I have a secret to successful meditation for those like me who struggle to switch off…
Sometimes I find it hard to meditate in a controlled setting - and even the word meditation makes me think, “crap, I am not good at this my mind just goes and goes.” But it is something I have wanted to be good at.
Now, I am not one of those people who can just go into another world of zen, but I have a secret that isn't actually a secret at all, just common sense really and that is:
BREATHE.
I know, I know, you knew that already. But stop. Right now, are you even breathing? Properly?
To breathe properly not just the huff puff in and out that we fall into comfortably all day long, but the deep, thoughtful, body-filling breath. This is the only way I know how to stop the thinking brain for a minute to get some space.
I have learnt that you can meditate in many ways (not just on your yoga mat in a cross leg position). You can meditate by simply noticing. On a walk, noticing the trees, the sky, the earth, the smells, the sounds, the light, the dark.
You can meditate lying in bed, by breathing (that is all). In for 6, pause for 6, out for 6. (increase as you go til 8 and then down to 4 again). It is enough to pause the mind for a second (if you focus on the counts) and then focus on how it feels in your body to have all that breath in it.
One minute of this is better than none, and it counts! (excuse the pun)