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Right now what we all need is a little bit of mindfulness, grounding, calm, and silence. Whether you are a pro or a newbie, meditation can help you deal with all of the noise, fear, and frustration going on in your head. And the good news is that meditating has a lot more benefits than just silencing the mind.
- Lessens anxiety, stress, and depression
- Lessens inflammation
- Improves your immune system and energy levels
- Enhances self-esteem and self-acceptance
- Helps with digestion
- Enhances self-awareness
- May reduces age-related memory loss
- Generates kindness
- Improves sleep
- Reduce job strain and burnout
These past week has been trying. Like many of you, I have broken down a few times, worrying about my finances, worrying about my family and loved ones, missing social connection. I have moments where I am happy and enjoying my quarantine life– especially when I am having dance parties in my apartment. But there are still plenty of moments when my anxiety is too much to handle and I need to listen to music to calm myself down or listen to guided meditations. Sometimes I do none of the above and just sit in silence. Luckily there are plenty of resources at hand for us to take time out of our day to silence the chatter in our heads, on social media, and on the news.
Insight Timer is my favorite mediation app. that I have been using for a few years now. Whether you are looking to align your chakras, manifest abundance, improve sleep, etc. You can find any type of meditation on Insight Timer. You can also search for duration; 7min meditation to a 4-hour meditation. I have about 60 meditations booked marked that I have come across throughout the years that I really love. I pick and choose which ones to do based on how I am feeling and what I am personally working on. With Insight Timer there is more than one person uploading meditations- I think anyone from all over the world can upload their own for those to listen to. Insight Timer is free to use.
I used to listen to Headspace a lot. I think it is just as great as Insight Timer, it comes down to personal preference. Unlike Insight Timer, Headspace only has one voice for all meditations (at least when I did it). I loved ending my day with breathing techniques, helping me ease into the night with slowing down my body and mind. You can tailor your meditations to what you are trying to improve; work and productivity, performance and sports mindset, physical health, for students, and more. One thing they do have which is wonderful is mediations for kids and parents. A great way right now to (try) keep your kids calm. Anyway, with Headspace it has free mediations but also those that you can only get if you pay for the monthly subscription.
What can you not find on Spotify at this point? It’s free and easy to access any type of music, podcast, and you guessed it, meditations. Right now I am listening to music therapy to calm my nerves. If that isn’t your jam you can listen to classical music, chilled jazz, ballet classics, worship, really anything that keeps your heart rate down. When I was in 7th grade, for the science fair, I did a project on the effect music has on your heart rate and overall well being. It’s a no brainer now that classical, country, meditative music helps keep you clam, but hey, I was in 7th grade what did I know at the time. Anyway, I created a playlist to dance around my apartment too, which is very therapeutic and highly suggested.
Since the coronavirus has imploded all of our lives, Gabrielle Bernstein has been sharing daily meditations on Instagram. She has also been sharing tips on ways to stay calm during this time. I have been a fan of Gabrielle Bernstein for many, many years, and have read all of her books. She has a way of keeping things real while keeping you calm. And she gives the best advice. If you missed some of her Insta Story meditations, she can listen on her YouTube channel.