Meditation is an important part of mindfulness. It puts you in a zone of non-reactive behaviour and present-moment awareness.
Meditation is like charging your phone to make it work, except it charges your mind’s strength and energy for the day. Patience, positivity and willpower are all increased.
How to Meditate
Don’t know how to meditate? Here are a few ways you can master a simple, mindful, modern-day meditation:
Sit upright with your feet flat on the ground, palms up and resting on your knees with your eyes closed.
Press your feet gently on the ground and relax. Draw a deep, cleansing breath, letting your ribs expand, and slowly breath out. Relax every muscle in your body.
Starting from your head, relax your brow, jaw and throat. Continue all the way down your body, even your toes. Next, visualise a bright white light washing over you like a waterfall, illuminating every cell in your body. Notice any areas of heaviness or murkiness. Sit with this knowledge and do not judge. Notice your breath and come back to it to keep focused on the present moment.
Now visualise a small yet strong vacuum cleaner sucking away any unwanted feelings or sensations in your body. Put it on low, medium or high. Notice your body sensations. Listen to your heartbeat: is it beating quickly? Calmly ask it to slow down. Repeat. Notice your breath. Sit with your body and its sensations. Focus on just being. Nothing more, nothing less.
When you’re nearly finished, send gratitude to your body, mind and spirit. Thank your family, friends, community and anything else that comes to mind.
Open your eyes and allow a spontaneous feeling of complete happiness fill your mind, body and spirit.
Read more: 6 unexpected ways to practice mindfulness and relieve daily stress
