It’s been pretty common knowledge since the 70s that mindfulness approaches like meditation calms people down. It removes some of the noise and dampers that fight or flight instinct we have. Added bonus for being able to take a time out during the day and connect in a spiritual way!
I spend my time meditating in a rather structured way. I start with some controlled breathing, set my posture and slowly feel myself relaxing. I then ground myself by imagining my feet on the ground stretching all the way to the core of the earth. When sufficiently grounded I then focus my energy upward. When I feel like I am “there” I thank my higher power and sit with gratefulness for a while. Then I just sit and empty the mind, paying attention to if I start thinking about things at which point I focus back on my breathing. I end with a grounding visualization and a thank you.
There are a ton of guided meditations in audio and print and no limit of guides to meditate out there. I find the basic outline stays about the same. and below are my steps I use in my mindfulness meditation practice.
- Get comfortable, sit against a tree, on the floor, in a chair in an upright position.
- Ground yourself focus on your feet
- Say thank you to your higher power
- Pay attention to your breathing pattern.
- Focus upward
- When the mind wanders reel it back focussing on breathing.
- Return from your meditative state slowly by grounding in reverse.
This is simply what works for me, I recommend trying this out or searching for your own method. Either way I highly suggest you find something that works and incorporate it into your daily routine.
Thats great and all but what does this have to do with living on the beam?
Mindfulness practices not only have a calming effect we commonly associate with meditation, but it has been shown to help with addiction.
According to a 2014 randomized clinical trial on mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP) those who practiced mindfulness “…reported significantly lower risk of relapse to substance use and heavy drinking.” The study came to the conclusion that “Targeted mindfulness practices may support long-term outcomes by strengthening the ability to monitor and skillfully cope with discomfort associated with craving or negative affect, thus supporting long-term outcomes.”
Wow, so maybe there is some science to the “Spiritual” action on the beam?
Some days we can use all the help we can get, and the good news is based on scientific study those who practiced mindfulness “…reported significantly lower risk of relapse to substance use and heavy drinking.”
I strongly recommend adopting a meditation routine in your day. If you don’t have any addictions to overcome it certainly doesn’t hurt, and if you do its been proven to help.
I’m glad your here.
ev
