Meditation is an incredibly significant and beneficial practice that anyone can do, whether it be monks who have been doing the practice for decades or elementary school aged children. To many, the idea of sitting still for a long period of time doing basically nothing probably seems pain-staking and unfeasible. However, with a few breathing exercises and mind-relaxing warmups, the practice does wonders for stress relief, relaxation, coping with anxiety, and various other conditions.

What is Meditation and How do I Do it?

The word gets thrown around a lot, but you may not even know how to meditate or what it really is, which is completely understandable. So, starting there, essentially meditation is the practice of being completely aware of only the present moment to achieve mental clarity and focus. Meditation helps to de-fog the mind when there’s a lot going on by using techniques to re-center the mind back to the present.

Regarding how exactly to meditate, it really does not have to be complicated. People may make it seem like a huge commotion requiring lengths of structured training, when really all it needs is a couple minutes and a quiet space (though even that is negotiable). To simplify it, follow these 4 steps:

1. Find a Place and Sit: Whether it be on your bed, on the floor, or even outside, find a comfortable spot and sit. Take some time to settle down, as being comfortable is extremely important to getting the most out of the experience. As for the sitting position itself, the recommendation is to sit cross-legged, however sitting upright on a chair or couch is completely fine too. If you want to up your game even more, the lotus position is a great position to try.
2. Breathe to Warm-Up: The simplest way to start would be to just take a couple deep breaths. You can even count how long you breath in and out if you want to be more technical (ex. inhale for 6, exhale for 6). There are multiple other specific breathing techniques available to use in varying levels of difficulty, including box and alternate nostril breathing.
3. Be Present: Once you’ve done enough breathing warming-up to where your mind is not as concentrated on other thoughts (it’s okay if they are still a little bit there of course), you are ready to start the bulk of meditation which is just sitting the present all while being fully consciously aware of what you’re doing. And that’s really it. There’s not much direction to give here (unless it’s from a well-practiced expert), but really all you need to do is focus on the “nothingness;” focus on the blankness of your mind and the peace you feel from it. A key thing to note here is that of course you will still have thoughts cross your mind demanding your attention, but you’re just going to let them flow by. Think of them like clouds and you are the sky. The main idea here is that you’re not giving them attention, rather you’re being present in the stillness and blankness that’s behind the scenes.

4. Re-Center When Needed + Stop Comfortably: All you have to do next is stay there for as

long as you’d like! You can always feel free to “re-center” by re-visiting breathing techniques mentioned earlier. It is key to note that you should not force yourself to meditate for a set amount of time if it feels uncomfortable. You can always set goals for yourself, maybe setting a timer at the beginning for 5 minutes, but if you feel finished before the timer goes off, you should allow yourself to be done as it may prevent you from having fuller experiences the next time or even coming back to meditate. Allowing yourself to stop when you need to may even help you meditate for longer the next time!

Benefits for Mental Health

Meditation is not only simple, it is also effective. Arguably, the most significant benefit of the practice is stress relief and subsequent relaxation. The combination of breathing techniques, sitting still, and dismissing overbearing thoughts all contribute to the body relaxing more and the decrease of stress. People that regularly practice meditation are incredibly relaxed and are not as agitated as others. They are able to maintain more control over themselves even if they experience highly stressful situations often. This also contributes to higher levels of self-awareness and emotional regulation.

In conclusion, we should all meditate! Whether it’s for 5 minutes or an hour, it is sure to be a great utilization of your time and effort and the benefits will be clear. So, take a deep breath, close your eyes, and begin your journey to a healthier mind.

Written By: Nithya Rupavatharam, Mental H2O Youth Resource Writer