Why meditation should be an essential part of your day

It’s crucial to slow down sometimes in our fast-paced often frantic world. For many people meditation is an effective way to tap into their calmer selves…

What do Katy Perry, Russell Brand and Lady Gaga have in common? These A-listers are all fans of meditation. The practice, which involves taking time out to slow down our breathing and letting ourselves just be, is transformative for many.

As renowned expert Jon Kabat-Zinn says: ‘Meditation is the only intentional systematic human activity, which at the bottom is about not trying to improve yourself or get anywhere else, but simply to realise where you already are.’ It can help you cope with the stresses, strains and challenges that we all face in our lives. As Kabat- Zinn says - you can’t stop the waves but you can learn to surf.

By calming down the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering cortisol levels and encouraging a deep state of relaxation, meditation can have a transformational effect on our everyday lives. The health benefits include:

• regular meditation practice can help to lower heart rate and blood pressure, as well as improve sleep quality

• it can help improve focus: one study found that meditating for just 13 minutes on a daily basis enhanced attention and memory after eight weeks

• taking deeper breaths helps to calm our nervous system, lowering our cortisol and stress levels

• it helps you reconnect with yourself: we all live in our heads too much, and meditation can put us back in touch with our physical body

• meditation frees up some brain space and can allow you to be more creative

Do you feel like you don’t have time to meditate? If that’s the case then you probably need it more than most. As Gandhi famously said: ‘I have so much to accomplish today that I must meditate for two hours instead of one.’ Now we’re not saying you have to spend hours meditating unless you have the time and inclination, but taking just 10 or 15 minutes out of your busy day can make a real difference to your everyday life. Need some help getting started? Check out our type: entry-hyperlink id: 2lmLeKRtT6U8WasTV3mfdS.

We also like the practice of beditation – breathing deeply for a few minutes while lying in bed. It’s a great way to start and end the day.