CANDY WASHINGTON

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Why You Should Practice Meditation

Hi lovelies,

While most people feel they need to go to a class to meditate, that is not true. The beautiful thing about meditation is that you can practice it almost anywhere. Anywhere that is calm, comfortable, and collective is a place where you can meditate. Find yourself space where you can effectively clear your thoughts and use that as a place to practice daily. 

Also, do not believe that meditation has to be done in silence. If taking a walk or listening to music helps you be mindful and calm, then do that. As long as it can clear your mind and let you reap the practice benefits, so be it. 

Meditation is a massive part of being mindful as it enhances your:

Vitality
Having a heightened sense of vitality comes with exuberant mental vigor. A person of great spirit is someone who practices being strong mentally and physically through practices like meditation. Research shows that the benefits of meditation include increased energy, mood, and sleep—all three of which aid clearer thinking for a stronger mentality and vitality. Not only will meditation strengthen the inner you, but it will help with improving mental clarity and sharpness.

Intention
Consistency is key. Getting yourself to commit to a practice, a lifestyle, and a new you is challenging; let’s not dismiss that. But what makes it easier to overcome the challenge is to be consistent. During times of questioning and non-believing, push through it. You will come out better on the other side and thank yourself a million times over for being intent and committed. Wellness is about consistency. Showing up every day is a sense of achievement.

Control
Being in control of your life is a beautiful thing. You are the controller of your time, feelings, actions, and so much more. We are all-powerful, and being grateful for ourselves and our power is important to master. To master yourself, you must control yourself. In the new paradigm, the sense of control in life belongs to awareness.

Learning how to do so plays a crucial role in meditation. Channeling your inner happiness, awareness, and thoughts is a way to discover who you truly are and what you need to manage to be what you want to be. 

You can learn to control and leverage your stress, anxiety, and life responses through breathwork, which is a huge part of meditation. Breath is a life force. It works by recalibrating your body’s natural alignment.

Controlling your breath is a great tool for controlling the mind. Therefore, if you can master breathwork, you can control yourself.

Presence
To achieve your highest sense of mindfulness, you must be present. Focusing on your present self and your surroundings instead of the past and the future will allow you to be aware of your thoughts and actions in a non-judgemental manner. Being present and mindful is the core benefit of meditation and enables you to communicate how you think and feel to both yourself and others.

The mind and the body are inseparably one. Thus, a distressed mental state can easily be converted into the biochemicals that create disease. The two go hand in hand through a mind-body connection. This is often why people with good mental health teach their bodies to age well. 

By living fully in the present moment, you will allow yourself to live in the essence of timelessness. Your awareness will become transcendent and from that, you will feel a great sensation of fullness. 

You may be wondering how exactly to meditate. It’s a very simple practice, and all you need is yourself and a quiet place to do so. Meditation will allow you to live a more thoughtful life and get a fresh, unexpected perspective, whether you’re a beginner or experienced. The best mind-body techniques to insert into living your beautiful life blueprint include:

Set achievable goals - Start small. 1 to 2 minutes a day is enough to practice and get a feel for meditation. The best advice for meditation is to set achievable goals. Whether you are a meditation newbie or indeed someone who’s tried meditation and given up, start small and realistic. Do it for 1 minute. Starting small is the answer to success. It reinforces the idea that you can do it. Just showing up for yourself is already a success! As you feel more comfortable and mindful, your practice will naturally get longer. Around 15 minutes per day is a good goal to aim for once you’ve mastered your meditation technique. Create a vibe. Whether it be music, scent, or space. Then, make it something you look forward to.

Meditate first thing each morning – Allow yourself a fresh unexpected perspective. A daily practice of quiet allows us to become more present, more creative, and more open. Setting this intention will allow you to go about your day with a sense of gratitude, happiness, and mindfulness. 

Check-in with how you are feeling - listen to your body and your mind to see what perspective you want to focus on and work on. Each new practice will bring new emotions, and working daily is a great way to grow.

Count your breaths - when you can, count your breaths and see how your stomach rises and falls throughout each breath. You may not be able to keep this up throughout the entire practice as you may have things you want to think about, focus on, and channel, and that’s okay. But, when you get the chance, focus on your breathwork. 

Come back when you wander - try and stay with whatever arises in your mind and stay on track throughout your practice, so you feel satisfied after. When and if you find your mind trailing off onto other thoughts, come back to your original focus so that you can wrap up on a positive path. The mind is our most precious resource through which we experience every single moment of life. Don’t beat yourself up if your mind wanders. Taking the time to sit and be still is looking after your mind, and there is no downside to that.

Develop a loving attitude - practicing meditation every day will soon become a part of your life you will not want to live without. Learn to love it, to learn yourself, and most importantly, smile when you’re done. It will make you feel incredibly composed and grateful.

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