IF YOU THINK MEDITATION IS HARD, TRY THIS SIMPLE HACK
“We can’t always change what’s happening around us, but we can change what happens within us.”
As the world returns to some semblance of normal (wars, dodgy politicians, inflation etc) it is more important than ever to protect your mental health.
Gratitude II - 60x60cm, acrylic on canvas.
Once thought of as ‘woo-woo’, meditation now has the science to back it up and with everyone from top CEOs to celebrities citing it as a key part of their routine, the western world is finally waking up (pun intended) to what ancient eastern cultures have know all along: it bloody well works!
Cultivating a regular meditation practice has been a fundamental part of my healing journey out of depression and PTSD but it works just as well for alleviating the stress of every day demands. One of the most common things I hear when suggesting meditation as a form of relief is ‘my mind is too restless’. This irks me because it’s like saying you can’t possibly go to the gym because you’re too unfit. Well, duh! That’s exactly why you should go!
However, putting my practice to good use and responding instead of reacting, I calmly explain that a) the point of meditation is not to clear your mind but to create awareness of thought) and b) there is another way if you don’t want to sit cross-legged on a cushion with your eyes closed.
By using art as a visual anchor to the present moment and employing breathing techniques, you can calm your vagus nerve and get out of fight or flight mode. Not only does it lower stress levels by as much as 10%, looking at art increases your dopamine production
I’ve devised an easy technique to help you activate your parasympathetic nervous system and allow stress to just melt away. Simply follow the step-by-step instructions in my first guide, How To Use Art For Meditation, and you could be calmer, lighter and clearer in the mind in just a few minutes - no lotus position necessary.
Download the guide below.
Kx