In September we usually resume many of the activities that we finished in June, right? It is a fact that the school calendar marks the logistics of many people and it is now, with the arrival of the new school year, a excellent time to add good habits to our routine.

If you are reading this article, allow me to congratulate you, because starting to meditate will drastically change your days for the better. Before starting, I would like to explain to you what meditation is. For me, it is simply the exercise routine for the brain and emotions. There are many types of meditation, but today I propose to gently begin this new path of self-exploration. Let’s start!

I leave you first the video with the meditation. Below you can find the podcast, if you prefer, and also some reflections and advice that will help you in your first steps when it comes to meditating and turning meditation into a habit.

Starting to meditate has many benefits, believe it!

I’m sure you already know many of the benefits of meditation, but let me refresh them for you:

Mental benefits

• Improved concentration: Increases the ability to focus and maintain attention.
• Reduction of ruminative thinking: Decreases the tendency to overthink or worry about the past/future.
• Mental clarity: It promotes a clearer mind, which helps in decision making.
• Increased creativity: Improves the connection between ideas and problem solving.
• Greater awareness of the present: Promotes the «here and now», reducing distractions.

Emotional benefits

• Stress and anxiety reduction: Decreases the activity of the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight response).
• Emotional regulation: Improves the ability to manage intense or negative emotions.
• Greater empathy and compassion: Meditation, especially loving-kindness meditation (Metta), encourages positive feelings toward oneself and others.
• Increased self-esteem: Improve your relationship with yourself through self-acceptance.
• Depression prevention: It can reduce depressive symptoms and prevent relapses.

Physical Benefits

• Reduction of blood pressure: Helps relax the cardiovascular system.
• Improving the immune system: Reduces inflammation levels and improves resistance to diseases.
• Better sleep quality: Facilitates deeper, more restful sleep.
• Chronic pain reduction: Can help manage pain through acceptance and relaxation.
• Decreased heart and respiratory rate: Indicates a state of deep relaxation.

What do you think? AND I have made a short list to have time and space to tell you other things, although you have to know that many are scientifically proven benefits of meditation.

Start meditating from scratch and acquire the habit

He says expert in acquiring new and positive habits, James Clearbest-selling author Atomic Habits: «Identity emerges from your habits. Every action is a vote for the type of person you want to be.» And you, this course you have decided to be a person who meditates to make better decisions and improve your health.

For James Clear there are six fundamental steps when acquiring a new habit:

• make it obvious. Simplify the cue or trigger that reminds you to do the habit. For example, you want to start meditation once a week, try to join a group or reserve a little time before going to sleep.
• Make it attractive. Associate the habit with something you enjoy to motivate you more. For example, when it comes to meditation, put on a podcast that you really like or light a candle with a scent that you only use during meditation.
• Make it easy. Reduce friction or obstacles to make it easy to get started. Break the habit into small, manageable steps. Thirty minutes of meditation are not necessary, with less than ten minutes you will already reap all the benefits.

• Make it satisfactory. Find a way to reward yourself immediately after the habit so your brain associates it with something positive. After meditating, do something you like: have a coffee, take a walk, write for a while.
• Build identity, not just results. Think about who you want to be, not just what you want to achieve. Change your identity with small acts that support that version of yourself. Think of yourself as a meditating person, you will see what a difference.
• Use habit coupling. Associate the new habit with one you already have so that it becomes part of your natural routine. Why don’t you meditate right after brushing your teeth?

Guided meditation to get started and turn meditation into a habit

The meditation that I propose today is excellent to start with. It’s short, lasts less than ten minutes and we emphasize three fundamental exercises for meditation: conscious breathing, body relaxation and observation of thoughts. You can download it here if you want to put your phone in airplane mode and practice anywhere, even if you don’t have coverage.

My recommendation is that you keep an open mind. You never meditate wrong and meditation It has nothing to do with leaving your mind blank.. You just have to follow the voice and trust that you are doing them right.

It doesn’t matter what time of day in which you start meditating, it is true that the benefits of the practice change slightly, but now the only thing that is important is that you implement the habit. Remember that less than ten minutes a day is enough.In one week you will feel differentyou’ll see.

Thanks for meditating! Both you and the people around you will thank you.

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