A little meditation goes a long way.

I touched on a quick and simple meditation technique in a previous post.  Breathe in Peace.  Breathe out Anxiety.  Who tried it?  When did you find it most useful?  Before a big meeting?  Before going home to the kids?  Before having a tough conversation with someone?



Meditation is a very easy tool for you to use in many situations.  When I used to talk about meditation to my students, no one thought they had enough time to meditate.  There are different forms of meditation, some of which you can spend more time with, but I also have a very busy lifestyle and I am sensitive to my own as well as other's free time.

With that said, the types of meditation I am going to share with you are quick and easy.  In the last post I combined a couple of versions - A breathing technique along with some guided imagery, both I find very beneficial.  Meditations do not have to be lengthy to be effective.  Here, I will separate the two I combined.

First:

Breathing Meditation - The 4 - 7 - 8  Technique  (Medical News Today)

You breathe in for a count of 4.
Hold for a count of 7.
Exhale for a count of 8.

Yes, it's that easy.  I add in my own twist with the - Breathe in 'insert positive here', breathe out 'insert negative here' version.  ie...  Breathe in comfort and ease for a count of 4.  Hold for a count of 7 - while you are holding, imagine any pain or discomfort you are having within your body, and then, picture the breath wrapping around the pain or discomfort and as you exhale for a count of 8 - breathing out the pain and/or discomfort you had felt, fully and completely.  Repeat until the pain or discomfort subsides - at least three times.  Again, you can use any positive emotion or thing and then any negative emotion or thing.  Simple, yet effective. 

Second:

Visualization Meditation - Guided Imagery  (Psychology Today)

If you have an imagination, you can do this.  If I describe a beautiful large red rose, in full bloom, extremely fragrant, so much so that it truly sends your senses reeling...  and you are able to visualize and almost smell the rose...  you've got this!  ;)

Write down some of your favorite things, add some allot of adjectives to describe these things.  String them all together to tell a story and then be sure you read them back to yourself slowly, pausing after each statement to allow the visualization to sink in.  I want you to be fully present in the very moments you are describing.  Yes, you can read your own meditation and still benefit.  Slowly read them out loud in a quiet space.  You do not need much time, or space.  Happy imagining.

Stay tuned for a full guided imagery for you to try.

Be Well,
Mary-Anne