Meditation, Creative Visualization & Mindfulness
How to practice Meditation, Mindfulness & Creative Vizualisation for relaxation and re-calibration
To experience total relaxation, we must calm and silence our minds. For thousands of years, ancient cultures like the Hindus and Buddhists have used meditation, mindfulness and visualization to re-calibrate their thoughts and relax their bodies. The evolution of this ancient practice has led to scientific discoveries that have revolutionized the way we understand the human brain. However, in order to experience the benefits that meditation, mindfulness and creative visualization have to offer we must first learn how to properly use them. Down below we’ve outlined a few important tips and techniques to keep in mind while developing your at-home practice of mindfulness and meditation. Feel free to customize these tips appropriate to your own needs to get the most out of your daily experience.
How to Practice Meditation
First and foremost, we must understand what meditation is and how it works in order to properly practice it. In short, mediation is a technique used to train and clear the mind. Similar in nature to how we train and exercise the body to achieve optimum fitness levels, a healthy meditation practice can help fine tune our mental clarity and outlook. Not everyone will find meditation comfortable right from the start, however. Meditation takes work. It is a practice that must be learned and enhanced and is not something that most Westerners can simply sit down and “do”. In reality, meditation is the art of not doing, and involves emptying the mind and sitting in complete stillness. Sound difficult? Well, fortunately there are a few ways you can make meditation a bit easier if you are new to the practice. One of the best ways to ease yourself into meditation is by focusing on your breath. Start your practice by sitting in a cross legged position and closing your eyes to the point that just a slight bit of light can be seen creeping underneath your eyelids. Then begin to breathe. As you breathe, pay attention to the sensations coming into your body and leaving it. As thoughts inevitability come into your mind, let them go. Don’t worry or concentrate on why they are there. Instead, refocus your attention on your breath. Alternatively, you can also keep your eyes open and focus your vision on a candle flame, imagining that you yourself are the flame. Start by meditating for a few minutes in the morning and then as you begin to master your practice you can meditate for about half an hour once or twice a day. For information on the anti-aging benefits of meditation, go to our Youthful Longevity page.
How to Practice Creative Visualization
Visualization is a trick that millionaires and gurus alike have used to help themselves manifest their dreams. But they aren’t the only ones who can use this trick. In fact, creative visualization can be used by each and every one of us to transform the way we live. Here are a few fast tips you can use to start visualizing what you want and eventually experience it.
- Imagine and describe to yourself in detail what you want. (i.e., what your new home will look like, how your partner will treat you etc.)
- Feel as though it has already happened. (connect an emotion to the event and then feel it)
- Repeat the process.
By investing in creative visualization you will empower your mind and experience greater relaxation and happiness.
Utilize these tips and tricks to enhance your life and experience the relief these ancient scientifically proven practices can offer you.
How to Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is virtually the active version of meditation. Instead of focusing on what isn’t, mindfulness allows us to focus on the here and now and enhances our ability to stay in the present moment. However, just like meditation, mindfulness is no easy task. So many of us run on auto-pilot, and we fail to realize just how much of our lives we are missing because of our inability to focus on each precious moment that our heart beats and our lungs breathe. But there are a few ways you can change this. Consider the following tips to learn how to practice mindfulness in your life.
- Go for a walk and feel every sensation that your body is experiencing.
- Explore your five senses (name and describe what you see, hear, taste, smell and touch for a few minutes every day).
- Be aware of your self-talk and what emotions you’re reinforcing through them.
- Experience your mind and body by focusing on both parts equally. Do this through body scanning.
Approach these exercises with curiosity and without judgement. Each of these activities can be done from the comfort of your own home no matter what time of day it may be. Once you begin to master this skill you can do it throughout the day even at work.
