Following on from our latest blogpost, ‘Why Meditation is Important in Leadership’, we’re sharing a simple meditation for beginners.
Note: When meditating you can literally sit in silence, or with some gentle music. (Have a look at some Mindfulness / Meditation playlists on Spotify or YouTube)
1. Sit or lie comfortably – make sure your spine is straight
2. Close your eyes
3. Make no effort to control the breath, just breathe naturally
4. Focus your attention on the breath and on how the body moves with each inhalation and exhalation. Notice the movement as you breathe. Observe your chest, shoulders, rib cage and belly. Focus your attention on your breath without controlling its pace or intensity. If your mind wanders, return your focus back to your breath.
It is really helpful to imagine your thoughts as little clouds in the sky drifting by. This is continuous – as one thought drifts into your mind, then another one comes along.
In meditation, the aim is to simply observe with awareness and let them go past. This can be hard but, as we are always breathing, we use our breath as a fixed point to come back to and rest our awareness on.
Head on over to our Mindfulness resources section for some guided meditations.
Why not try and spend at least 5 minutes meditating this month and let us know of any changes you see in yourself?