Yachtie Glow: 10 minutes a day sufficient to enjoy benefits of meditation

Mar 18, 2018 by Angela Orecchio

Yachtie Glow: by Angela Orecchio

It’s easy to think that meditation has to be long or complicated for it to be effective. However, just 10 minutes a day of focusing the mind can be one of the healthiest things you do all day.

Webster’s Dictionary defines meditation as contemplation, reflection, mental focus and mental exercise. There are many different ways to engage in meditation, and the best meditation is any one that we participate in regularly.

Just 10 minutes of meditation can help to reduce stress, improve focus and mental clarity, and improve our overall well-being.  Additionally, meditation accompanied with visualization can be very empowering and even healing.

Follow these steps to get started with simple, 10-minute meditations today.

Find a meditation
The best way to find a meditation is to try different styles of meditation. We can simply search YouTube for any type of meditation we are drawn to. For example, we could search for sleep, healing or empowering meditations or affirmation videos. There are also many apps that offer limited meditations for free and then require a paid subscription. Check out the following apps to start with:

  • Headspace
  • Calm
  • Insight Timer
  • Aura
  • 10% Happier

Set the Mood
It’s often thought that we must sit up straight with feet on the floor to meditate, but when we’re just getting started it might be best to sit in any position that is comfortable. This could mean sitting up on a bed, or with feet on the floor, or lying down. The important point is that we get into a comfortable position where we won’t necessarily fall asleep but will be able to focus without feeling distracted or self-conscious.

Then turn the lights down low, turn them off completely or put something over the eyes.  Wear comfortable clothes and make sure the temperature is comfortable.

Train the mind
We often overcomplicate meditation, believing that we should be, do or feel something specific.  However, just focusing on the breath going in and out of the nose is enough. When we are distracted, we simply bring our attention back to the breath.

Guided meditations can be very helpful for beginners who have wandering minds, which is why using YouTube or an app can be very beneficial. An alternative to a guided meditation would be nature sounds or light instrumental music or bells. Complete silence is also a good option for some people.

Do it right
In yoga asana practice, it is said that doing the poses perfectly is not what matters the most. What matters the most is how you talk to yourself while doing the poses. Meditation is exactly the same. There isn’t an end destination, and we can’t do it right or wrong. If, in the 10 minutes, we achieve only a few moments of focusing the breath and mind, we will have achieved exactly what we were supposed to.

The benefits
Meditation is a journey about connecting with the mind, body and spirit, and just the act of consistently showing up to meditate will create healthy benefits. The benefits will be mostly subtle: a calmer mind, a more focused mind, more self love and less pain in the body. Suddenly, we’ll notice the difference in how we feel when we miss our daily meditations.
So, it’s not important for everything to be perfect in meditation, it’s important that we start and find our consistent rhythm.

Angela Orecchio is a chief stew, certified fitness instructor and health coach. Her blog can be found at savvystewardess.com. Comments are welcome below.

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About Angela Orecchio

Angela Orecchio is a chief stew and certified health coach. This column was edited from blog, Savvy Stewardess, The Smart Girl’s Guide to Yachting. Contact her through www.savvystewardess.com.

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