We know the importance of maintaining a healthy mind during difficult times and called upon wellness expert Terrence the Teacher to offer his advice and simple techniques to use and share with others over the coming weeks:
TtT: Connecting with meditations for the first time can be daunting. The best way to approach it is with curiosity and no expectations. Start by giving yourself only a few minutes, between one to five. Also know you can do your meditation in whichever place, position and time you want. Later on, you could formalise your practice more. The idea is just to start.
A few simple Mindfulness breath meditations:
Checking in on your Breath
Once you are ready, just notice your breath. Ask yourself the following questions; is my breath fast or slow, deep or shallow and where in your body do you notice yourself breathing the most (It could be the stomach, the chest, the throat, the mouth or your nostrils). Take your time. Whatever you notice, accept what comes up without trying to change it. It is all just about checking in with yourself. After a minute or so, you can go on with your day.
Taking Five
Get into your chosen position for meditation. Close your eyes if possible and connect with your breathing. After a few seconds, start counting. As you breathe in, count up to five. As you breathe out, count up to five. Stay with this for about two to three minutes. This will help to focus your thoughts away from all that stresses you. This will help to settle the mind which will in turn settle the body.
REMEMBER: There is no way to stop your thoughts. You can interrupt, slow down and create longer periods of calm thoughts through this practice. The silence people talk about is when your brain waves slow down so much that it creates the feeling of peace. There is always some thinking, even if it is subconscious, like when we dream.
Dealing with Isolation
In this period that people call " Isolation ", you need to take charge and reframe that statement. This is a period in which we all chose to spend time apart physically for the benefit of everyone's health. It is a choice and feels more empowering. Take this time as a gift to reassess your life, do things that nurture you and connect (even if it is through electronic devices) with those you care for.
A top tip in this period is to choose a time to listen to the news or read about the latest updates. Perhaps only once or twice a day. Depending on when you check the news not much will change in a few hours. Avoid starting your day this way as you will immediately create stress hormone responses in your body. Commit more to nurturing activity like meditations, comforting (if possible) healthy food, exercise and uplifting connection with people in your life.
If you take charge, your subconscious will feel that you are in control and therefore deal with this stressful time better.
Terrence the Teacher is a clinical hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner who offers one to one mindfulness and meditation online. He also shares his teaching and passion through “Talks with Terrence“, Worldwide Retreats, and Apps available on both the App Store and Google Play.
Find out more about Terrence the Teacher and his available apps here.
Follow on Instagram @terrencetheteacher and join his daily meditation sessions everyday at 8am and 7pm live on IGTV.
