The latest Western health craze – especially among those who follow a natural health path – is the art of the mindfulness meditation, based in traditional Eastern Buddhist practices and focusing on centering the mind, body, and spirit. It turns out there’s actually something to it! Try a 5-minute mindfulness meditation before you start each day and feel revitalized and recharged. Keep reading to learn how to get started!

What is Mindfulness?

First, you may be wondering what exactly it means to be mindful. According to Psychology Today, mindfulness is more than just a state of being. It is full awareness and acceptance of one’s present experience – the way things look, feel, taste, smell, and sound, inside your own body and in the immediate space around you. By observing your current state of being, you focus your mind on the present (not the past or future), accepting and letting go of any thoughts or feelings that may be distracting you.

Mindfulness meditation is largely based in deep breathing exercises and sometimes healing visualizations, usually with your eyes closed while seated in a relaxed pose with your feet on the ground. By taking a few minutes each day to pay attention to your current experience, without judgment (good or bad), you allow your mind and body to live in the moment. It’s a fantastic way to relieve anxiety and slow or stop the racing thoughts that can cause stress. It may also help you sleep more soundly and feel emotionally balanced.

How to Get Started with a Mindfulness Meditation

If you prefer listening to a relaxing guided meditation, you can try any of the 5-minute mindfulness meditation exercises available online. Some of your options are free YouTube videos, such as The Five Minute Miracle (which includes soothing nature sounds and a female voice guiding you along), or if you prefer a male’s voice, listen to this Mindfulness Guided Meditation by Dr. Robert E. Dinenberg.

Or, if you prefer to lead your own group at work or at home, try reading from this 5 Minute Mindfulness Meditation Script from The Meditation Initiative. It walks you through exactly what to say, how to sit, how to breathe, and how to meditate the whole way through. This can be beneficial especially when taking turns with others to help guide daily rotating mindfulness exercises.

Another option is to download a Body Scan Meditation, like this one from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which can be used to not only help focus the mind but to also potentially help you sleep easier and support temporary, natural pain relief.

No matter what your reasons for wanting to try a mindfulness meditation, it is a wonderful exercise in self-healing and concentration that may help you along your natural health journey. As you continue to practice meditating, you should experience less stress and have an easier time finding inner peace.

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Photo by Natalia Figueredo on Unsplash