According to archaeologists, meditation dates back to 5,000 BCE (Psychology Today, 2013), and the practice itself has ties in ancient Egypt and China, Judaism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism. It wasn't until the 20th century that meditation began to move beyond specific religions, especially in the West. After decades of research, interest in meditation and mindfulness blossomed during the 1990s (Ross, 2016). Today, doctors are suggesting meditation to patients. Next, we'll look at few forms of meditation and mindfulness, including how they differ. No matter your flavor, both modalities give you the opportunity to reduce stress and improve well-being in everyday life.
How meditation and mindfulness differ:
- Mindfulness is a quality; it describes a specific way of living that can be cultivated through practices
- Meditation is a practice that can help you come to a place of self-acceptance. As I like to say, recognizing, understanding, and accepting yourself
Both forms help to reduce stress and improve well-being. If you are new to meditating, you may want to begin with a mindful movement and follow with a short meditation session at five to 10 minutes. Some days, 10 minutes can feel like an eternity when even an experienced practitioner is on edge! As a yoga instructor and a past athlete, my meditation practice typically involves mindful movement beforehand. Below are five options and just like in exercise, starting small is start. Your mental muscle (i.e.: the brain!) will follow with a consistent practice:
- Mantra meditation - repeating a phrase throughout the practice. This can be a comforting phrase, a line of a prayer, or a verse from a favorite poem. The mantra is usually short, making it easy to remember and repeat, and typically uplifting and comforting. (ex: “I am at ease")
- Mindfulness meditation - noticing and acknowledging the thoughts of the wandering mind. Once the meditator has realized where the mind has gone, they gently redirect their thoughts to the present moment.
- Transcendental meditation - a passive and relaxing process using a monosyllabic sound to help the mind transcend the process of thought. Most students use a meditation app in this form of meditation. Some popular options include: Insight Timer, Headspace or Calm.
- Mindful movement – does the thought of being still send you running for the door? If so, start with a mindful movement: running, walking, gardening, hiking, weightlifting or yoga. Really, any repetitive movement where you can find the breath and get fully into your body will aid in stress relief. Yes, that includes cleaning the house!
- Compassion meditation (also called Metta Meditation) - offers compassion toward yourself and then expands that outward to friends and loved ones, and, finally, to people you may not know. You can also use this practice to generate compassionate feelings toward someone who frustrates or angers you.
After all, meditation is a practice and through the practice, one can develop different qualities within oneself, including mindfulness.
Give any of these modalities a consistent try for 21 days and record how you feel in a journal, phone or tablet. It takes 21 days to develop a new habit and it takes at least six months to break one. How about taking 21 days to become better friends with yourself?
References
Calm app: https://www.calm.com
Headspace app: https://www.headspace.com/
Insight Timer app: https://insighttimer.com/
Puff, Robert. (2013, July 7). An Overview of Meditation: Its Origins and Traditions. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/meditation-modern-life/201307/overview-meditation-its-origins-and-traditions
Ross, A. (2016, March 9). How Meditation Went Mainstream. TIME https://time.com/4246928/meditation-history-buddhism
Author: Leslie Pont, CHES, E-RYT, NBC-HWC, ORS Communication & Outreach Officer
