Guess what, it’s the year of you! It’s so important to make time to relax and treat yourself, and one of the best ways to do this is to meditate… Here at HQhair, we’ve started practising meditation for a number of reasons and we can honestly say that it makes a huge impact! But what is meditation and how can it help? Now’s the time to find out!
What Is Meditation?
Despite popular belief, meditation is not a complicated practice involving sitting in near impossible positions and humming. In fact, it’s far from that! Meditation is actually a technique used to rest the mind and feel peaceful. After a long day of work, class, studying or whatever else has kept you occupied, meditating will refresh your mind and improve your health.
What Are The Benefits of Meditation
There are lots of benefits that come from regularly practising meditation. Not only does it help to control mood and emotions whilst improving focus and concentration, it has some physical benefits too! When practising meditation, levels of antibodies increase, boosting the immune system, which could mean that you can completely avoid that dreaded cold! If that’s not enough, it also helps to lower blood pressure and improve sleep, what more could you want?!
Increased Positivity
Meditation strengthens the signals sent to the part of the brain which controls positive emotions. At the same time, it weakens the signals to the part of the brain responsible for negative emotions. Over time, your happiness and positivity increases dramatically whilst feelings of stress and anxiety will fade.
‘Buddha was asked, “What have you gained from meditation?” He replied, “Nothing! However, I have lost anger, anxiety, depression and fear.”‘
Improved Memory
Alongside helping to improve your mood, meditating also greatly improves your memory. The more you practice, the less you can become distracted both during meditation and in everyday life. It also makes it easier to recall facts and keeps the brain clear, contributing towards improved productivity.
Helpful Apps
Calm
Initially learning to meditate can be the hardest part. Luckily, there are loads of apps available to download to help you learn and keep track of your progress! Calm features a seven day start up programme, perfect for beginners. You can choose the length of time you’re most comfortable with and can even choose nature sounds and scenes to accompany your session!
Sattva
Sattva works best once you’ve mastered the basics of meditation. Featuring guided meditations and an advanced meditation timer; it tracks progress and provides you with statistics on your heart rate and mood. Your account also provides challenges and rewards to encourage you to continue practising and you can connect with others in the community which is great for motivation!
Buddhify 2
With the Buddhify app, there are more than 80 tracks and sessions organised by theme. You simply put in what you’re up to and how you’re feeling and you’ll receive a session suited to your current situation. The best part is that it’s designed for busy people so you can meditate on the go, no matter what you’re up to!
Meditation In Practice
The best thing about meditation is that you can do it anywhere! As long as you’re in a quiet environment where you can relax, you can do it! To help set a calming atmosphere, a quick spritz of the Mio Skincare Liquid Yoga Homeopathic Space Spray will leave you feeling Zen. If you find it easier to wind down by taking a nice hot bath, don’t worry because you can meditate there instead! The Kiss The Moon Calm Collection contains jasmine, sandalwood and chamomile scented bath infusions, a pulse point balm and a face oil to boost feelings of calmness. Afterwards, curl up with a good book or do something else you love for a little while with the This Works Deep Sleep Heavenly Candle burning. It’s the perfect way to melt stress ready for a good night’s sleep!
