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Ahh, meditation. The one everyone is talking about, but which remains for many of us a rather abstract concept… We all know its benefits, but it is sometimes difficult to implement on a daily basis, often because of a lack of a clear guideline.
Yoga teacher since 2018, I myself only really integrated this tool into my daily life quite recently. And for a very good reason : I am a very pragmatic person and I needed concrete tips in order to be able to set up my practice over the long term. And today, I wanted to share with you these practical tips that helped me take action.
This article is intended for those who would like to go ahead, from guided meditation to autonomous meditation, for an even deeper self-knowledge.
4 simple tools to follow, in the order you want, to test and adopt, for those you like the most!
The idea: we choose a “subject” and we dive in.
1) Present Moment/Mindfulness
Focus on the present moment (can be done sitting or walking): simply observe what surrounds us, the noises, the smells, the sensations and your breathing (cold on the inhale, warm on the exhale). Write them down if you wish. This practice helps us to come back to the here and now.
2) Set an intention for the day
Close your eyes. What intention do you want to give to your day? Let a word, an image arise, spontaneously. It can also be something you need for today: calm, energy, etc. At the end of the day, you can come back to this intention. The goal is to mobilize your inner resources and your intuition, in order to regain control over yourself and know how to guide yourself.
To go further: you can do this exercise while thinking of another person and direct the intention towards this person.
3) Positive affirmations & visualization
The goal here is to visualize positive things. It can be a projection of the future, of an event, of a goal that we want to accomplish, of a relationship that we want to improve, of a quality we want to develop. The brain then sends information to the body through thoughts, which will be processed as if it were happening in reality. In addition, if the focus is on positive things, it will necessarily focus less on the negatives! It is a kind of a self-reprogramming by the power of thought.
To go further: model your breathing as follows: I breathe in… (your positive element), I breathe out… (the opposite). Example: I breathe in joy, I breathe out sadness.
4) Release a tension/an emotion
Simple but powerful and purifying exercise, excellent to do in the morning. Close your eyes, let an emotion rise in a natural way (at night, certain emotions are processed and come to the surface in the morning). Just by watching it, like a little child in need of attention, it will fade and go away on its own. That way, we avoid keeping it with us all day!
To go further: do a complete scan of your body from bottom to top (starting from the feet or the contact point with the floor, and going up) by listening to the sensations of the body as well as the emotions. This in-depth observation exercise helps develop self-listening and self-understanding. We note in a notebook our sensations/feelings/emotions/tensions/physical pains, and we can even verbalize: “I let go… (such element)”.
As you have understood, the important thing with meditation is to be in action, to create a space, concretely, to reconnect with yourself. The important thing is to open the door, and to trust yourself, above all.
If there are days when you are reluctant to meditate (believe me, I’ve been there…), it’s probably because your mind is trying to protect you, is afraid to reactions to certain unpleasant things or that you don’t necessarily want to see: but tell yourself that any material is good to work on in meditation, so it’s especially in these moments that you shouldn’t back down!
The key is to make it a habit. If you need, put a little cross on a calendar for every day that you’re able to meditate. This way, you will follow your improvements.
Happy meditation!
Author : Hélène Chebroux
Picture : Cristina Merli
