This month, Nadia Ahmed explores the benefits of meditation and mindfulness, especially before a hectic day in practice.
Summer is finally upon us. Longer evenings, dining al fresco and barbeques (I’m optimistic the recent heatwave is here to stay!). What better time to make the most of the longer days and introduce you to the idea of incorporating meditation and mindfulness into your daily routine?
How often do you find yourself overwhelmed with work and long ‘to-do’ lists or juggling the right work-life balance?
Do you ever give your mind a few moments to switch off from everything around you?
How would it feel to know you have tools to reduce daily stress or anxiety?
Through the knowledge I gained in training to be a yoga teacher and as a certified life coach, this month I will be discussing the benefits of regular meditation practice and introducing the concept of mindfulness.
I really enjoyed seeing the true essence of meditation in Thailand last year and witnessing the practice of monks in the temples there. This sparked my curiosity to learn how they can focus for so long!
Mindfulness versus meditation
The two concepts are symbiotic and go hand-in-hand. Essentially, one cannot be practised without the other.
Mindfulness is a practice that involves focusing your attention on the present moment and accepting your feelings and thoughts, which enhances emotional regulation and can help you to respond to situations with greater clarity. It can be cultivated through meditation, breathing techniques or mindful movement.
Meditation is a tool to practise a technique such as mindfulness or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought or activity to train your own awareness. It involves bringing your awareness to a focus such as a sound, word or visual image.
Types of meditation
There are many different types of meditation:
- Guided meditation (following instructions from a guide who is leading the practice)
- Mindfulness meditation (focusing on the present moment and observing thoughts and feelings without judgement)
- Breathwork (concentrating on breathing techniques)
- Transcendental meditation (repeating a mantra)
- Visualisation (focusing on something you can visualise. For example, the surroundings you are in).
Meditation is a tool to use on a daily basis. When you practise meditation regularly, then you become more mindful, more aware and more conscious.
I have found that through regular practice, I can be more aware and feel calmer when managing stressful situations and times of uncertainty.
Meditation benefits
There are a number of benefits of meditation:
- Having more focus on the present
- Improved productivity
- Being less distracted
- Feeling calmer
- Feeling more centred
- Overcoming physical or mental stress
- Reducing anxiety and depression
- Overcoming sleep issues
- Managing tension and headaches
- Increasing self awareness
- Helping to focus on the present
- Reduction of negative emotions
- Increased patience and tolerance.
In the same way we use the gym to build muscle strength and improve physical fitness, we need tools to build the muscles of our mind to handle heavy thoughts in times of stress and in order to improve mental health.
If we don’t train our mind, we cannot carry the thoughts that challenge us and cause us stress. Without meditation, we can feel overwhelmed by stress, pressure and challenges in life.
Practising meditation
How often do you find yourself ‘absent’ from where you are now and find it difficult to focus?
It takes time to learn to be more ‘mindful’ and to be able to carry out meditation practice. My advice would be to try a simple recording from Youtube or try one of a number of apps that specialise in guided meditations.
Headspace was a popular app during COVID-19 as it was available for free for NHS staff for a period of time. Try a few different ones and see what works for you. I use ‘Boho Beautiful Yoga’ or any of Jay Shetty’s guided meditations.
It is not unusual to find it difficult to focus until you have done a meditation a few times.
I have really enjoyed leading a meditation with my team in the morning before we start clinic and we have now decided to do this weekly. It is a great way to bring everyone together and do this as a team-building exercise. It brings a sense of calm and peace before a hectic working day.
If you have any positive feedback from your meditation or mindfulness experiences or want some guidance, send me a message on my instagram page and I would love to hear from you!
Stay calm. Stay focused. Carpe diem!
Connect with Nadia on Instagram: @Nadia_orthodontist
Catch up with Nadia’s previous column:
- The season of love: it’s time to practise self-love
- ‘Visioning’ your best year yet
- Adapting to the season of change
- Are you living in alignment with your values?
- Alignment: it’s more than straightening teeth.
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