Mindfulness & Meditation

with Ali

Mindful Meditation is natural and easy .... really! It only takes 3 easy steps… and a whole lot of diligent practice.

step 1: Find a quiet place where there is little noise or distractions

Find a place around your house which is quiet, where you feel safe and won’t be disturbed. The quieter the better really, especially if you have little ones running around the house. It may be a good idea to let people you live with know that you are going to meditate so they don’t choose this moment to shout up to you asking what you fancy for tea.

Once you’re in this place, sit yourself or lie yourself down comforably (you don’t need to sit with your legs crossed like the lady in this picture). Place your hands comfortably on your lap, preferably with palms facing upwards.

Step2: close your eyes and begin focusing on your breath

Closing your eyes removes the distraction of sight from the meditation process and so helps you in becoming connected with your inner self.

Step 3: Begin to watch your breath coming and going

Removing our most powerful sense- sight naturally puts the brain into overdrive, and thoughts will immediately start popping up. "‘Did I buy washing powder?’, ‘What am I going to say when I next see Peter?’ ‘Have I forgotten about Jackie’s birthday?’. This is completely natural. Our brain is there to think, and so we take the focus of our attention to the breath. We watch the breath come in, and we watch the breath come out. We don’t try to change it, or interfere with it. We just watch.

And when we notice that we have been caught up in thoughts again, we return once more to watching the breath. And that’s it!

But be aware, it’s quite normal to be constantly distracted by thoughts, just notice and gently go back to watching the breath. No judgement, just go back to the breath.

You are training your mind, re-wiring it to a place of calm and quiet, just by watching the breath! If you practice for just 10 minutes each day, you will find it easier and easier to do with time. The hard thing is to commit to practicising meditation each and every day. So find a time that works for you, maybe early morning, or lunch time.

Meditation is a habit and like all habits it takes time to form. Commit to it. It can make such an amazing difference to your life.

My Mindful meditation courses and classes will help you to find the practice that works best for you, and help you to become established in the practice, whilst answering any questions you may have.