Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years because of its powerful benefits. It is a practice in which you aim to achieve mental clarity and an emotionally calm state through mindfulness and breathwork.
Meditation is a transformative, impactful practice. You can begin to see a range of benefits if you commit to just fifteen minutes each day to practicing meditation.
Meditation can help in many areas of personal development, from helping you better process your emotions to improving the quality and ease of sleep. Best of all, there is no equipment or much preparation needed. The more consistent you are with the practice, the more apparent and efficient the positive effects can be for you.
Key takeaways
- Meditating for just 15 minutes each day can help you focus, decrease stress, become more mindful, and boost your mood.
- Getting started with meditation is simple – all you need is a serene space and a time limit
- Pay attention to your body, breath, and thoughts while meditating to stay on track.
Research has found that just 15 minutes of meditation can have similar effects as a day of vacation in regards to mindfulness. Both meditation participants and vacationers reported a heightened awareness of their environment as well as a greater and even-tempered experience with their emotions.
Although long sessions of meditation can be beneficial, you could begin to see immediate benefits from just 15 minutes of meditation. The key is to be consistent and incorporate this practice into your daily life.
1. Helps Increase Focus and Decrease Stress
Meditation can help you better bounce back when you are facing distractions. The way to do that is through your breath. Each time you notice your mind wandering during meditation, work on using your breath to bring yourself back to the present. This training can help your mind increase its focus outside of practicing meditation.
Stress is just a part of life, and our bodies naturally react in ways that prepare us to fight or run. This is in response to the activation of the body’s sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for your body’s fight or flight response. The way to reverse this is to activate the body’s parasympathetic nervous system, which is in charge of your body’s rest and digest functions. These two systems work inversely of each other.
Studies show that those who meditate have a better reaction to stress because the sympathetic nervous system becomes quieter during high-pressure situations. This is because their mind has been trained to respond to these situations.
2. Helps Improve Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of intentionally bringing your attention to the present without judgment. Meditation is a form of mindfulness that encourages you to notice your thoughts moving through your mind to achieve a state of calm.
As you practice meditation, you may notice the benefits that can come from being mindful and present. The benefits allow you to think more clearly and have more control over your emotions.
3. Helps Boost Your Mood
Studies have shown that individuals with mild and major depressive traits reported a reduction in symptoms of loneliness and an improved overall mood after introducing an adjunct of meditation to their current depression management plan. This is because meditation can help boost your mood.
How Can I Start Meditating?
There are many different techniques when it comes to meditation. They each have their purpose and place. We suggest trying different meditation styles to find the one that works best for you. Just remember that one is not inherently better than the other.
1. Breathing Is Key
Most meditation techniques follow a few similarities, and the biggest is the breath. Breath is always with you. It can serve as an anchor to bring you back to the intention of the practice. Here are a few techniques that you could anticipate using while meditating.
2. Find a Serene Space
Before you begin your practice, make sure you find a space that is serene and free from any distractions. Ideally, your space should be quiet and as uncluttered as it can be. Choose if you would like to sit on a chair or lay down on the floor. Whatever you choose, you need something comfortable and supportive, like a chair with a tall back or a pillow under your pelvis on the floor.
Many people like to create a small area in their space to dedicate to meditation to encourage them to practice it daily. Over time, your mind and body could begin to relax just by entering the space, similar to muscle memory.
3. Set a Time Frame
If you are new to meditation, begin with a simple five-minute meditation and then work your way up to 15 minutes. You can always aim to achieve a longer time frame if that works best for you, but 15 minutes is a maintainable sweet spot. To see the most consistent benefits from meditation, make it a part of your daily routine.
Once you choose the time frame you would like to practice in, set a timer so you won’t be distracted from trying to sneak a peek at your phone or a clock through your practice. Guided meditation could be more suitable yet because the time is predetermined, and you are guided through how to focus your thoughts and breathing.
Tips for Successful Meditation
As you continue getting used to the practice of 15-minute meditation, pay attention to these three aspects of the experience – your breath, your body, and your thoughts.
1. Notice Your Breath
As you begin the meditation practice, simply bring awareness to your breath. Notice how it feels with each rise and fall as the air comes in and out of your body. You don’t need to change anything or make any judgments. You are doing it right if you keep coming back to observing your breath.
Keep your focus on your breath with each gentle inhale and exhale. Notice how the air is warmer as it leaves your body. Notice how the air feels as it enters the nose and moves down into your lungs. Continue breathing and noticing without judgment.
If you would like, you can begin to count your breath with ‘one’ as you inhale, ‘two’ as you exhale, and continue through ten and then start again back at one. This technique can help you keep your focus on your breath.
2. Notice Your Body
As you meditate, taking the time to scan the body not only helps improve your mindfulness but also allows you the chance to see how your body is truly feeling. It is recommended that you begin at your feet and feel the ground below you and then slowly work your way up, body part by body part, and work your way up to the crown of your head—observing any sensations at these points.
As you check in with each part of your body, from the soles of your feet to the tips of your fingers, be sure to have no judgment about what you’re feeling. You just need to notice the body part and any feeling you may be experiencing there. Simply check in with the body, linger there for a few moments, and then observe the different sensations as you focus. Bring your mind back to the present if you notice it has wandered a bit.
3. Notice Your Thoughts
A simple yet sometimes difficult task is to suspend judgment of yourself and the practice. If you find yourself struggling with this, you can instead notice the judgment and label it. The goal of mindfulness meditation is not to quiet the mind but rather be present to our experience. Our mind’s job is to keep running and thinking, so instead of quiet, the goal should be to notice your thoughts without judgment.
As you consistently continue this practice, it will become easier to allow your thoughts to come and go without judgment. This will allow you to use this tool in many different stressful situations to help bring you back to the present.
15-Minute Meditation Practices To Get You Started
If you’re interested in shorter meditation sessions, give these five practices a try.
- Deep Sleep Body Scan w/ Crussen: Scan your body to become aware of your breathing before resting (15 Minutes).
- Clarity and Gratitude w/ Manoj D.: Use this meditation to cultivate a clearer mind and a grateful heart (15 Minutes).
- Morning Presence w/ Manoj D.: Begin your day with a boost of mental energy. A total fresh start for your body and mind (15 Minutes).
- Spacious Sleep w/ Manoj D.: Having trouble falling asleep? Calm your busy mind with this peaceful meditation (15 Minutes).
- Practice Generosity w/ Manoj D.: Re-train your mind to be more focused on the needs of others (15 Minutes).
No matter when you choose to practice, these guided meditations can help you feel more grounded within your routine to help you thoughtfully navigate whatever life throws your way. What matters most is finding a meditation practice that works for you.