Meditation: The Path to Finding Yourself

Mind training – I would use this term to describe what meditation is. There is more and more talk about the benefits of practicing it. Meditation is another tool you can use to take care of your inner balance 🙂

 

Living in the Moment

Perhaps what stops you from trying meditation is the belief, perpetuated over the years, that it is related to religious traditions from the Far East. It must be admitted that this is where its roots reach. However, over time, meditation also gained a completely secular character, following the idea of mindfulness, which I wrote more about HERE.

Meditations conducted in the spirit of mindfulness are based primarily on:

• conscious breathing;
• opening up to all the signals your body sends;
• concentrating on the current moment – without judging it;
• strengthening the sense of gratitude and peace.

 

Why Is Meditation Really Worth It?

Living in a never-ending rush and in an environment that fuels the need for constant competition makes it very difficult to appreciate the current moment. You certainly know that feeling when you perform a given activity and after a while you realize that your thoughts are already moving towards the distant future. Constant pressure, stress, and excess responsibilities are an unpleasant everyday reality.

Meditation provides an opportunity to stop and change your perception of everyday life which can give you a number of benefits:

• improving stress managements skills;
• improving the quality of sleep, memory, concentration;
• strengthening the sense of satisfaction with life;
• becoming sensitive to body sensations, your own emotions and thoughts;
• learning to accept reality as it is.

Researchers indicate that regular practice of mindful meditation may also alleviate the symptoms of anxiety disorders and depression. Of course, this will not replace the help of specialists, but it can provide valuable support in the treatment process.

 

 

How to Start?

It’s time to move on to practice and we need to answer the most important question first: how to begin meditating? If you are just starting out, I encourage you to use guided meditations during which you will be instructed how to complete the entire practice step by step. Over time, you may decide that you prefer an independent form of meditation – the choice is yours.

Despite the wide range of benefits that regular meditation can give you, you should remember that one of the most important things is to approach meditation with full openness and acceptance of what may arise – without any expectations. Don’t be discouraged if during meditation your thoughts start to wander in undesirable directions. It is completely normal that such moments will appear, but it is very probable that with time and subsequent attempts, there will be fewer and fewer of them.

You would probably also like to know when and in what position it is best to meditate. There is no single right answer. You can actually practice at any time of the day, whenever you find space and time for it. If you choose guided meditation, you can adjust its duration to your current capabilities. There are various forms of meditation, some you can even do while moving and during everyday activities. At the beginning, however, I encourage you to meditate in a comfortable sitting or lying position, which makes it easier to maintain focus.

 

I do hope you will give it a try and discover how much meditation can change your everyday life 🙂

 

Bibliography:

1. Góralska R. Uważność: technika uczenia się  czy droga wspierania (samo)rozwoju? Rocznik Andragogiczny [online]. 16 marzec 2020, T. 26, s. 109–124
2. Kam JWY, Javed J, Hart ChM, Andrews‑Hanna JR, Tomfohr‑Madsen LM, Mills C. Daily mindfulness training reduces negative impact of COVID‑19 news exposure on afective well‑being. Psychological Research. 2022; 86:1203–1214
3. Kędzierska K, Jakubczak M. Odkrywanie mindfulness szczerze o medytacji uważności. 2023, wyd. Znak Literanova