Morning meditation for stress relief
What if there was a simple way to calm the mind, relax the body and relieve pain? What if this wonderful tonic was free, accessible and easy to use? Welcome to mindfulness meditation.
Mindfulness meditation has become hugely popular in recent years, and for good reason. Studies have shown that a regular practice can reduce anxiety,[1] improve immune function[2] and help manage pain.[3]
While the benefits of mindfulness meditation are clear, it can be challenging to get started. Perhaps you’ve tried it, but within seconds of sitting still your mind’s a riot of buzzing thoughts. Sounds familiar?
Making Meditation Easy
Here’s a great tip for easing into meditation – move, don’t sit. Performing simple movements with calm breathing can help to relax the mind and body, paving the way to an enjoyable seated meditation. A 2009 study also suggests that combining movement and meditation can improve attention and memory more than relaxation alone.[4]
Morning Meditation Ritual
Morning is a great time to practice meditation, setting the mind and body to ‘calm’ for the day ahead. Try this morning ritual, combining movement and breath to prepare you for a blissful seated meditation.
Arm Raises
- Stand still and notice your breath.
- Inhale: Gently raise your arms up over head.
- Exhale: Follow the breath out as you lower your arms to your sides.
- Repeat 6 times.
- Inhale: Raise your arms up overhead.
- Exhale: Bend your knees as you fold forward from the hips, bringing the hands to your knees, shins or feet.
- Inhale: Raise your arms up to the sides as you lift up out of the forward bend, bringing your arms overhead as you come to standing.
- Exhale: Slowly lower your arms back to your sides.
- Repeat 4 times.
Seated Twist
- Sit on a chair or the floor.
- Inhale to lengthen the spine.
- Exhale: slowly twist to one side, looking over your shoulder.
- Inhale: untwist back to centre.
- Exhale: slowly twist to the other side, looking over the opposite shoulder.
- Inhale: untwist back to centre.
- Repeat 4 times.
Sitting Comfortably
- Find a comfortable supported position – sitting on a firm chair is fine.
Mindfulness Meditation
- Become aware of your feet. Feel where they connect to the floor. Become aware of your toes and ankles. Move your attention up into your calves and knees. Feel your thighs, front and back.
- Be aware of your sitting bones where your body touches the surface you’re sitting on. Feel the even weight of your body drawing down into that surface.
- Become aware of your back, feeling into the lower back, the spine, the mid back, the shoulder blades, the upper back and shoulders.
- Feel into the upper arms and down into the elbows. Be aware of the forearms, hands, fingers and thumbs.
- Move your awareness back up to your shoulders. Feel your neck, head and scalp. Become aware of your forehead, eyebrows, eyes, cheeks, ears, mouth and chin.
- Become aware of your nose and nostrils.
- Feel the breath where it enters the body at the tip of the nostrils. Become aware of the sensation of the breath in the nostrils as you inhale and exhale. Focus your awareness on the breath in the nostrils. Each time your mind wanders, bring it back to noticing the sensation of the inhale and exhale in the nostrils.
References
[1] Miller, J; Fletcher,K; Kabat-Zinn, J; Three-year follow-up and clinical implications of a mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction intervention in the treatment of anxiety disorders Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 1995 May;17(3):192-200.
[2] Davidson, RJ; Kabat‐Zinn; Schumacher, J; Rosenkranz, M; Muller, D,; Santorelli, SF; Urbanowski, F; Harrington, A; Bonus, K; Sheridan, JF. (2003). Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation. Psychosomatic Medicine: 65 (4) 564–570 doi: 10.1097/01.PSY.0000077505.67574.E3
[3] Kabat-Zinn, J., Lipworth, L. & Burney, R. (1985) The clinical use of mindfulness meditation for the self-regulation of chronic pain. J Behav Med 8: 163. doi:10.1007/BF00845519
[4] Subramanya, P; Telles, S (2009) Effect of two yoga-based relaxation techniques on memory scores and state anxiety. BioPsychoSocial Medicine 3:8. DOI: 10.1186/1751-0759-3-8