schedule it in and better yet, set a reminder so you will be prompted to get it done.

​2. Sitting quietly

If anyone has tried, can be daunting. Your mind begins to ponder and analyze, you start to think about your day, about what you need to get done, and what you wish you had done yesterday. This would be the hardest part of the meditation – keeping your mind quiet and letting the stillness be present. (For beginners who needs more guidance, I would suggest getting a free app on your device and listening to guided meditations such as headspace which offers a 10 day free trial, or Breethe or Omvana for more genre targeted meditations, they are what helped me begin my journey into meditation. If you prefer to have less conversation, listening to calming music and focusing on the tune can be beneficial. The important thing is to be present in the here and now)

​3. Focus on your breath

Notice every inhalation, the slight pause and the temperature of your exhalation, directing your inner eye to the center of your forehead and just melt into the stillness. Sit comfortably on something grounded, whether it is on the floor, with your back on the wall, or on a chair with both your feet on the ground. The sense of stability and your environment is important to help you get into a state of mindfulness.

​4. Keep it up for 30 days!

They say it takes 21 days to form a habit, and 30 days is a good security measure for long term benefits.

I’ll leave you with a few resources of the benefits of meditation from Live and Dare infographic: https://liveanddare.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Benefits-of-Meditation-Infographic.png

She Glows Student Blogger – Vivian Pan

Passionate about food and nutrition, Vivian decided to hop off the corporate ladder after 10 years as a fashion executive to devote her time to starting a new business in providing healthy and nourishing food choices that are delivered door to door. Having had formal culinary arts training at Le Cordon Bleu, Vivian is now pursuing a Bachelors in Nutritional Medicine with hopes of creating more sustainable food options for people. When she’s not in the kitchen creating recipes, you’ll find her cafe-hopping around Sydney, and around the world in search for the best “buddha bowls”.

Catch up with her at @rawkphish on Instagram