Keeping Calm for the Festive Season
20/12/2013
It’s that time of year as we count down to Christmas and the festive celebrations that come with it, along with the never ending list of things to do; buying and wrapping the presents, cooking, cleaning... It can prove to be stressful and cause strain to your mind and body.
Incorporating small sessions of meditation throughout the day can help ease the stresses and strains of everyday life. Meditation helps strengthen the mind by restoring the brain’s balance and overall sense of well-being, giving you the much needed mental rest.
It can be done anywhere and you don’t need any tools, such as pillows, bells, incense although they can be effective. The primary goal of meditation is to relax and anchor your thoughts through various techniques such as breathing. One simple technique is the Buddhist breath meditation called “Vipassanna.” This is where you inhale and count up to your preferred set, then exhale and count again. Through each set, feel the sensation of the breath filling your lungs, then release through your nose/mouth. By repeating the “breath set” you are anchoring your thoughts by observing your breath.
Meditation also involves physical activity which enables your body to experience peace and clarity. This is when people “lose themselves to the beat” while dancing or feel like they’re “in the zone” when playing a sport. Physical activity such as walking, practising yoga, dancing, etc allows the body and mind to get into sync while channelling out any bad thought which may lead to stress.
Meditation helps to prevent stress from entering your system and helps release the accumulated stress already in it. Whether it’s during work, whilst watching television, even when waiting for the kettle to boil, incorporating a few moments of meditation can make a difference to your life.