Did you know that around 500 million people meditate on a regular basis? The main reasons for their practice are to quiet the mind and feel focused for a period of time. Other reasons include improving sleep, deal with addictions, also for strengthening the immune system and its ability to deal with inflammation.

Maybe you are not sure why you have tried meditation numerous times and you still haven’t been able to include it in your daily life, giving its well-documented benefits.

Here are 5 reasons why you are not meditating and some ideas what you can do about it.

1.You don’t have a strong enough reason to do it

Being human resolves around avoiding pain and gaining pleasure. The idea of delayed gratifications doesn’t seem too appealing to most people. Meditation gets better with time and sticking with it for the first few weeks needs a robust reason. Is getting a better quality of sleep a good enough reason for you, or maybe you want to be more focused on your work and improve your profits. Maybe you are finding it hard dealing with stress and turning to addictive substances is getting out of hand. Maybe you have a health challenge and no matter what else you are doing you are still not improving. Give yourself strong reason and start meditating.

2.You are doing it all on your own

Have you heard of guided meditation? It is one of the simplest ways to get started and you get to train your brain to remain still for a certain period of time. This is an incredibly easy way to stick with meditation for the first few weeks. You are meditating daily with the help of sound and voice to guide you through it. You can choose a guided meditation that will help you specifically with your challenges. Choose a guided meditation that puts you at ease and it’s effortless to listen to the human voice and the music. You will most certainly be looking forward to it daily.

3.Meditation doesn’t have any obvious physical effects

You are not meditating because there are not any appearance benefits from it. When someone starts going to the gym and follows a program, the benefits become visible within weeks. With meditation, though it’s more unlikely that you will a recognition about your physique. Nevertheless, the people closest to you might start noticing things about you. You may become more focused and they may notice that you deal with stress and challenges easier. You might also start looking better because you are sleeping better and have discovered your inner sense of calm. You will be a more self-aware person. Improving your micro-climate is a powerful way to improve your life starting with improving yourself.

4.You belive that you don’t have the time

This is probably the most common reason people tell themselves when they don’t want to do something, including meditation. If you really what to do something you will find the time, if not you will be prioritising other activities. nevertheless, if you feel you don’t have the time why don’t you start with 10-15 minutes of guided meditation daily. Some people find that meditating before going to bed or doing it first thing in the morning is the easiest way to integrate it into your daily life. Give yourself 3-4 weeks to get into the habit and see the improvements for yourself.

5. Meditation is not important to you

Ultimately if you are not doing something is because it’s not important to you. How about you pay attention to where you spend your time in the next 2 days. I am sure that a good amount of time will be spent on checking your e-mail, online shopping, checking social media, watching Netflix, daydreaming. Yes, downtime is important for everyone and you can easily take 10-15 minutes out of to meditate. You will be surprised how you will feel.

If you are interested in a guided meditation and want to enjoy some relaxing visuals and calming sounds click here for our 5 Star Meditation.

What is guided meditation? This is a type of meditation where you lead by a narrator and your mind is guided into a meditation state towards a desirable outcome.

This form of meditation is very popular and accessible to anyone who wants to take control of their life and achieve a particular goal or simply become more mindful in their life.

Here are 5 very simple ways that guided mediation can help you.

1.You will be guided

By listening to someone else’s guidance you don’t have to worry about “being in the right stare”. The guided meditation is specifically designed to do the “mindfulness” for you. All it’s required from you is to be present and relax. There are countless guided meditations available online. You can choose which one of them “speaks” to you the best. Listen to them and see how it makes you feel- the voice, the music, the way it’s presented. All these small details will help you to choose the right one for you.

2.You are in control of your surroundings

You can use guided mediation almost anywhere, apart from when you are driving or using any power tools or machinery. Your living room sofa can be the perfect place for meditation during the afternoon. A lot of people also prefer to listen to a guided meditation just before bedtime. This is the time when you are in an Alpha state and your subconscious is very likely to respond positively.

3.You will feel less stressed

Reducing stress is one of the main reasons people use meditation. Using guided meditation can help you to rediscover your personal ways of dealing with stress. Dealing with challenges is an inevitable part of life and sometimes you just need an extra push to overcome them. An 8-week study done in 2013 produced evidence that mindfulness meditation reduces the stress caused by inflammation.

4.You may reduce your addictions

By becoming mentally aware of yourself you will take care of your mental state. This may help you identify any addictive behaviour. Awareness is the first step towards replacing a bad habit with a good one. Once you have discovered what you want to reduce, replace or eliminate you feel more empowered and in control.

5. You may increase your attention span

Brain stimulation and constant digital activity are very present in our lives. Most people feel that if they leave their phones at home and take a walk for an hour a part of their body is being left at home. The reason for that is dopamine misbalance which also causes a short attention span. When you have a short attention span you may find it very hard to focus on completing a task and this may cause you further distress. Using guided meditation will build your strength towards being present and focused. This will encourage you to gradually keep attention on things for longer periods of time. By doing that you will be in control of where your attention goes and you are not simply “jumping from one thing to another” .

Guided meditation is one of the most popular methods of meditation. For some inspiration and mindful time click here to get access to our 5 Star Meditation.

Meditate with Mia-Movement Meditation

 

Meditate with Mia-Movement Meditation

Meditate with Mia-Body Scan

admin  —  February 10, 2021 — Leave a comment

Meditate with Mia-Body Scan

Meditate with Mia-Body Scan

There are many therapies being used to treat mental health problems. Can you think about a therapy that can prevent mental health problems? The only answer is meditation.

Meditation, especially mindfulness meditation is being used to increase the well-being of people all over the world. But why the majority of people are not practicing meditation? Here are the most common reasons.

Meditation And Mental Health

  1. Lack of knowledge about various types of meditations. People need to know the most suitable type of meditation for themselves. Knowledge is the key. One type is not suitable for all people.
  2. Think it is too hard. This is mainly due to a lack of knowledge of meditation.
  3. Start and give-up soon as results are not visible.
  4. Not having someone knowledgeable to ask questions before and during meditation practice.

Few tips if you are planning to start meditation

  1. Learn as much as possible. Learn various types of meditations and decide which is the best for you based on your personality and lifestyle.
  2. Always have an experienced meditation teacher.
  3. Don’t rush. Go slowly. You may not see results immediately. It can take time.
  4. Start with few minutes a day. This is the only way to guarantee you are not going to give up.

A simple meditation for beginners and for those who have started and given-up meditation

You may have given-up meditation for various reasons. The most common reason is either too hard or no time.

Try this simple meditation. You can do this in any place. Don’t do it when you are driving or operating machinery. You don’t need to close your eyes.

Take your palm closer to your nose. You should feel the air on your palm when you exhale. Start counting each time when you feel the air coming out of your nose. Count 1..2..3 up to 10 times and then stop. As you can see, this exercise will take only about 15 seconds. Your objective is to pay attention to your palm and stay focused. There is a possibility that suddenly your mind may think about something else. That’s ok.

Repeat this exercise whenever you have time. Just about 15 seconds at a time. This simple meditation is so powerful that it will put the foundation inside your mind to stay focused. It will help to begin your meditation journey.

The above is one of many meditation exercises that are very easy to learn and suitable for beginners. You can find more methods on mindfulness meditation for beginners website.

When can you see results?

The benefits of meditation are not highly visible immediately. It doesn’t mean that nothing happens immediately. Changes are happening initially at the neuro or cellular level. They are not visible. However, very powerful. The key is to keep practicing. Never give up.

The main purpose of learning and practicing meditation is to apply meditation practice to your daily life. Especially to manage stress, control anger, increase focus, etc. In the end, it will help to maintain your mental health and wellbeing.

Top 10 Tips for Getting into Yoga Practice

If you are looking to get into yoga, then stepping onto the mat for the very first time will probably be the most difficult part of the process. There are numerous factors that tend to deter us including, time, lack of confidence, fear of the unknown, and not knowing how to choose the right teacher. The following are some of our top tips to help you to overcome these obstacles. We believe that, in the end, your physical and mental health will benefit greatly.

Top 10 Tips for Getting into Yoga Practice

Do your homework

Look for a studio that provides classes that fit into your schedule and after you’ve found one…

Check out the yoga studio first

Make a point to visit the studio space as this greatly helps to ease your worries and meet with some of the team members who are more knowledgeable about everything yoga. You will find that a lot of front of house teams have a passion for yoga and will be eager to share their experiences and recommendations. This will help to establish a sense of familiarity for when you go back the second time to start your classes and within no time, you have a better grasp of things.

Start with a beginner’s class or course

These sessions are personalized according to your needs and will spare time to teach you the basics. Signing up for a course is especially an effective way of learning the fundamentals. It is also a great way of making new friends and getting accustomed to the local community.

Be curious

A majority of studios give introductory offers, which provides an ideal opportunity to take as many class trials as possible for a limited amount of time. Once you’ve joined a beginner’s class, you will have a great opportunity to try different teachers and styles. Yoga has a wide range of styles, it is, therefore, wise to initially try out different styles in order to expand your knowledge of this enriching practice. What you’ll gain from a Yin class will vary significantly from what you’ll gain from a Vinyasa Flow, therefore, there is a lot for you to discover.

Be open-minded

In case you treat your health and fitness as a ‘no pain no gain’ affair, then yoga will present a whole new challenge. While the asana practice(the physical postures of yoga) helps to build your physical health, yoga philosophy and meditation are essential for your mental, emotional, and overall well-being.

You are your best teacher

While you will have to leave the bulk of the responsibility to your teacher at the beginning, as your yoga practice progress, you will slowly start to understand that your ability to self-regulate is an integral part of advanced practice. If something feels out of place or you aren’t comfortable, then it is for a very good reason. Obviously, we might need to seek some advice or support, however, there is nobody else in your body apart from yourself, hence, no one else can know for sure whatever you are experiencing.

Explore props

There is an unfounded belief that people use props due to a lack of flexibility. However, props provide a great way of adjusting our practice based on our unique makeup. They can also help to make our practice more demanding. Classes like restorative or yin yoga that are focused on deep relaxation can benefit from the use of props. Hence, by attending one of these classes, you will get to experience how props provide support during deep rest and also more dynamic practice. Begin with 2 yoga bricks and a yoga bolster, which are the most adaptable props. Buy your own yoga equipment at Surplus Network.

Buy your own mat

In case you feel that this practice is right for you, then you should definitely consider getting your own mat. Having your own mat will enable you to feel more committed to the practice. Not only will you be rolling it out at home, but you will also be taking it with you as you travel. For the best mats, consider The Yogamatters Sticky Mat.

Keep in mind that yoga is not limited to the mat

Even though you won’t always be able to make it to class at all times, either due to work or family responsibilities, it is always important to remember that yoga is a philosophy that involves more than just physical practice.

Determine if you are able to add mindful moments into your day, for example, taking some time to monitor how you are feeling, giving another person full attention as you speak to them, or just taking deep breathes. By practicing yoga off-the-mat, you will come to realize that you can continuously practice yoga even in situations where life demands us to direct our attention to other areas.

Learn to relax

At times, savasana or relaxation can be the most difficult part of the practice. At first, it might feel strange to comprehend the art of just ‘being’ and allowing ourselves to rest. However, to us, this is just one of the great reasons why yoga is very special. Even when it feels unusual, just stick with it for as long as you can. It just might become your best part of the practice within no time.

Kundalini Meditation to Release Anxiety

 

 

After months of researching the many, many online yoga teacher training options, I finally enrolled in the right one with Online Yoga School and have graduated! I want to share my experience for anyone who is kicking around ideas or has questions.

I immediately noticed when I began my search that online yoga teacher training programs vary in price from just under $400 up to $5,000. I started making phone calls and was shocked to find out that many online yoga teacher training programs don’t even have phone support. That made me uncomfortable and I immediately scratched them off of the list.

Yoga Teacher Training Options

Next, I started looking at the trainer. I wanted to find out who developed the curriculum and what that person’s qualifications are. I liked what I learned about Steph at Online Yoga School. She shares her own yoga journey, how and when she started and what her experience has been. I appreciate the transparency and strongly relate to her personal story and how her experiences led her to start online yoga teacher training. I appreciate her mission to make yoga teacher training accessible and affordable to all.

I read all the reviews online for all of the online yoga teacher training programs I was considering. I also weighed out the curriculum. And I looked at the relevant bonus offers. At the time I enrolled, I was able to get the restorative training with the 200 hour certification. I also got downloadable cue cards, a ton of class plans and playlists and many, many business forms.
Finally, I took a leap of faith and enrolled. It’s probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. There is a ton of information. It’s well organized and self-paced. I didn’t have to log in at any pre-determined time. I sometimes logged in at 3 am. It’s available 24/7. I didn’t log in for awhile and then I came back to it when my life opened back up, and all my progress was saved.

There is an amazing facebook group and I’ve made some lifelong friends.
I now teach power yoga at a studio near my home. I also teach two mornings a week at the local senior center. I proudly display my yoga teacher training certification from Steph’s local studio, Yoga & Ayurveda Center. It has opened many doors for me and I am grateful for this training.

https://courses.onlineyoga.school/courses/200-hour-yoga-teacher-training-certification