What are the benefits of meditation, why should you try it, and why is it often associated with yoga?
To understand the benefits we must first understand the meaning. Meditation is "uninterrupted pure consciousness."To be in the moment, here and now, without any disturbance from the outside world. To quiet our thoughts, live within the sounds around us, and be at peace with who we are. When you meditate, you become connected with yourself on a level that allows you to see more clearly. You can feel your body, understand your senses, and calm your emotions.
This sounds overwhelming at first but doesn't take hours of meditating to achieve these benefits. A good place to start is to just breathe. By simply taking a few moments (seconds even) to just breathe, you can start to feel amazingly calm, relaxed, and centered. For some, like myself, it can even allow you to be more focused so that you may have a productive day ahead. A tip I found useful when I started to meditate regularly was "focus on the space between your thoughts". That second or two when a thought exists and before another enters is pure awareness, at the moment, and that's where we want to be!
You will often see meditation associated with Yoga because this was the original practice when Yoga first began. It didn't become a moving practice until later in its lifetime, whereas we know it now to be a class with poses. It started with simple breathing and focusing on the present moment. Yoga is also known as Meditation in Motion.
Try it yourself:
- Sit in a comfortable position, on the floor with legs crossed, or in a chair with your feet grounded to the floor. Gently close your eyes and let your hands rest on your legs. Sit up and tall, roll your shoulders down and back, and gently tuck your chin in slightly; elongating your spine. As you sit in silence, begin to notice your breath; feel your chest rise and fall, maybe your breath comes from your nose, or in and out your mouth. Just noticing the little subtleties of each breath as it enters and leaves the body. After a minute or two of focusing on your breath, bring your awareness back to your seated position. How does your body feel? Did you experience thoughts popping in and out of your mind as you tried to focus?
Gently begin to open your eyes, gazing down at the tip of your nose. Take 3 intentional deep breaths; inhale as you fill your stomach, slightly pausing at the top, and exhale as the stomach pulls in gently. After 3 full breaths, gently bow forward in gratitude to for yourself in taking this time for you. Namaste!
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