Meditation: Managing Stress and Disconnection
What if, in order to better manage stress, you took back control of your body and your emotions by practising meditation? After an introduction to the principles of this relaxation technique, discover how to integrate it into your daily life with easy-to-do exercises that will help you become Zen.
Why Is Meditation Good?
If you’re the stressed-out type, meditation is for you. This method of relaxation simply consists of training your mind to get around the difficulties of everyday life and to free yourself from stress. Based on breathing and concentration, it allows you to regain control of your thoughts. For some, it is also an art of living and a philosophy. Once autopilot is deactivated, it is possible to let go, to pause for a moment to breathe, to observe the world around us and to become aware of what is going on inside. A few minutes can be enough to defuse a surge of stress.
By working on the mental and physical aspects, meditation opens up access to a deep and lasting inner peace. More than an anti-stress remedy, it is an incredible tool for reflection for:
- Regaining self-confidence, getting started and growing a project
- To better understand difficulties and find solutions to face them
- Relaxing and learning to escape the hectic pace of everyday life
There are dozens of reasons to get into meditation and just as many ways to practice it.
Each Person Has Their Own Way of Meditating
To overcome stress, all you have to do is choose the style of meditation that suits you. After an overview of the 4 types of meditation, you will have all the necessary tools to regain your inner balance.
Mindfulness Meditation: The Ideal Way to Begin
Focused on the present moment, full consciousness and mindfulness aims to achieve a state of serenity. This conscious letting go allows you to distance yourself from everything that distracts you from your inner peace. It is about paying attention only to what you are experiencing and feeling at a given moment. It is also an excellent tool to release stress and tension.
Vipassana Meditation: Focus On the Sensations of the Body
Explore your inner world with this traditional Buddhist practice. Vipassana meditation consists of focusing your attention on your 5 senses by considering only the present moment. From self-observation comes self-transformation. You rid your mind of tensions by replacing negative ideas with positive thoughts. This kind of reconditioning helps to fight against addictive behaviour and stress.
Transcendental Meditation: An Easy-to-Learn Relaxation Method
Simple and very accessible, this technique is based on the use of mantras. In silence, sounds, syllables or phrases are repeated mentally or out loud at a sustained rhythm. Through 20-minute sessions, generally at sunrise and sunset, the transcendental meditation ritual provides access to well-being and relaxation.
Zen Meditation: Harmony of Body and Mind
Famous thanks to the lotus posture, Zazen or Zen meditation leads to self-realization and serenity. Contrary to other forms of meditation, here silence and immobility are necessary to empty the mind and reach “nirvana”.
Anti-Stress Challenge: 3 Simple Exercises to Test and Adopt
With eyes closed or open, at home or at work, in the metro or on foot, meditating means taking a break just for yourself. With just enough time to brush your teeth or in the quiet of your sofa, you live in the present moment to better detach yourself from everyday life.
5 Minutes of Vipassana Meditation to Free Your Mind
It’s time to relax. Sit comfortably with your back and head straight. Breathe normally. Place two hands on your abdomen and concentrate only on your stomach movements. If the neighbour’s dog barks or your little one plays with his rattle, pay attention briefly and then relax your concentration. If everything is calm and nothing disturbs your session, stay focused for 5 minutes.
Relaxation Assured After 10 Minutes of Transcendental Meditation
Do you have the opportunity to isolate yourself for a few moments in a quiet place? Choose your own mantra, a positive affirmation to soothe you: “I am capable of…”, “I am free to be myself”… Now sit down, close your eyes and breathe without thinking about anything. Repeat your mantra, out loud or in your head, for about ten minutes. Say it throughout the day as well. Ideal for strengthening your determination, transcendental meditation will make you gradually approach each situation by telling you “I’m going to make it“.
Mindful Walking: Managing Stress with Active Meditation
This exercise simply consists of putting one foot in front of the other while paying attention to each part of your body. On the way to work or between two bottle feedings, wherever you are, walk concentrating only on your sensations, one after the other: the swinging of your arms, your breathing, your feet treading the ground… simply observe, without analysing. Calm comes and stress goes down…
