Why meditation during quarantine?
Meditation has been regarded as the space for life to happen. There are many reasons why this type of practice or prayer is helpful in surviving the mental health threats being in isolation imposes. Mainly being stressed weakens our immune system. I would like to share how this teaching has positively impacted my life and I would like to change the way you perceive your own self-care / healthcare practices.
What I have heard over the last several weeks are feelings of overwhelm, isolation, lack of or without proper protection, vulnerability, financially insecure, unpreparedness, and sleeplessness. This is serious time with the increase of threatening messages that our nervous system is trying to sort or organize. We have to remember we can only control our emotions. Meditation, yogic breathing exercises and humming or chanting can prove beneficial in our body’s response to stress.
Begin each day observing your breath before you even get out of bed. Cultivate a moment of gratitude that you have another day. It is powerful message for your brain/body to receive. Observe your inhale and exhale for three cycles of breath. Make a point to notice your body during this time. Another tip I learned from my teacher, allow your snooze button to serve at your meditation timer. If you are one to hit the snooze button often, sit up in bed or slide off the bed to the floor and lean your back against your bed frame. Take this time seated in meditation instead of going back to sleep. Establish a new habit by continually trying this and add a journal to your nightstand. Write down how this meditation time makes you feel. Even if you describe your feeling in one word. Keep track of these feelings and make note of the patterns. It may turn you on to other things you may be neglecting, like getting enough sleep, food or water. Setting time each day for this ritual builds resilience in strengthening our mental health. This approach to our own self care is important during this extended period of time at home, feelings of isolation and the fear of the unknown. We need to recognize that our mind muscle needs to be strengthened.
“Meditation is not a way of making your mind quiet. It’s a way of entering into the quiet that’s already there.”
~Deepak Chopra
Studies have shown how important meditation is for maintaining manageable stress levels, sleeping better, finding purpose and an intention to set forth in our daily routine. However meditation or prayer looks for you, explore it a little deeper during this time. Sit. Stand. Recline. Observe your breath. Thoughts will come and go. It’s ok. Our brain is meant to secrete thoughts. Acknowledge the thought, let go of it, replace your attention back to your breath until you can steadily observe your breath for a minute at a time. Work up to two minutes and so on.
I advocate 100% for meditation in our lives, school, workplace, sports. Even as little as a minute a day can make necessary shifts in our physiology. May feel like time wasted at first, because our mind may be all over the place. Even seasoned meditation practitioners still have practices spent like this. But when the benefits start to kick in and you react to stress differently, then you know you are nourishing your body and making progress. Mindfulness meditation is one of the key components I share in training athletes. It is the icing on the cake after training hard in the weight room and practicing skill work on the field/court/pool. It is what many elite athletes call playing in the zone. Growing this state of awareness has helped many athletes become greatest of all time.
I have upped my time spent in prayer and meditation during this quarantine. Mainly because I have more time, I’m busier in different ways, but I am not scheduled for all the weekly appts. There is no better time to sit, observe, breath and reflect. Believe me, there have been days during this quarantine, I let meditation slide. I immediately feel the stress rise in my body and I do not like how that feels.
For the many affected by COVID-19, a have selected a meditation based on Loving Kindness. It involves mentally sending goodwill, kindness, and warmth towards others by silently repeating a series of mantras. Cultivating gratitude for those working on the front lines, first responders, nursing home facilitators, essential workers in grocery, food caterer, restaurants and for all those affected with the virus and their families. This metta meditation may give you a broader perspective about this pandemic. It’s about all of us sacrificing time from one another so we can resume life together again sooner.
Whether you are new to meditation, or already have a practice in place, I have created a one minute mindfulness meditation video that you can start or end your day with. Everyone has one minute to sit. Comment below how it made you feel or share with a friend. If you want 1:1 coaching on how meditation can work for you or go deeper into the benefits, I’m available for you.
Stay healthy and mentally strong!