A friend popped by recently who has had the time from hell over the past couple of years. She’s a very pretty girl but every little hurt showed on her face and had she been the sort of person I could say - “ hey, lets do 10 minutes meditation” to, she would have looked instantly refreshed. She is not that kind of girl though and I think she would have just thought I was nuts but I know from experience that just 10 minutes of meditation can set everything back on track. It is literally like a re-boot for your mind and body and you don't have to be an expert at meditation to get a positive affect. Of course it won’t put all the wrongs right but if you look good, it certainly helps you to feel and cope better.
I’ve been using
headspace.com for a few years now and I love it.
headspace.com is an app which guides you through daily meditations on whichever level suits you.
The first ten days are free then there’s a yearly subscription if you want to stay with it.
I can’t claim to meditate every day but I have every good intention to make it my daily ritual, especially after I recently saw a video featuring just about every leading actor you could think of saying that they meditated every single day and that it left them feeling refreshed and calm.
Tony Robinson the guru of self help says that it doesn't even matter if you have had a bad nights sleep.
He says that 10 minutes meditation will sort you out.
It’s not essential to use
headspace.com but I find Andy Puddicombe’s (one of the founders of
headspace.com ) reassuring voice works wonders for me.
My basic meditation routine with or without Andy from
headspace.com is to sit comfortably with bare feet if possible, grounded on the floor and back straight and supported.
I also like to sit cross legged on the floor but this is not essential and it’s often easier just to sit on a chair - this could even be on the train. I mentally scan my body from my toes to the top of my head, breathing into any areas that may ache or hurt.
Next I count my breathing - in, one - out, two, - in three, - out, four, up to ten then I begin again.
If you loose your way, don’t worry, just start at one again.
I do this for about five minutes.
(I’m not sure how I know when five minutes have gone by but it is miraculously usually that sort of period of time!) Your mind will begin to rest and after a few minutes you will feel refreshed and it will really show in your face.
I then re-scan my body which always feels much better before gently opening my eyes.
Improved circulation from deep breathing and absence of stress from your face will make you look brighter and younger.
It’s cumulative too.
Practice ten minutes meditation for even just a few consecutive days and people will really start to notice how much better you are looking.
