What is the Best Meditation for you?
Take 7 Days to Reset and Renew Yourself
I've been asked so often to help people to learn to focus and help them to set a meditation schedule.
There are so many factors in allowing your body to relax genuinely, mediation has a million forms and there is one that is right for you. Your schedule, the type of meditation, the 'perfect' location, creating the habit or making it a priority and seeing the value that it adds to your life. I find that it isn't so much the schedule that keeps most people from meditating but that they haven't found the type of meditation that works best for them.
Below, I’ve provided a breakdown and you can build a great foundation to create a successful habit. You will not only get some great different meditation suggestions but also education links to articles and videos to help educate you so that you can learn what it means and works best for you.
Set realistic goals, "I'm going to meditate 1/2 hour each day", and then get upset with yourself for not getting it done, isn't supporting yourself in your efforts. Start slow and short and take time to notice the difference in your productivity, self talk and over reactions to things around you. You could start with 5-10 minutes everyday, I recommend 5 minutes and increasing a minute if the 5 minutes seemed comfortable. Set an alarm (slow rise type alarm) and stick with it. Be sure not to have negative self talk if you drop the ball for a few days, jump back on or do it later in the day. Be realistic about the time of day that you need it most and will be able to take the time. What works best for me is to set an alarm once a day, I may not get to it each day but my ultimate goal is to do it 5 times a week.
Whether you are looking for complete quiet in your mind or a rumbling roaring dance to alleviate or shake out stress and trapped energy to be able to focus. I will help you with a few different forms of meditation as we proceed in the week. Take this selection as a shopping cart. If you don’t like one, then move on. All have something a little different to give you a buffet of choices! Enjoy!
Day 1
Breathing meditations
You can do any of these once a day or for the full week and repeat them if they work well for you.
Guided Breath Meditation 10 minutes (more for beginners)
Visual and Active Breathing Meditation 4 minutes (great for kids too, we use it when our little one gets overdramatic to help her bring herself back to calm)
Visual Breathing to Reset Your Fight or Flight Mode 5 minutes (Great for getting back on track)
Day 2
Can meditation change the size of your brain? What other health benefits are there? What about improving relationships?
What is Meditation? 19 mins Buddhist Monk Venerable Nick Keomahovong-I love this guy! He’s my favorite so far. When I was struggling to focus, I would lay with my legs up on the wall and listen to one of his videos. He has a great morning and evening routine. I took parts out and made my favorite routine for myself. Then I was able to start focusing on meditation that worked for me by slowing down the start and end of my day with mini mindfulness steps.
6 Top Benefits of Meditation 5 minutes
Ted Talk What Can 5 Minutes a Day of Mindful Breathing Do for you? 9 minutes
How Meditation Changed My Life 15 minutes
Day 3
Check in, how are you doing?
Is this you? "I've tried meditation and I can't" ....."I cannot think of nothing"
There are an infinite amount of meditation styles and techniques.
In fact, I heard a new one recently that they don't meditate "I focus on an imaginary blank piece of paper while I got an MRI, the edges of the paper just disappear eventually"
Take a few minutes today to check a few of these out when you have a moment. You don't need to do them yet, just invest a little time to learn the different styles to see what might suit you.
Guided Meditation-Clearing Negativity-7 minutes-needing quiet? trouble focusing? This is a visual and guided to help you focus on something new and positive
Guiding Breathing Mantra-31 minutes-Great for slowing down and assisting with breath focus. You can watch the first few minutes, then get settled comfortably and hear in the music to keep your breathing on point
Active Meditation-6 minutes-MY FAVORITE for energy release-Get rid of energy, frustration and trapped drama or trauma-shake your limbs and full body until you’re pain is loosened up and dance your heart out
Guru Ram Das-Chanting/Vibration-11 minutes-Calm your mind, have a headache or sinus issues? Try natural vibration through chanting! The vibration of your tongue will help the sutures of your skull loosen as well as your nervous system to open up blocked paths and much more healing that you can imagine!
Thai Chi is another form of a movement meditation that is great for your all over health because you get exercise as well as calming and focusing your mind.
These are just a few ways to meditate and I've listed behind them what 'type' of person usually goes best with each one so you might gain some insight. None of these is limited to anyone, this is to help you see so many different kinds of diversity and we often find that different ones work better for different moments of our lives. I will most likely keep updating this section as I find new fun meditations.
Day 4
ARE WE THERE YET? Want a healthier, happier life, WHY WAIT? Let's CREATE THIS HABIT and WHY!
Chronic Pain and Meditation? What? Keep going to find out more….
Here are some things you may notice when you create the habit
10 Reasons You Should Meditate Everyday-Article
Treating Chronic Pain with Meditation-Article
Here Are the Medical Benefits You May Not See That Can Improve Your Life-9 minute video TedTalk
Day 5
Have you found your means of meditation yet?
If so, what are you doing that's working for you?
If not, here are some great shake ups and different types to give you more variety.
Top 14 Apps for Meditation Ranked and Reviewed
Day 6
What does your meditation space look like?
Where do you meditate?
It can be just a chair or sitting on the floor and as cheap as closing your eyes to focus. Some people like to have a certain feel to calm and get focused. One of my favorite areas is my massage room, when I move to my new office, it'll be big enough that I'm planning to open guided meditation nights for others as well. I also have Thai mats that I can use or just lay on my massage table.
Where would you like to meditate?
Do you have a whole room, a corner space?
Do you meditate in an outdoor garden?
Do you like Mala beads to keep count of your time?
What is your special item? Do you like having a special item?
Do you use aromatherapy?
Do you have it filled with the things you love or are you a minimalist with your space?
Do you find that certain colors relax you more?
I did a retreat that had great chairs that are flat to the floor with a back support (which was so great for variety)!
5 Steps to Creating a Meditation Space Anywhere-(Chopra)
Another link for ideas for a mediation room-20 Meditation Room Ideas on a Budget
I cannot wait to hear your old and new meditation ways! Share with others so we can all benefit. If you have any questions feel free to post so that others can respond and share their answers. Feel free to reach out to me if you wish. You can reach out to our social media pages and let us see your space (links at the bottom).
The top photo is a mandala created from a course that I attended in Bali for a week of sound meditation. Each person brought some flowers and a special object that meant something to them and left it in the center of our circle for the week. This photo helps me to ground when I am in the middle of my day for a moment of peace.
Day 7
Let’s integrate, there is no ‘right’ time to meditate, no ‘right’ location, no set way of meditating unless it feels right for YOU. Hopefully, this tour of meditation helped you hone in a little on what works best for you and you find your rhythm. With so many moving parts to life, you may want to do this exercise again in a month and see if you discover something else to integrate.
Set up a schedule for yourself for the week ahead. Pick a day that works best to set up that schedule. If you find some days are harder than others then just pick 5 minutes. Don’t hesitate to do just 2 minutes if you are late and you’ll find that you start to make the time for yourself. One day might be best to meditate before you start your day and others may be best before bed. Sit down and take the time to put it in your calendar to make sure you make the time for yourself. You’ll start to see that your brain will be more clear and you’ll have more time in your day, be more focused and be able to get more done and be grounded. Namaste!
#onechangeaweek #vitalfitnessholisticcenter #craniosacral #massagetherapy #massagetherapist #personaltraining #severnapark #formyhealth #brainhealth #meditation #investinyourhealth #vfhc #meditationchallenge #wellnessbookclubfortheoverbooked
Love, Light and Namaste,
Michelle S Krause LMT, CST-T, BCTMB
National and MD State Licensed
Board Member and Membership Committee Chair for the Maryland Chapter of AMTA
Owner of Vital Fitness Holistic Center Schedule an appointment or Zoom consult today
Could it just be dehydration? Do you know how to get the best hydration? A dry mouth is one of the last signs that you are dehydrated.