Ah, the so-called meditation. The one that everyone talks about, but which remains for many of us a rather abstract concept... We all know the benefits it brings, but it is sometimes difficult to put it into practice on a daily basis, due to the lack of a clear guideline.
As a yoga teacher since 2018, I myself only really integrated this tool into my daily life quite recently. Especially because I am a very pragmatic person: I needed concrete entry points in order to be able to subsequently install my practice in the long term. And today, I wanted to share with you these concrete tools that helped me take action.
This article is intended for those who would like to move forward, from guided meditation to independent meditation, for even greater self-knowledge.
4 simple tools to follow, in this order or not necessarily, to test and adopt, for those that speak to you 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). Take some notes 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, rise up spontaneously. It can also be something you would 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 intuition, in order to regain control over yourself and know how to self-guide.
To go further: you can do this exercise while thinking of another person and direct the intention towards them.
3) Positive affirmations & visualization
The goal here is to visualize positive things. It can be a projection of the future, an event, a goal that you want to accomplish, a relationship that you want to improve, a quality that you want to develop. The brain then sends information to the body, through thoughts, which will be processed as if they were happening in reality. In addition, if the focus is on positive things, it will necessarily focus less on negative ones! It is a bit like reprogramming our interior by the power of thought.
To go further: model your breathing as follows: I inhale… (your positive element), I exhale… (the opposite). Example: I inhale joy, I exhale sadness.
4) Release tension/emotion
A simple but powerful and purifying exercise, excellent to do first thing in the morning. Close your eyes, let an emotion rise naturally (at night, some emotions are processed and resurface in the morning). Simply by observing it, like a small child who needs attention, it will fade and go away on its own. This way, we avoid keeping it with us all day!
To go further: perform a complete scan of your body from bottom to top (starting from the feet or the seat, and working up) while listening to bodily sensations as well as its emotions. This exercise of in-depth observation allows you to develop listening and self-understanding. We write down our sensations/feelings/emotions/tensions/physical pain in a notebook, and we can even verbalize: "I let go of... (such element)".
As you can see, 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 have been there...), it is probably because it is your mind that is trying to protect you, for fear of reacting to certain things that are sometimes unpleasant or that we do not necessarily want to see: but tell yourself that all matter is good to work on in meditation, so it is especially in these moments that you should not back down!
The key is to make it a habit. If necessary, use a small calendar where you put a cross each day you meditated. You will be able to follow your progress.
Happy meditation!
And keep yourself updated, as a new article every first of the month is launched on my blog ;) !
Author: Helene Chebroux
Photo: Cristina Merli
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