The female mind is particularly complex, often wandering from one thing to another. When our thoughts are not clear, it can be easy to get stuck in a dead end and suffer mentally and physically. Why not make good use of our “seemingly useless but actually very useful” characteristics and explore ourselves internally?
Let’s start with meditation!
You may have tried meditation before, but you may not be sure if you actually entered a meditative state. Or maybe you find it difficult to sit still and feel uncomfortable during meditation, and your thoughts wander everywhere, so you give up and never try again.
All of the above situations are normal because we city dwellers are used to being “active,” and sitting still and emptying our minds is a difficult task. In fact, meditation is a way of looking inward, which can help us understand our thoughts and explore all our wild ideas. When we finish exploring, we become quiet, like we are in a peaceful state of mind.
If you still have doubts, you can try following the following guide. You don’t need to strive for any high realm, just explore inward and achieve calm and peace. Then, let go of your troubles through breathing.
For the first meditation, you can try 3 minutes a day and gradually increase the time once you become accustomed to it. Don’t rush, take it slow and steady!
First, we choose a comfortable sitting position, feeling the spine extending upwards, the shoulders sinking down (if you’re not sure if your shoulders are relaxed, you can first shrug your shoulders and then relax them), the chin slightly tucked in, and the hands resting on the knees. Close your eyes and prepare.
Use diaphragmatic breathing, allowing yourself to breathe in and out through the nose. When inhaling, feel your belly and back expand, and when exhaling, contract your belly.
(Editor’s note: You can explain more about the importance of using diaphragmatic breathing for women. The reason why women are often labeled as easily anxious is that we are naturally accustomed to using chest breathing, which leads to short, shallow breaths, causing a rapid heartbeat and giving our brains the wrong message that we are in danger. Over time, this becomes a vicious cycle, so learning diaphragmatic breathing is very important for us women!)
Slowly perform diaphragmatic breathing, then make your breaths deeper and more even.
Between each inhale and exhale, feel the calmness of your heartbeat. You may be affected by the sounds around you, but don’t pay attention to them and focus on your breathing. Your mind may also be filled with many images and meaningless thoughts, but at this point, we just observe them floating by and choose not to dwell on them.
Then return to your breath, breathe slowly, and at this point, your nervous system begins to relax, and your cluttered and anxious thoughts begin to calm down.
Feel the present moment, observe the changes in your body, imagine the fresh oxygen being taken in with every inhale, nourishing every cell in your body, and every exhale releases all the chaos within.
At this moment, you feel like you are sitting by a lake, smelling the fragrance of flowers, trees, and feeling the cool breeze blowing towards you. You feel at ease and content.
After completing the meditation, move your fingers and toes, slowly bring your awareness back, stretch your body, and clasp your hands together to thank the meditation for bringing relaxation to your mind and body.
As an editor who has been meditating for years, I found that meditating in the morning brings the best feeling. It’s like this practice opens turbo mode for my whole self, making me more courageous and providing me with the energy to face anything throughout the day. My mind becomes clearer, and if something bothers me, I choose to meditate in the evening to release my mind from any disturbances and not carry them into the next day. Gradually, I have learned more about my needs and how to handle problems calmly, making everything in life easier to manage. I am not exaggerating the power of meditation because if you search on the internet, you will find that many celebrities practice meditation, such as Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Richard Gere, Katy Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Angelina Jolie, and more.
Just imagine, they face overwhelming workloads and unimaginable pressure every day, yet they all believe that meditation is their remedy for stress. Their busy schedules don’t stop them from taking time to meditate every day, which shows how important meditation is for their daily lives.
Taking care of our bodies can help us navigate the ups and downs of our emotions.
Start practicing meditation tonight!
Image source: Pinterest