Learning to meditate and performing mindful exercises such as mindful breathing and simply allowing our thoughts to come and go can mean an improved ability to FOCUS. It is SO simple.
Give it a go: one breath in and held for 5-8 seconds, followed by a long breath out for 5-8 seconds.
Would you like to have a good memory?
Have you ever been in an exam and forgotten an important piece of information? Something that you know? Have you been put on the spot by someone and forgotten the answer? Stress can cause that to happen.
Stress decreases our ability to retain information. That happened to me a lot as a teenager and I usually fell apart in exams. I would study like crazy and often I was stressed.
That is one of the reasons I am passionate about helping young children and teens.
I created the popular “Zen Warrior“ Mindfulness Programs for Kids and teenagers. I wish I had learnt Mindfulness as a child.
You will be surprised…. just a few minutes of meditation a day can make a real difference….
There has been some research done on mindfulness and memory retention. In one study that was conducted people who meditated for more than 10 minutes per day over an 8-week period maintain their memory much better than those who did not meditate at all.
Finding the perfect “space” to meditate is important.
1) Don’t try too hard and remember my 3 Ps. Perseverance, Patience and Persistence
Be kind to yourself. Allocate a few minutes a day until it becomes habit or something that you really enjoy. Just like cleaning your teeth or eating your breakfast.
2) Pick the time of day that suits you.
3) Find your “space”.
You need to be comfortable meditating in your own “space”. The picture on the right is one my favourite personal spaces to meditate in.
How and where you sit are important. Sit in a relaxed position that will allow you to breathe easily. I find that sitting upright is the best as I am awake and alert; this also allows the energy to flow up my spine to my brain. It also reduces the temptation to nod off.
4) Let go of any expectations
Just go with it and see what happens. Play with it and just BE curious.