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Meditation and Mindfulness Made Easy: The Very Best Tips #115

Jun 3, 2020 54m 31s 33 insights
There’s so much craziness going on in the world right now and it can often be hard to know what to feel, or even what to do. In times like these, a practice of mindfulness or meditation becomes even more important. It can help improve sleep, reduce levels of stress and anxiety and so much more. But for me, the most important benefit is that it allows you to check in with who you are. Many of us live life at 100 miles an hour – bombarded with emails, texts messages and news – we are constantly consuming information from the outside and we rarely have time to go to the inside and check in on how we are feeling. Today’s episode is a special compilation episode all about mindfulness and meditation – what are the common misconceptions, and what are the actual benefits? In this episode, I have put together the very best clips from previous conversations on the podcast, to help answer these questions. Many of us have tried before to start a daily practice but have soon found ourselves giving up, despite our best intentions. This special episode will show you why this need not be the case. It is packed with simple, easy and practical tips, that I am sure will inspire you to get started and start reaping the benefits today! Show notes are available via https://drchatterjee.com/115 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/ Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk
Actionable Insights

1. Practice Mindfulness Daily

Regularly practice mindfulness and meditation to improve sleep, reduce stress, enhance focus, decrease anxiety and depression, and allow for self-reflection.

2. Treat Meditation as Fitness

View meditation as ‘mental fitness’ that strengthens your attention muscle; start slowly with a few seconds of conscious breathing and gradually increase duration, like training for a marathon.

3. Embrace Thoughts in Meditation

During meditation, accept all thoughts as legitimate and part of the process, viewing your mind as an ally rather than an enemy, which helps you meditate correctly.

4. Abandon Meditation Perfectionism

Do not let perfectionism hinder your meditation practice; simply engage in it, accepting whatever arises, as the act of doing it is more beneficial than striving for a flawless experience.

5. Reframe Mind Wandering

When meditating, if your mind wanders, recognize this moment of realizing it has wandered as a moment of mindfulness and a success, not a failure, to reduce self-annoyance.

6. Meditate Daily at Home

To gain the most benefits, meditate daily at home, preferably in the morning, rather than relying on infrequent group sessions.

7. Anchor Meditation to Habits

Make meditation a daily habit by practicing 10 minutes, 4-6 days a week, and ‘anchor’ it to an existing routine, like meditating immediately after brushing your teeth in the morning.

8. Integrate Meditation into Routine

To ensure consistent meditation, identify an existing daily habit and ‘stick’ your meditation practice onto it, such as meditating first thing in the morning.

9. Sit Comfortably for Meditation

To begin meditating, sit comfortably with back support, like watching television, and do not feel obligated to sit cross-legged, as comfort enhances the practice.

10. Celebrate Your Thinking Mind

During meditation, embrace and celebrate your thoughts, recognizing that a busy mind means you are meditating perfectly, which will enhance your experience and lead to stillness.

11. Extend Awareness Beyond Meditation

Consistently practice meditation to develop a carryover effect, where present moment awareness and a deeper state of rest extend into your daily life, improving your experience of the other 23 hours.

12. Make Conscious Decisions

Meditate to gain a crucial pause that allows for conscious responses instead of instinctive reactions, leading to more thoughtful and effective life decisions.

13. Reduce Stress, Improve Habits

Practice meditation to reduce stress, achieve deep rest, and naturally cultivate desires for healthy lifestyle choices like exercise and good nutrition, rather than craving detrimental ones.

14. Cultivate Broader Awareness

Practice mindfulness daily to expand your awareness, enabling you to notice and connect with the details of your environment, leading to a calmer and more vibrant experience of life.

15. Increase Conscious Living

Practice meditation for 20 minutes daily to expand your conscious awareness throughout the day, effectively adding decades to your life by living more presently rather than on autopilot.

16. Experiment with Meditation Methods

If you find meditation difficult, persist by trying different methods and viewing the experimentation process as a valuable learning opportunity to understand your obstacles and find what works.

17. Enjoy Meditation Practice

Make meditation a daily habit by finding enjoyment in the experience itself or in the immediate positive feelings afterward, reinforcing its continuation.

18. Address Emotional Eating

Practice mindfulness and meditation to connect with your emotions, as emotional drivers often influence eating behavior, making it easier to change habits for weight loss.

19. Use Breathing for Pain

In situations of extreme pain or stress, close your eyes and focus on the sensations of your breath and body movements to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and alleviate discomfort.

20. Center Before Activity

Prior to engaging in physical activities or daily tasks, center yourself to achieve mental looseness, which enhances the experience and reduces stress throughout the day.

21. Master Device Use

Cultivate mindfulness to consciously control your use of technology, preventing autopilot behavior and transforming you from a slave to a master of your devices.

22. Limit Morning Phone Use

Do not use your phone in bed and avoid checking social media or emails immediately after waking until you have left the house, to foster a lighter start to your day.

23. Mindful Morning Coffee

Drink your morning coffee without distractions, focusing entirely on each sip, as this simple act of presence can significantly enhance your daily mindfulness.

24. Savor Tea or Coffee

During your next tea or coffee break, close your eyes and fully immerse yourself in the flavors and smells, consciously savoring the experience to practice mindfulness.

25. Broaden Awareness for Stress

When stressed, step outside and broaden your visual awareness by looking at the sky, horizon, or down the street, as this simple act can effectively alleviate overwhelm.

26. Break Habitual Negative Thoughts

Practice mindfulness to interrupt automatic negative thoughts and behaviors, fostering a deeper connection with life and increasing your daily presence and consciousness.

27. Breathe Consciously While Moving

When engaging in physical activities, disconnect from distractions and focus on your breath, imagining you are inhaling peace, to cultivate both peaceful and dynamic energy.

28. Run with Intention

When running or engaging in morning practices, set a positive intention, like greeting the sun or seeking a moment of silence, to cultivate a loose mind and open yourself to transformative experiences.

29. Focus on Breath While Running

During runs, prioritize focusing on your breath over tracking time or distance to cultivate a more mindful experience and deeper connection.

30. Reframe Running Philosophy

Adopt the Navajo philosophy of running as a celebration of life, a teacher during challenges, and a prayer, to transform it into a more meaningful and growth-oriented practice.

31. Take Daily Nutritional Supplement

Take a high-quality whole food supplement like Athletic Greens each morning as an ‘insurance policy’ to help meet nutritional needs, improve energy, sleep quality, and concentration.

32. Support Oral Microbiome

Use Zendium toothpaste, which contains natural enzymes and proteins, to support your oral microbiome by increasing good bacteria and reducing bad bacteria, protecting against dental problems.

33. Wear Minimalist Footwear

Try Vivo Barefoot minimalist shoes to increase your connection to the ground, which can enhance mindfulness during movement and potentially improve mobility and alleviate pain.