How and Why Meditation Improves your Life

Dear warrior of peace, 

What is Meditation?

Meditation is a practice that involves training your mind to focus, relax, and become more aware of your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. It’s a technique that fosters greater self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-compassion. Meditation can take many forms, including sitting, walking, or even moving meditation. The goal isn’t to achieve a specific state or to stop your thoughts completely, but rather to cultivate a sense of awareness and acceptance of the present moment. By embracing this practice, you can develop a deeper connection to yourself and the world around you.

The Relationship Between Meditation, Time and Attention

Ever noticed how time sometimes moves in slow motion and other times it races by at 100 mph? Why is it that two minutes of being ‘on hold’ on the phone can feel like a decade but an hour can pass by while scrolling through social media?

Where we direct our attention is the most important choice we make each and every day, so directing it wisely is transformational. Stopping to breathe can actually reset you and help you to be more present, productive, and calm but taking time to slow down, sit, breathe and actually ARRIVE into this moment is sometimes at the bottom of our priorities for the day. Engaging in the actual practice of simple meditation can help bridge this gap.

The desire to use time effectively can result in us trying to pack in way too much into a day in order to feel productive (being ‘busy’ can be mistaken for actually being efficient - more to come on this in a future newsletter!) If you often hear yourself saying ‘meditation? Yup, I know it’s good for me… but I just have no time for that!’ then this makes YOU exactly the right person to urgently add more meditation into your life. Scheduling a regular meditation session can be a game-changer.

Meditation isn’t just about finding calm; it’s about building resilience. By dedicating specific time to a regular practice, we learn to prioritize what matters. This discipline fosters better time management and helps us approach our days with greater intention and efficiency.

By dedicating time to our meditation sessions, we cultivate a habit of being present. This practice of setting aside time for meditation helps us improve our ability to stay focused and attentive, even when faced with distractions and challenges in our daily lives. The simple act of carving out moments for mindfulness rewires how we approach time. With practice, we become less reactive and more proactive, allowing us to balance productivity with presence.

Meditation: A Practice of Presence and Focus

Meditation and attention are deeply intertwined. When we engage in meditation, particularly breath meditation, we train our minds to focus on a single point, such as our breath. This practice of directing our attention to the breath helps us develop the skill of concentration. Over time, this training enhances our ability to selectively focus on one aspect of our environment while tuning out distractions.

By cultivating attention through meditation, we can significantly improve our ability to stay present and focused in our everyday life. Whether it’s during a meeting at work, a conversation with a loved one, or even while performing mundane tasks, the attention we develop through meditation trains our minds to be more present and engaged. This heightened state of awareness not only boosts productivity but also enriches our experiences, making us more attuned to the world around us.

The entire Breathe and Flow team even got involved this week to share their own experiences and quick tips with you, so read on to find out what advice they give to help you along your own your meditation journey.