Mindfulness practices support us when anxiety and stress prevent us from breathing deeply. To perform them, you do not need a lot of time, you do not have to look for a special place. And the effect of them can completely change our lives.
In the modern world, our brain has to process a huge amount of information. A city dweller has at least 7-10 irritating factors per unit of time: several instant messengers, e-mail, calls, computer screen, smart watch, TV, radio, and so on. We began to work less physically, but began to regularly overload both our “working memory” and our senses.
Mass culture is also changing: fast succession of frames, maximum information per second, unusual noise and lighting effects. We see all this not only on the TV screen and monitor, but also around, on the city streets. Not to mention the fact that many people let go of the phone just to sleep.
We strive to fill even moments of rest with something useful or active: taking a bath, browsing social networks, getting ready for bed, looking at mail, learning languages and listening to the news in traffic jams. We have already built a radio into multicookers, and the clock has long ceased to show only the time: they now record the slightest changes in weight and sleep phase.
Yes, it has become easier for us to carry out household chores, and also to control purchases and look for information. But at the same time, technological progress brings anxiety and anxiety. Fear of not having time, not catching up or missing something, regret about missed opportunities, competition with the “successful success” of others, emotional burnout and simply fatigue – all this worsens our condition and does not allow us to reach our potential.
When we worry, we achieve less than we could, and when we achieve less, we become more anxious. However, against anxiety, stress and negativity, there is one sure remedy that not everyone has discovered for themselves yet.
Meditation is the head of everything
When we hear the word “meditation”, images of people in the lotus position and bizarre yoga asanas come to mind. In fact, this ancient practice in our century has received a new birth and adapted to the needs of modern man.
Meditation today is an effective tool against stress, which gives a tangible effect after just a few sessions. Just as the concept of “sport” unites hundreds of different activities, so meditation is a universal term for many mental and spiritual practices.
Adherents of regular meditation note that with its help you can not only cope with stress and achieve inner peace, but also get seemingly unexpected results: quit smoking, normalize weight, increase immunity, improve sleep, and much more.
Three practices for all occasions
Mindfulness practices are plentiful. Here are three of them that require neither equipment, nor a large space, nor a move to the “enlightened points of the planet.”
1. Practicing Mindful Breathing
How it works. Breath is one of the four sources of energy. Breathing is directly related to our emotions. When we are frightened or nervous, we breathe unevenly, quickly and shallowly, if we are calm – evenly and slowly, calmly – slowly.
Equipment. Sit with a straight back. Relax. Hands lie freely on your knees, palms up, eyes closed. Begin breathing deeply and slowly through your nose. Bring your attention to the process of breathing. Notice the details: the pause between inhalation and exhalation, the movement of air, the movement of the chest.
Do not control the breath, but follow it. Over time, extraneous thoughts will disappear, you will be able to focus on breathing and thereby regain clarity of perception, free yourself from negative emotions, become peaceful and attentive in everyday life.
2. The practice of “breathing with the heart”
How it works. You can get rid of obsessive thoughts or emotions, from irritation, by balancing the nervous system by breathing through the heart. Yes, your heart can actually “breathe” too.
Equipment. Take a comfortable sitting position with a straight back. Place your hands on your knees, palms up. Pay attention to your breath: the exhalation is twice as long as the inhalation. Create an intention to connect with the inner space. Focus on the area of the heart. Feel the breath move through the heart and solar plexus.
Engage positive feelings and emotions by embodying them in the process of breathing through the heart. Allow yourself to experience gratitude, joy, peace – like a stream that passes through the heart along with the breath.
3. Meditation of inner joy
How it works. Inner joy comes easily when you connect with others and have experiences that you can share with others. Joy is our internal category. Practicing joy means feeding your own source of energy.
Equipment. Choose a convenient place and time when no one will disturb you. Spend a few minutes breathing to relax and tune in to the practice. Start with a measured inhalation-exhalation, with a smile. Create the intention to smile throughout the meditation. Keep smiling no matter what. Keep your attention on your intention.
It’s okay to be distracted by thoughts. Let them be. Release them and gently return to smiling. This meditation can be done with a partner, looking into each other’s eyes, which will allow you to strengthen the relationship and create a particularly deep connection.
About the Developer
Olga Markina – psychotherapist, sexologist, author of the book “Bridge to Communication”. See her for details. .