Meditation is an essential part of finding a harmonious way to live with yourself and the people around you. For many, finding the right location to meditate can often be difficult, as they often find their rooms and communal living areas too distracting or busy to form new mental habits.
Stress is a major problem that affects our health. Meditation has been shown to relieve stress and restore your calm and inner peace (1). It won’t take long before you feel the benefits of a regular meditation practice. Research shows that meditation can reduce stress in 10 days. And thousands of studies have shown that mindfulness (2) and meditation can positively impact mental and physical health. No matter why we want to start meditating – to feel less stressed, sleep better, eat healthier, be more focused or improve relationships – every meditation is one step closer to developing healthier habits for a happier spirit.
By following these simple steps you can take your meditation to the next level:
Organize the room
Clearing your environment is one of the simplest ways to give yourself a sense of space and a fresh start. Too many objects can often produce too much stimuli for effective meditation. Each item also carries a memory and a certain energy. Too many conflicting memories, emotions, or energies can often make it difficult to achieve an appropriate meditative state. The best way to give yourself the best chance of success is to organize and remove various items. This allows you to visualize not only your efforts, but also your new way of thinking.
Integrate nature
The presence of nature can be a multi-faceted blessing while meditating. When we surround ourselves with nature’s channels, such as plants, and enter our meditative state, our body’s rhythm synchronizes with the natural frequencies around us. This connection can deepen our meditative state, as well as enhance our physical senses, such as touch and smell. Opening yourself to nature serves to increase your mindfulness. You often find yourself drawn into the larger world around you, imagining your place in a world with so much abundant energy. I would recommend that you grab a few plants, perhaps open a window and imagine yourself in the gentle caress of nature’s energy, letting all your negative energies flow out into the great expanse, and in turn the accept love offered by the world around you.
Set the mood for meditation
When you are at ease, it is often easiest to meditate. With this in mind, I want you to think about what makes you feel content, safe, and calm. An example for some is a darkened room, surrounded by warm candles, and soothing music in the background. Once you find the right atmosphere, finding your meditative state becomes much easier.
Stimulate your senses
Many people find that smell is the sense that helps them meditate effectively. I have found that scents produced by essential oils or scented candles can soften and even enhance your meditative experience. If you have essential oils, I recommend rubbing them lightly on the inside of your wrists and neck so that with each inhale you get more of the soothing energy provided by your chosen aroma. If you don’t have any essential oils and would like to purchase some, I sincerely invite you to take a look at my website and discover which essential oil best suits your purposes.
Create intention
After you’ve created your meditative space, it’s important to emphasize what this new space will be used for. As you look around and absorb the peaceful energies of your safe place, imagine what you want to accomplish when you are in this room. Set an intention like “I am grateful for the space I have created for myself” and feel the frequency in the room rise to achieve your goal. Now when you walk into this room, you will feel the power and connection it shares with your soul and your purpose.
How often to meditate
There is no correct answer to this question. One argument is that any meditation is better than no meditation. So if someone can only meditate once a week, this should not be an obstacle to trying out the therapy.
A person may consider starting with a few sessions per week and increasing to one session per day.
By meditating around the same time every day, meditation can become a habit that can be easily integrated into daily life.
If meditation is helpful, it may be helpful to increase the frequency to twice or more per day or use it to reduce stress when needed.
(1) Meditation: a simple, quick way to reduce stress
(3) Mindfulness and connectedness with nature: a meta-analytic investigation