Quieting the Noise: A Beginner's Guide to Meditation
When the noise quiets, something important happens.
Meditation teaches your body that it is safe to slow down. It offers a moment to re-center and provides numerous physical and mental benefits. Research shows that practicing meditation can decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression, reduce stress, improve concentration and problem-solving skills and increase positive emotions. In addition to mental health benefits, meditation can improve sleep and heart function and lower blood pressure.
Meditation can seem daunting because it is often imagined as a strict practice of perfect silence and the absence of thought. That perception is untrue. Meditation is not about eliminating thoughts. Instead, it focuses on bringing awareness to the present moment, allowing thoughts to pass without judgment and temporarily quieting the noise of daily life.
Meditation can be as simple as a five-minute practice focused on breathing, but there are many ways to meditate, such as:
- Guided meditation: A practice where someone leads you through the steps, often with themes like positivity, courage, release or gratitude
- Walking meditation: A mindfulness practice focused on the physical sensations of walking, such as the impact of your feet and the feeling of air on your skin
- Movement meditation: An active practice where you pay attention to your body’s movements during gentle exercises like yoga or pilates to strengthen mind-body connection
- Mantra meditation: A method involving the repetition of a word, phrase or sound to help focus the mind instead of concentrating on the breath
- Some people find it easier to focus on a mantra rather than their breath when starting to meditate
- Full body scan: A meditation that brings awareness to bodily sensations as you move your focus from head to toe
- Breathwork: A simple meditation practice using structured breathing exercises while maintaining mindfulness
- 4-7-8 method: Inhale for four seconds, hold for seven and exhale for eight
- Box breathing: Inhale for four seconds, hold for four, exhale for four and hold again for four
- Visualization meditation: A meditation that involves imagining a calming scene, image or figure, or envisioning yourself achieving goals to increase focus and motivation
Now that you know the benefits of meditation, try it for yourself! If you need additional guidance, explore our full library of guided meditations.
About the author
Ms. Megan Petriello is an Assistant Vice President, Team Leader and a Fitness and Wellness Specialist on the Slainte Fitness team at USLI. Ms. Petriello enjoys staying active by teaching HIIT classes, running and strength training. Ms. Petriello gets the most enjoyment from living an active lifestyle, and she is an avid believer in the power of positive thinking!