Meditation In Love

5 Meditation Tips to Clear the Mind That Work

Most people have heard of meditation and its highly publicized benefits, many of which were backed up in the Journal of Neuroscience earlier this year. But most people seem to struggle with the subject. I believe it is about condensing down the vast material into a few simple principles.Further to researching and practicing meditation techniques for the last 15 years, I have found a few ways that really help me to achieve a clear and peaceful mind during the day, improve my concentration, my productivity and ultimately help me achieve my goals in life. These are simple techniques that I would like to share with you.Before we do though, I believe it is important to ask yourself two questions. What is it I am trying to achieve, and do I really want it? For me, I want mental clarity during my working day, which feels like it relaxes me and buys me mental time. I also want to sleep well! These goals are very important as my life is much poorer without them. Therefore, I am prepared to put the effort in to make them happen. Without a few goals and some starting motivation, it can be extremely hard to succeed. So to my 5 tips:* Find a little time to stop! Anyone can find 5 minutes daily, and that is all it takes each day to see improvements. We spend our whole lives running around, mentally and physically. If we would only sit still quietly for 5 minutes, we would help stop this overwhelming feeling from happening. I find doing this in the morning before work, or actually when I am right in the thick of things at work, is of major benefit. Be tough with yourself, no more excuses!* Once you have your 5 minutes, start by paying attention to something small and detailed. This really works for me. This can be anything; sights, sounds, the thoughts running through your head, or smells. This becomes like hypnosis, so if you see a tree nearby for instance, focus on the smallest crack or branch. There is also my personal favourite, focusing on a part of your body, like your feet, or calves, or shoulders. The shoulders in particular seem to start to relax.* Focus intermittently on your breathing. Make slow, stomach breaths, hold, and exhale slowly, for 30 seconds. You will find yourself relaxing further, particularly in between breaths. In fact it is the Ayurvedics that believe the magic happens in between the breaths.* Practice! If you have read or heard of 2 recent books, Bounce by Matthew Syed, and The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle, you will know where I am coming from. They have conducted very interesting research into the myth of talent, and have by and large concluded that "talented" individuals are the product of high quality practice from a very early age. We live in culture that values "talent", and as a result many of us give up too easily if it is not happening how we want it to, because we don't have what it takes. Nothing could be further from the truth. You will not achieve if you do not practice consistently; it is as simple as that. 5 minutes a day minimum, regularly, is all it takes to see some substantial changes.* Research and evaluate different types of meditation techniques. There are a number of techniques that bring you to the same point. A few to consider are present moment awareness, hypnosis sessions on download, brain entrainment sessions on download, and a good old fashioned walk with mindfulness. All can be beneficial for a clear mind, as well as a number of other goals that you may have.So give it a go, with any meditation technique that grabs you and your soon-to-be-clear mind! Just make sure you know what you want, and you want it enough!