Chances are you’ve heard of meditation before. It’s not such a foreign concept to folks these days and is promoted by everyone from healthcare practitioners to celebrities to your friend Jocelyne who lives two doors down.
Maybe you’ve tried meditation and thought it wasn’t for you. Or you’ve been doing it for a bit and getting bored. Don’t worry – there are many people who have similar stories!
What you might need is a tip, trick or method to enhance your meditation. In this post, we’re going to explore how everything from changing the time and place you meditate to adding CBD oil to your daily routine can benefit your meditation practice.
Why Should You Meditate?
Meditation has been a popular practice for thousands of years in human history, with some researchers tracking its origins back to the Vedic times of India. Those same researchers have also been investigating the popularity of meditation in Western nations, including the U.S., with an eye on the health benefits it confers to practitioners.
There are many forms of meditation that exist and finding one that suits your routine and personal preferences is key to incorporating it into your life. Most involve mindfulness and awareness of the present moment and usually connect to simple actions such as breathing, walking or even eating.
What experts have found is that meditation and mindfulness practices are so powerful that they can provide support during times of crisis, helping with anxiety, depression and even pain. When undertaken consistently, the same research has shown that beneficial structural and functional brain changes can occur!
With that sort of evidence in favor of meditation, the question might be better rephrased as, “Why wouldn’t you meditate?”
Enhance Your Practice with These 7 Tips and Strategies
Whether you’re new to meditation or an old hand at it looking to change some things up, these various ways to enhance your meditation practice will work for you. Give them an honest try and see which expand your practice!
1. Low and Slow, then Grow: This is especially good advice for the newcomer, but a great gentle reminder for the seasoned meditation practitioner as well. All too often we have these ideas in our heads that meditation time has to be an hour of us sitting in lotus position (congratulations if you can do that, by the way). But it needn’t be that intense! Keep the time low and progress slowly and then your meditation practice will grow. Start out with five or 10 minutes and grow from there.
2. Consistency: One of the biggest mistakes many of us make not just in our meditation practices, but life in general, is not keeping things consistent. We make far too many compromises because of poor prioritizing. Ultimately, what we end up prioritizing is what we’re saying is important to us. And since meditation actually has beneficial effects on your mental and physical health, when you’re consistent and prioritize it, you’re saying that you are important. And that is 100 percent a fact! So, make sure that you’re incorporating meditation into your daily routine and you will see your practice deepen and expand.
3. Timing: Sometimes our timing is just off. We think we want to start off the day with some mindfulness and so we pencil in our 20 minutes of meditation for right when we get up. But what if there are kids, a spouse or pets running around at the same time? Well, that might not be the best timing then! A good solution might be getting up just a little earlier or finding a different time slot in your day to meditate. And if you find your routine monotonous, you can also change up that morning meditation routine for a lunchtime pick-me-up or evening wind down. By changing the time, you’ll be able to engage better with your practice or perhaps discover new benefits.
4. Add Music: Many folks like to meditate in silence and that’s great. However, why not try adding some music to your meditation? Instrumental music without lyrics can be a great way to focus your practice and help keep you in a state of mindful introspection, connecting to breath and soul. It also helps to block out any chaos going on around you, whether it be a noisy family, co-workers at the office or just your average outdoor environment. Classical music, Gregorian or Buddhist monk chanting, various drum rhythms and binaural beats are all options. What works best for you will be a personal preference so try various options before giving up.
5. Explore Guided Meditations: You’re not alone! Many folks struggle with their meditation practice because they feel there’s no one to help them or they don’t have the time or money to enlist and attend meditation workshops with coaches. Lucky for us, there are many apps and sites that offer us open access to guided meditations. From learning the basics to exploring deeper techniques, you’ll find something that meets your needs. The benefit of a guided meditation is that you have someone leading you through it. And eventually, the hope is that you won’t need your guide anymore because you’ll be able to achieve the outcomes on your own. Then, maybe you can record your own guided meditations, as the student becomes the teacher? It’s not unheard of! And as always, sharing is caring.
6. Try New Places and Spaces: Having a dedicated meditation space is fantastic. It could be an entire room in your home if you’re fortunate enough. It may be a cushion in the corner that you go to. Maybe it’s a multipurpose location that tends to be your go-to spot like a specific chair at the dining room table. But if you’ve been doing the same thing in the same place for too long, you may start to feel stuck or uninspired in your meditation. Change it up! If you usually meditate inside, try finding an outdoor space to practice in. Or vice versa – if you’re big on outside spaces, take it in. You can also explore different rooms in your home. Perhaps you’ve never noticed the morning light from your bedroom window is especially magnificent to soak in during your morning routine. Take a look around and see what’s available!
7. Improve Sleep and Nutrition: Something a lot of people don’t often think about is that what we do outside of our meditation practice profoundly affects what we can do during it. Ensuring that you’re getting enough sleep and eating properly will set you up physically for the mental and spiritual journeys that meditation will take you on. If you’re having trouble falling asleep, you can use something like all-natural CBN oil 30 minutes before bed to help you wind down. There are also some other CBD tinctures available, including ones for sensitive systems if you’re just getting used to them. Another great option, in addition to supplements, is getting some meal planning going. It doesn’t have to be every meal. But ensuring you have a go-to snack like baby carrots on hand will keep you from reaching for the chocolate or candy. All these little changes will have positive effects on your meditation practice.
Wrap Up
The most important thing to remember when it comes to meditation is that it is a practice that is always changing. And like the name implies, it is about practicing. No one is ever really a master. For beginners and the experienced alike, we need to remain open to changes as our lives and needs do and adjust accordingly.
