Chris Meistre

Today’s life has become so fast paced and so busy that I’m willing to put money on the fact that you cannot go 1 hour being around people and not hear at least one person say how busy their life is, or how stressed out they are.

Our stress and tiredness make us feel unhappy, impatient and frustrated. Combine this with the feeling of not having enough hours in a day and you’re a ticking time bomb.

You need to stop and get some quiet time for yourself. This is where meditation comes into the picture. Meditation is not about opening yourself up to evil spirits or praying to a god. It’s about taking time for yourself to make your mind calmer and more focused. You also don’t need to become a Zen master in order to appreciate meditation, because it’s a lot easier than most people think.

A simple ten minute breathing meditation will help you overcome stress and help you on your journey to find inner peace. Using meditation you can become familiar with your own mind and start understanding it. That sounds like a funny thing to say, but how often have you thought to yourself “Who am I?”.

Using meditation you can transform your negative mind to positive and take the un out of the unhappiness.

Here is a guide to a simple breathing meditation:

1. Choose a quiet place to go and sit

Make sure any distractions are switched off. TV, radio, cellphone, etc. The more you do this, the less any distractions will really make a difference.

2. Sit in a comfortable position

The best is to sit in a cross legged position, as you’ll get the most benefit out of your meditation from this position. You’re opening up all your energy points in your body as well as creating an energy force around you. You can even sit on a chair if you want to, just as long as your are comfortable. Try to keep your back straight, as this prevents your mind from becoming sleepy.

3. Close your eyes and listen to your breathing

While sitting, slowly close your eyes. Start focusing on your breathing. Breathing through your nose, do not attempt to control your breathing. Feel the sensation in your nostrils and throat, listen to it as your breath in and out.

4. Keep focusing on your breathing

This is the focus of this meditation. By focusing on your breath, you are getting your mind off other things that are bothering you in your life. Don’t worry if other thoughts come into your mind, just refocus on your breath.

You do this for as long as you feel comfortable doing it. The more you do it, the easier it will become to focus your mind and stop it from drifting off. Do it whenever you feel like you need it, your body will tell you when it’s time.

This is a very basic form of meditation, and perhaps it’s all you need. I’ve found some nice Youtube videos and documents about the different meditation forms.

If you’re interested, below are 6 videos you might want to watch.

How to meditate – Introduction

How to meditate – Part 1

How to meditate – Part 2

How to meditate – Part 3

How to meditate – Part 4

How to meditate – Part 5