November 16th, 2020

​Let’s face it: Finding peace and relaxation in the chaos of life is really challenging- specifically when you are trying to achieve a work-family balance.
They tell you to “just relax” and you think to yourself, “That’s easy for you to say!”
However, when relaxation is your end goal, breathing becomes your best ally.
You may wonder why?
When you take deep, more controlled breaths, it lowers cortisol levels in your body. Cortisol plays a huge role to help your mind and body deal with stress.
When we talk about breathing, meditation is the best exercise to practice controlled breathing to relax, relieve stress, and fall asleep faster.
Understanding Meditation
Meditation is a simple yet effective technique for relaxing your mind and body and attaining a state of focused consciousness. It is a science that follows a particular order and some definite principles to give verified results.
When you meditate, you are fully focused and alert, but inwardly. Your mind is clear, silent, and relaxed. Mind that becomes “no mind” deepens meditation and gives you a sense of freedom, relaxation, and calm.
Meditation and Stress Management
Along with its other health benefits, meditation is a highly effective way to relieve stress and maintain a happier, healthier lifestyle.
Let me ask you a question, how does stress and anxiety result?
They happen when you feel you can’t handle the pressures and tough situations of everyday life- leaving almost no space in your mind to figure out how to sort it out.
Meditation gives your mind a space to sort out how to manage the pressure. It guides you about which tasks are actually valid, worth your energy, emotions, and attention, and which are not so important. You get the clarity you need to organize things and prioritize tasks. This way, your experience of stress and anxiety becomes much different.
Meditation offers many benefits in a stressful situation, including:

• Building skills to manage stress
• Gaining a new perspective on stressful situations
• Improving attention and focus
• Increasing self-awareness
• Promoting relaxation and restful sleep
• Reducing negative emotions
• Enhancing feelings of well-being
• Increase patience and tolerance
• Connecting you to your true self
• Reducing symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression

 
5 Best Meditation Exercises to Relax
All these exercises only demand a few minutes, as little as 10 minutes, of your daily life to give you the space to relax your mind and body.
The list includes:

1. Guided Meditation

With the guided meditation, you are guided by a narrator to relax your mind and body and reach a deep meditative space before you try to reach your goal.
The guide will tell you to relax specific muscles until you feel they are comfortable. Then, you visualize the images of places or situations you find relaxing to relieve stress and attain a sense of freedom.

1. Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation urges you to be mindful- remain aware and present in the moment. You focus on the flow of your emotions, inner thoughts, and body sensations while acknowledging them without judgment.
The practice teaches you to slow down your racing thoughts and let go of things to calm your mind and body.

1. Body Scan Meditation

It often happens that you are under stress and you don’t realize- but the physical discomforts such as headache, back pain, and tense muscles are connected to your emotional state.
Body scan meditation or progressive meditation is a good way to release such tension as it involves paying attention to your body parts and sensations in a gradual sequence- from feet to head. You are aware of every part of your body- noticing aches, tensions, and pains.
Guided Relaxation Body Scan Meditation Here

1. Transcendental Meditation

A simple, natural technique to allow your body to settle into a state of rest and relaxation and achieve inner peace without needing to use focus or attention.
In this meditation type, you repeat an assigned mantra- a word, phrase, or sound, in a certain way to relieve stress and get calm.

1. Yoga

You perform a blend of various postures and controlled breathing exercises to relieve muscle tension, achieve a more flexible body, and rest the mind.
You are more focused on the moment that helps reduce stress and anxiety, increases your energy levels, and improves overall mental health.
 
In the end, I’ll suggest practicing each type and find out what works best for you. Remember, what matters is meditation helps you relax, relieve stress, and feel better overall.