Common Questions About Mindfulness

I can't meditate because it’s noisy. What can I do?

I understand but when we start a new practice (whatever this is) the beginning is always challenging. So it makes sense that you’ll get distracted when there is noise. What you can do is find a quiet room in your house, or meditate at night before bed or in the morning after you wake up. Also another option would be to go to nature if you have easy access to it. A great place is also a library! Yes, a library because it's always very quiet! Also, you could use earplugs or even listen to music. A great option is also to use noise cancelling headphones.

The more you progress through your practice and you stick to it the less noticeable the noise will become. There is a very interesting study where they used fMRI machines to see the activity inside the brain. They first played loud music to people who don't meditate and their minds reacted! Their brain had a lot of activity because of the loud noise. However when they tried the same experiment to experienced meditators, Monks, their minds did not react because they’re used to observing. And obviously this is an extreme example because we are talking about Monks, but still this study shows us the positive impact that meditation gives us. Now, last tip, if you really can’t find a quiet place, make the noise your focal point! For example if the noise is the laundry that spins the clothes, let it be your focal point! What is the best posture for meditation?

The best posture is one where you are alert and also feel softness. So you can either sit down or sit on a chair and keep your spine straight, open your shoulders, open your chest and create space to breathe. In this way you are awake, you are alert, you are present! But while you strive for this, when you find your final position make sure that you are comfortable. Now, of course you can lay down but I wouldn't recommend this because you’ll probably fall asleep. However, this will be a great option if you’re going to meditate before bed or if you do body scan meditation

How will I know that my meditation session has ended?

Ok that's easy because you can set an alarm and your mind will not wonder if you have 5 or ten minutes left. Because once you start breathing, the first thing the mind will do is bring thoughts- its normal. If you have your alarm your mind won't think about time because it will know that once the alarm goes off the time is up! Also, thanks to technology there are many apps that you can find that will allow you to play a smooth and calming rhythm so you transition from the meditative state back smoothly. When is the best time to meditate?

Well there is no good or bad time to meditate, it's all about what suits YOU. Some people prefer to meditate in the morning so they can prepare their minds for busy days. But others prefer to meditate at midday using it like a restart button. Some people prefer to meditate at night before bed because it calms them down. I’d suggest you experiment and see what suits you best. And also because life always changes, maybe the timing will change too. Research has shown that when we meditate at night the quality of sleep is better because our sleep is deeper. So as you can see, different times of the day give us different benefits.

The questions: what works for you?

That’s all for now, see you soon! Love & Gratitude Marianiki