Mindfulness meditation technique

 

Mindfulness meditation is a practice with multiple benefits which helps everyone to take care of their mind, reduce stress and anxiety, reduce sleep disorders, show kindness to oneself and to others, etc…

 

Mindfulness meditation is simply focusing your attention on the present moment, for example, focusing on your breathing or physical sensations.

 

Practice every day (even if you have only 5 minutes!)

​

To begin with, it is recommended to find a quiet environment and a silent place. Not necessarily where silence is absolute but a place where you will not be disturbed. It is advisable to start seated: you can either sit on a chair without leaning against the backrest or sit on a cushion cross-legged (if you are comfortable).

 

• Keep your back straight, but not on the backrest if you are on a chair

• Place your feet flat on the ground to feel well-grounded if you are on a chair

• Put your hands flat on your thighs, your shoulders are a little forward

• Relax your body (try to be alert and not to fall asleep during the session)

• Close your eyes or leave them half-open if you prefer.

• Imagine that you have a thread above your head which straightens you

​

One of the basics of meditation is the observation of your own breath. To help you, you can just follow your breathing, you will be able to realize that you can observe more serenely what is happening in your mind, I saw this thought passing, I come back to the breath; another thought passing, I come back to my breath again…

​

Do not hesitate to do it 100 times if necessary. The idea is to be in the moment, whether your mind is very restless or not, you can just follow your breath!

​

There is nothing to be achieved, so there is no reason to judge yourself or be in a standoff with your mind, you just have to “let it be”.

​

If you are having difficulty starting out in mindfulness meditation, it is perfectly normal. Some days, when you are more tired, more stressed out, more anxious, more agitated, you will have to take your thoughts several times by the hand to chase them away.

​

The objective of this practice, with multiple benefits for the body and the mind, is to integrate it into your daily life, by establishing a certain regularity: this is the key to feeling all the virtues of mindfulness meditation. But there is no question of putting pressure on yourself: to start you can opt for sessions of 5 to 10 minutes and lengthen the meditation time as you go if you wish.