Ever find yourself getting up in the morning and launching head-first into the day? After all, you've had between 6-8 hours downtime sleeping it's time to get going, right?!
Yet smart people know, a morning meditation is the best way to get the most out of your day.
To those that are striving to achieve, it may seem counter-intuitive, but from someone that has done it - here's how meditation improves your ability to "do".
1) Meditation is all about developing focus. Starting your day focused instead of scattered means you're more likely to get things right the first time. That means meditation makes you more EFFICIENT and therefore more EFFECTIVE. That means more down-time at the end of the day to spend as you please.
2) Meditation is a way to hit the re-set button. Nighttime and sleep isn't always relaxing! If you live on a busy street, have a partner that snores or children that need help during the night then the chances are you're in need of a RESET to clear out your stress and start the day from a place of CALM. Starting the day calm has a whole host of physical and mental benefits, reducing your chances of getting sick and needing to take time off.
3) Consider meditation to be vital preparation for the day ahead. Athletes understand the need for preparation. Ask any Olympian and they'll tell you they have a preparation routine they complete before events. This might be doing a warm up, listening to music or checking their equipment. If we want to perform well, we too need a preparation routine if we are going to perform at our best. Just as we'd shower to get physically clean, meditation clears our nervous system, enabling us to be more TOLERANT throughout the day and experience more CLARITY.
4) Meditation has long-term benefits in helping us clear up mental and physical health conditions. Learning to HEAL ourselves through meditation reverses years of stored up stress, which shows as physical issues, problems in our relationships, a decline in our mental health and low self-esteem. Once learnt, meditation is a completely free activity we can do on a daily basis so our bodies can return to HARMONY. It means we can reverse stress-related health issues reducing our need for medication and surgery.
5) Meditation benefits our relationships. Whether it's with friends, family or work colleagues, having a strong relationship with our SELF makes us more truthful and authentic. When we have a strong sense of self we are naturally more POSITIVE, EMPOWERED, better at problem solving and RESILIENT. Rather than playing the victim, we are able to make positive and loving choices for ourself, which may include stepping away from negative environments and people and choosing healthier options instead. We're also more likely to pick people, places and a career we love when we have a strong sense of self, creating a virtuous circle that helps us progress and grow.
6) Meditation helps us to ALIGN OUR ENERGY. When we don't bring ourselves together as one being, we're much more likely to be pulled about in different directions by people and the world around us. By bringing our energy together in one place we much less likely to get pushed around, taken advantage of and disrespected. With meditation we become like an immoveable mountain that remains no matter the weather. This STRENGTH within us makes our life easier and is comforting to the people around us who know they can count on us for support.
Are there any I have missed from this list?
What are your favourite ways to meditate and how do they benefit you?
I would love to hear your stories!
*************
Next month I will be hosting a Nature & Meditation Day at a beautiful rural location in East Sussex, for those that are looking to learn and practice the calming benefits of meditation in a group whilst enjoying the natural world. The day will be a mixture of theory and practice in a comfortable and relaxed setting with lunch included.
Please get in touch if you'd like to be part of the date setting exercise. ❤️