For thousands of years, meditation has been used as a way to disconnect from the outside world and tune in to yourself and lower stress levels. At China Fleet, we have mediation time at the end of some of our classes including Body Balance and Yoga.
The benefits are so widely accepted now, that meditation is being taught to school children in the classrooms and within businesses, being adopted by some of the UK’s largest companies as part of their employee wellbeing.
So, if you’re new to, or restarting meditation, here’s our ‘Back to Basics’ guide:
Find a quiet place. Turn off your phone (if you’re not using a guided meditation app) and ensure you will not be disturbed.
Get comfortable. Such as in a chair with your back straight and your feet on the floor.
Breathe normally through your nose, with your mouth closed.
Breathe deeply. Defocus your eyes, gazing softly into the middle distance. Take five deep breaths. On the last exhalation, allow your eyes to close.
Check in. Take a few moments to settle into your body. Gently observe your posture, and notice the sensations where your body touches the chair and your feet meet the ground. Feel the weight of your arms and hands resting on your legs.
Scan your body. Slowly turn your mind inwards. Scan your body from head to toe, observing any tension or discomfort. Don’t try to change what you find, simply take note of it.
Focus on the breath. Let your mind focus on the breath moving in and out of your nostrils, or on the rise and fall of your stomach. You could place a hand on your stomach or chest to help.
Attention. If your mind wanders off, simply bring your focus back to the breath again. You could try counting the breaths to help.
Prepare to end. Become aware once more of the physical feelings: of the chair beneath you, where your feet make contact with the floor, your arms and your hands resting in your lap. When you’re ready, slowly open your eyes and stretch your arms above your head.
We’d recommend trying this for 5 minutes to start with, building up to 20 minutes if you can.
You could also try one of the many meditation apps available including Headspace, Calm, Insight Timer or Buddhify. If you or someone you know is in the Royal Navy/Royal Marines, all serving personnel and their families can now get the Headspace meditation app for free. See the Naval Families Federation website for details.
See you next week and see you, more relaxed, at the Club soon!
