Meditation 101

Why meditation? Meditation is the practice of observing the mind and in doing so you gain the power to choose which thoughts you dive into, or the thoughts you'd rather not. As someone who deals with intense intrusive thoughts regularly, I sincerely believe my meditation practice has been crucial to my mental health and sometimes even my survival.

The goal of meditation is to clear your mind of thoughts. Which sounds easy enough. Ok just don't think. This is a lot easier said than done. Truly it is not possible to have a perfectly clear mind, but with practice you can learn to observe your mind and recognize when it gets loud, negative, or shouldn't be entertained. You can think of the mind as a muscle, the more you work it, the stronger your mind will become. Just 10 minutes a day can be life changnig.

Step 1. Put yourself somewhere that you feel safe and you won't be disturbed. Sit down comfortably. You can sit up straight with your hands on your knees if you want to but, I prefer laying back in a relaxed position with a pillow behind my back. Do what works for you.

Step 2. Take 5 slow deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth.

Step 3. Do a slow scan of your body from head to toe. Notice what muscles are tight, what muscles are relaxed. Try to release the tension as you go. My jaw always needs to be relaxed.

Step 4. Set a timer for how long you want to meditate. I like my timer being something gentle to help me maintain the peace I am trying to create. I recommend starting with 5 minutes and working your way up. Each week add a minute to your timer until you've reached the length of time that works for you.

Step 5. Place one hand on your belly. Keeping your hand here will help your mind focus on your breath.

Step 6. Close your eyes and place all your focus on your breath. In, Out, In Out.

Step 7. If you need extra help focusing, (I always do) you can count your breaths. In for 1 out for 2, in for 3 out for 4. All the way up to 10, then start over at one.

Step 8. When thoughts pop up, and they absolutely will, You notice it by thinking to yourself "thinking." or a gentle "sshh" Then go back to counting your breaths until your timer goes off.

Be gentle and kind with yourself. Stick with it. The reason that this is a foundation for learning to care for yourself when it comes to PTSD is you become familiar with your mind and how to sooth yourself back into a calm state.

Extra tips: I like to use binural beats to help me focus, and I like running a diffuser with nice oils in it. It helps me get in the right state of being.