Guided Meditation and Mindfulness Exercises to Practice
Mindfulness meditation is a spiritual practice that aims to train the mind, with the aim of helping us to anchor ourselves in the present, better feel our emotions and sensations and above all control our thoughts.
As a first approach, mindfulness can be seen as a mental state involving total presence in the moment achieved through concentration on what we are experiencing.
Contents :
Discover this meditation in video format
What is the principle of mindfulness?
The effects of this meditation
Preparing for mindfulness meditation
Discover this meditation in video format
What is the principle of mindfulness?
As has just been said, mindfulness is a type of meditation that will aim for full presence in the moment. You will have to become aware of everything that makes up a moment, namely your sensations (especially physical), your emotions, your thoughts and, for the most accomplished practitioners, your energy.
Working on sensations is undoubtedly the easiest because it is the most directly accessible. A mindfulness meditation will involve paying attention to your breathing, the smells around you, the sensations of clothes on your skin, tingling sensations, the noises in your environment, the light in the room, etc.
Being aware of your emotions is the second point of mindfulness. This step is undoubtedly the most interesting in the sense that many of the benefits specific to this meditative practice will result from it. Concretely, becoming aware of your emotions will allow you to understand them and can therefore be the first step in many personal projects.
Once the first two barriers are crossed, thoughts will naturally arise in our minds. Some like to talk about this phenomenon as a manifestation of our unconscious, which is then released. This vision may be interesting. Whatever happens, thoughts (good and bad) will cross your mind and you will have to observe them, look at them without judging them to let them flow.
On a more practical level, mindfulness meditation also often involves breathing exercises and mental visualization. These two elements are more “aids” than real principles and their use will therefore depend on the practitioner. As a general rule, any practice that allows you to relax and calm down can be included in meditations because they will put you in the right state of mind to more easily achieve full awareness.
Calm down, relax
thanks to meditation and its tools
The effects of this meditation
Mindfulness meditation is a topic that has received a lot of attention. The benefits that you can get from it are very numerous and for the most part rather well sourced. We will therefore only cite here a few which seem more interesting to us, but will in no way make an exhaustive list.
Improved well-being
Regular mindfulness practice improves overall well-being, it's a fact. Increasing your capacity for mindfulness will promote the establishment of many attitudes that contribute to a happier and more fulfilling life.
By being mindful of the present moment, it is easier to savor life's pleasures as they arise, to engage fully in activities, and to be better equipped to deal with adverse events.
By focusing on the here and now, many people who practice mindfulness find that they are less likely to worry about the future or regret the past, are less concerned about success and self-esteem and are more able to form deep connections with others.
An improvement in depression
Spending too much time planning, predicting the future or dwelling on the past can create a surplus of thoughts in us. Whether positive or negative, these thoughts are the source of exhausting and very stressful mental activity. Overwork and mental parasites are the source of many cases of stress, anxiety and even depression.
You probably know: learning mindfulness will help you get away from it all. By focusing your attention on the present moment, you distract yourself from many sources of anxiety.
Mindfulness meditation can even be combined with cognitive therapy to prevent relapse in people with chronic depression. The negative thought patterns that develop in depressive personalities can cause you to constantly dwell on the negative. Through mindfulness meditation, you can learn to rebalance these negative thought patterns, or even replace them with more positive ones.
More powerful immunity
Much scientific research suggests that mindfulness practices can improve your body's resistance to illness and external aggression. Practicing meditation leads to a reduction in stress, a letting go... and therefore a reduction in the production of free radicals.
Some comparative studies on the impact of mindfulness and exercise on immune functions have, for example, demonstrated greater resistance to disease thanks to mindfulness meditation than to “simple” physical activity.
When we know the benefits that sport has on our health, it can only leave us wondering about those of meditation!
Preparing for mindfulness meditation
Mindfulness is the fundamental human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we are doing, without being overwhelmed by what is happening around us.
To facilitate this practice, it is advisable to meditate in the calmest environment possible. If your neighbor has decided to mow or do work, it would probably be a good idea to postpone your session.
Because it is mainly a mental exercise, the position to adopt is not really codified and, as long as it seems comfortable to you, it will do the trick.
During this guided meditation you will have to concentrate on the sensations in your body. To keep it comfortable, you should wear loose clothing and let your hair down.
Also know that mindfulness should involve a suspension of judgment. When you meditate, certain thoughts will appear to you. Sometimes they can be negative. It doesn't matter, you'll just have to let them pass, let them flow.
So let's start now.
The different steps
These different stages are actually supposed to follow each other harmoniously, rather than being cut into separate parts.
After all, this guided meditation forms a whole constructed as a single work, a single tool capable of functioning in its uniqueness.
In video and audio, no distinction is made.
The following breakdown therefore has the sole purpose of helping you, a posteriori, to understand the modes of action implemented within the framework of this meditation.
Step #1: relaxation through breathing and beginning of awareness
Whatever our present state, breathing helps us come back to ourselves, refocus and calm down.
To help you, I will tell you when to inhale and when to exhale.
So close your eyes.
Inhale. (2 sec)
Exhale. (8 sec)
Inhale. (2 sec)
Exhale. (8 sec)
It is very good. With the next few breaths, try to feel the air entering your nostrils, entering your lungs and then coming out again.
Inhale. (2 sec)
Exhale. (8 sec)
Inhale. (2 sec)
Exhale. (8 sec)
With each inhale, your chest and stomach rise, and your nostrils are tickled by cool air.
Inhale. (2 sec)
Exhale. (8 sec)
Inhale. (2 sec)
Exhale. (8 sec)
Focus on how your chest rises and falls as air moves in and out of your body.
Notice how your stomach expands and then contracts with each breath. Let your breath flow naturally, without forcing it.
Inhale. (2 sec)
Exhale. (8 sec)
Inhale. (2 sec)
Exhale. (8 sec)
2nd step :
You are aware of your breathing.
We will now expand this awareness. Focus on the sounds around you. Even weak, they are there. Like a light constant hubbub, and relaxing, rocking.
Continue to feel your breathing, while listening to these sounds, being aware of them
Inhale. (2 sec)
Exhale. (8 sec)
Inhale. (2 sec)
Exhale. (8 sec)
Thoughts and images may enter your mind. This is completely normal.
Whether they are good or bad, welcome them without judging them, then let them go. As if a calm stream were carrying them away.
Bring your attention back to your breathing.
Inhale. (2 sec)
Exhale. (8 sec)
Inhale. (2 sec)
Exhale. (8 sec)
Step #3: become aware of your sensations
Now expand your awareness to your physical sensations.
The clothes on your skin, the friction of them when you breathe, the air that caresses you, the weight of your body on the ground... Feel it all.
Inhale. (2 sec)
Exhale. (8 sec)
Inhale. (2 sec)
Exhale. (8 sec)
Whenever thoughts arise, let them go and return to your breathing and your feelings.
Inhale. (2 sec)
Exhale. (8 sec)
Inhale. (2 sec)
Exhale. (8 sec)
Step #4: Feel peace and calm
During this meditation, you feel great serenity, inner peace. Become aware of this too.
Acknowledge your emotions, your feelings.
Inhale. (2 sec)
Exhale. (8 sec)
Inhale. (2 sec)
Exhale. (8 sec)
These thoughts that come, let them drift like clouds in the sky, floating and passing away.
Bring your attention back to your breathing, to your sensations... in this moment, this moment.
Inhale. (2 sec)
Exhale. (8 sec)
Inhale. (2 sec)
Exhale. (8 sec)
Step #5: end of meditation
This deep feeling of anchoring that you know in the present will now mark your daily life, helping you to feel the present and live it fully.
Now slowly open your eyes. Observe the room around you, and regain awareness of your surroundings.
Take a few moments to compose yourself.
After a mindfulness meditation, it may be good to take some time for yourself, to reflect on the experience you have just had. This experience, in any case, took place in the direction of your well-being every day.
Other guided meditations in our series
Among the many objects that we offer to our community, we have notably collected some meditation tools.
Here is the collection in question, made up of objects from cultures from the four corners of the world but sharing the same goal: to help the practice of meditation or, quite simply, relaxation and relaxation.
In short, you will find singing bowls, various musical instruments, flags and decorations, reiki pendulums and even certain ingredients and crystals.
Here is also a collection of free books that may help you in your life. Between healthy eating, self-hypnosis, prayers and self-confidence, many themes are covered in our library which, once again, has been entirely open to you.
If you would like to discover our other meditations, here is the section of our blog which brings them all together.
Here too, we wanted to deal with the most varied themes possible (within the limits of our knowledge, of course).
If, however, you do not find what you are looking for there, do not hesitate to tell us by leaving a comment in the section at the end of one of the meditations: we will read it and try to take it into account in our future work. !
The History of Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness, as a form of meditation, dates back to Hinduism in the 2nd millennium BC and, more specifically, to its branch known as “yoga”.
In Indian language, the term “yoga” could be translated as “that which brings us back to reality”… and that is what it is about.
Yoga is an ancient spiritual practice that involves physical postures (this is the facet we are generally most familiar with), concentration exercises and deep breathing. It is therefore a form of active spirituality that is quite “physical” in the sense that it often involves physical actions.
In its original conception, yoga made very little reference to movement or postures and placed more emphasis on stillness, concentration on breathing and awareness of being present in the moment. Yes, these are some of the keys to mindfulness, which we mentioned earlier.
Over the centuries, a whole bunch of religions have “copied” this practice with its yogic roots. We can therefore find similar forms of meditation in Taoism, Buddhism (Zen or Theravada or Mahayana to name a few) or even Islam.
In the West, mindfulness was popularized by the hippie movement during the 20th century who, following the teachings of Hindu gurus, came back to bring us this pearl of spirituality.
Today, it is religious people, but also secular people and even health specialists who include mindfulness meditation in their daily activities.
