When I tell people that I meditate every day, and I have religiously done so for the past seven months, I think that they imagine me sitting cross-legged on the floor in a robe, humming to myself. But, honestly that is just not the case (although it would be so cool).

Yoga International defines meditation as "resting the mind to attain a state of consciousness", and the HuffPost describes this as a "higher state of consciousness". From my experience, I'd describe meditation as being hyper-aware of your surroundings but, feeling physically relaxed and drowsy at the same time. A quick google search of the term "meditation" will pull up many variations of the practice, ranging from visual meditation to Zazen (Zen Buddhism). So, there is something for everyone.

Today, I'll be focusing of the form of meditation, which is known as mindfulness. This practice encourages you to hone in on your breath, allowing you to remain in the present moment. There is ever-growing research that suggests that there are many therapeutic benefits of this practice. For example, a two year clinical trial by Oxford University found that mindfulness-based-cognitive-therapy may be just as affective as anti-depressants, when treating depression (Full article here). And, you can practice it in your own home. All you need is a comfortable bed or chair, and a quiet place to sit or lie down. The time you want to spend meditating depends on you.


I was sat in a university lecture when I first heard about mindfulness. Whilst the lecturer described the benefits of it, I rolled my eyes, thinking it could not possible alleviate an individual's anxiety. The lecturer spoke about an app called Headspace. It is a free app, offering a subscription service which provides guided mindfulness meditation sessions. In August 2017, I remember feeling overwhelmed and anxious, and I downloaded the Headspace app. Now, I am aware that there is some controversy surrounding the app's owner and the cost of the app's subscription service, which I won't delve into at this minute... Regardless of the cost, you do receive a free ten day trial of the app, when you first download it. The first ten days lets you have a little play with the prospect of mindfulness. I think apps like this are great for people who are interested in trying meditation, but do not know where to start. The thought of it seems quite strange and daunting when you first try it.

(This image is the property of Headspace)
After using the free trial on the Headspace app, I decided to search for free meditation videos on YouTube and I came across Jason Stephenson. He is a meditation coach who uploads relaxing sleep music, guided meditations and inspiring talks to Youtube (free of charge). His guided meditations are targeted towards anxiety, stress, depression, insomnia, ptsd and chronic pain management. The mindfulness meditation sessions range between ten minutes to two hours long.

(This video is the property of Jason Stephenson)
Nearly seven months after discovering the practice of mindfulness meditation... has it benefitted my life?

Put it this way.... I used to be what you would call an "over-thinker". Every night, I would lie in bed and as soon as my head hit the pillow, my mind would start to whirl like a tornado. My thoughts would pull apart every detail, critiquing all of my actions from the day before. I would lie awake, tossing and turning all night, with my thoughts battering my brain. I'd wake up exhausted, frustrated and bitter at everything and everyone. And, the cycle would continue every day and night.

After becoming hooked on Jason Stephenson's guided meditation sessions, I now use one of his videos to practice meditation every night before I go to bed. The mindfulness sessions encourage you to keep your breath as your focus, to avoid the whirl-wind of thoughts. But, the sessions train your mind to accept the thoughts from your inner critique, encouraging you to easily let go of those thoughts, and hone back in on your breath. These sessions calm my mind after a hectic day at work, letting me easily drift off to sleep. These days, instead of tossing and turning for hours, I fall asleep within around five to ten minutes.


Of course, you can't just jump into meditation over night. At first, during the sessions, I found it incredibly difficult to *simply* "let go" of the random thoughts that were bouncing around in my head. However, Mindful.Org says that mindfulness is a skill that you need to learn. It's almost like learning a new language, you must be consistent and timely with your teachings or you'll get nowhere. So, if you're new to either mindfulness or meditation in general, keep your sessions regular and at a similar time each day. So, do not give up! Practicing meditation has improved the state of my mental health, and dramatically reduced the level of my anxiety. And, I can't thank the creators of the free meditation apps or youtube videos, enough.

Thank you for reading this blog post. Let me know in the comments, if you have tried mindfulness, before!

XO Zoe