The Beginners Guide to Meditation
Meditation 101.
Meditation is a word you might here more often lately, but what is meditation? For some, the idea of sitting or laying down with your eyes closed can be anxiety provoking, especially in a room with others. While meditating we are often distracted by our own thoughts of pressing tasks we have to do, or even some resistance to the practice itself. Before I discuss some resources and tools you can explore, lets talk about some of the benefits to meditation.
Benefits - Harvard University Medical School coined the turn ‘relaxation response’ in their research on people who practice meditation. Here are some of the benefits the found for our sympathetic nervous system:
Lower blood pressure
Improved blood circulation
Lower heart rate
Less perspiration
Slower respiratory rate
Less anxiety
Lower blood cortisol levels
More feelings of well-being
Less stress
Deeper relaxation
So lets talk about what to expect. When you do your first guided meditation you should expect yourself to be distracted by your own thoughts, maybe even feel restless or overwhelmed by the experience. That is okay. It takes time and practice to get used to it. There is no good or bad way to meditate, only awareness or non-awareness. When you notice you are not present in the moment or lost in your thoughts, gently bring yourself back. Hone in on the voice of the person taking you through the guided meditation.
Here are some helpful apps, tools, or videos to help you begin your journey:
Netflix series Headspace: Guide to Sleep
MyLife App
Breathe App
Calm App
Virtual Reality Oculus- Guided Meditation
Virtual Calm Rooms
Now these are just a few options. If you are more of a visual person and want to start learning and trying guided meditation without closing your eyes, start with the new Netflix series created by the Headspace creators. Do you have Virtual Reality equipment at home? Try out the oculus Go’s app for guided meditation. It allows you to escape into a virtual world where you can select to meditate on a beach, in the snow, or even in a forest without leaving the comforts of your home.
There are several ways to get started. Make sure you start where you are comfortable.
-Dr. Sarmiento
