[Day 10] Just Breathe!

Most of us live very stressful lives and meditation is a wonderful way to beat stress. Plus it lowers stress, supports immune system and lowers your cortisol levels. Another bonus is it will help you sleep.

I started a mediation challenge last winter by Deepak Chopra. It was an awakening experience it was really good. It was a 5 min guided meditation. It was a great foundation.

For some of you this may get a little woo woo, but I thought I’d throw it out there to see if you guys would be interested.

Here are a few tips to help you learn how to mediate.

There are lots and lots of ways to meditate. But it’s not about finding the perfect form of meditation — it’s about forming the daily habit of meditation. Let’s try to keep it simple.

1. Commit to just 2 minutes a day. Start simply if you want the habit to stick. You can do it for 5 minutes if you feel good about it, but all you’re committing to is 2 minutes each day. I use a my phone to time it. Right now I’m at 5 minutes in the evening.

2. Pick a time. Not an exact time of day, but a general time, like morning when you wake up or during your lunch hour or in the evening before bed. I like evening I find it’s me to decompress after the day and relax prior to bed.

3. Find a quiet spot. It really doesn’t matter where — as long as you can sit without being bothered for a few minutes. I have a do not disturb sign as my husband always seems to want to talk to me when I’m mediating.

4. Sit comfortably. Don’t fuss too much about how you sit, what you wear, what you sit on, etc. I personally like to sit on a pillow on the floor, with my back leaning against a wall, because I’m very inflexible. Others who can sit cross-legged comfortably might do that instead. Still others can sit on a chair or couch if sitting on the floor is uncomfortable.

5. Start with just 2 minutes. This is really important. It’s not about how long you can go it’s about making this a habit. To do that, we want to start with just a two minutes. You’ll find it much easier to start this way, and forming a habit with a small start like this is a method much more likely to succeed. My goal is to get to 20 minutes. But it’s really hard as my mind likes to wander.

6. Find your focus. It could be on your breath or a word. For breathe meditation .. As you breathe in, follow your breath in through your nostrils, then into your throat, then into your lungs and belly. Sit straight, keep your eyes open but looking at the ground and with a soft focus. If you want to close your eyes, that’s fine. As you breathe out, follow your breath out back into the world. If it helps, count … one breath in, two breath out, three breath in, four breath out … when you get to 10, start over. If you lose track, start over. If you find your mind wandering (and you will), just pay attention to your mind wandering, then bring it gently back to your breath. Repeat this process for the few minutes you meditate. You won’t be very good at it at first, most likely, but you’ll get better with practice. The other way to is repeat a word or an affirmation when you find your mind starting to wonder.

And that’s it. It’s a very simple practice, but you want to do it for 2 minutes, every day, after the same trigger each day. Do this for a month and you’ll have a daily meditation habit.

Good luck!

Today’s Challenge

1. Pick a time that you will give mediation a try.
2. Determine if you will use your breath, mantra or affirmation

Don’t forget Leave a comment below. Write a facebook post on the Fabulous Fit Squad. If you have a personal blog, write a blog post. Make sure you link back to the site so we can cheer you on and hold you accountable.

Just joining now” Don’t worry you can catch up.
Day 1 — Intro the challenge
Day 2 — Getting your mind straight 
Day 3 — Goal setting 
Day 4 — What’s on your plate
Day 5 — Lift
Day 6 — Cardio
Day 7 — Living on your own terms
Day 8 — Rest day
Day  9 — Forming a habit