Mindfulness Meditation 101

By Meera Chawda

Meera Chawda is a 4th year nursing student based in Toronto who enjoys advocating for mental health, wellness and personal development. In addition to being a full-time student, Meera has her own mental health & wellness platform, The Wellevated, which aims to empower people of all ages to begin their wellness journey by addressing their thoughts and changing their mindset.

Meera has hosted mindfulness and meditation workshops at youth groups, universities, and The Kidney Foundation peer support groups to help individuals of all ages cope with stress effectively. Meera currently works in outpatient renal dialysis as a clinical extern at Credit Valley Hospital.

hand, being mindful refers to our ability to manage our life experiences and tune into the present moment.

In fancier terms, mindfulness is the awareness of sensations and feelings without any judgement or interpretation. For instance, while you may feel overwhelmed with the amount of tasks on your to-do list today, you can take a step back and recognize how you feel without letting the emotions lead you.

Mindfulness can be practiced in a variety of ways: taking a walk without distractions, noticing the taste of your food while you eat, pausing regularly throughout the day to check in with how you feel, and of course, meditation. I like to use a body scan exercise to ease into my meditation practice. With the meditation groups I lead, this is also a crowd favourite. Here's an easy step-by-step guide to a body scan:

Sit upright and in a comfortable position, close your eyes.

Imagine a bright light shining on your forehead, feel it move down as you focus in on the sensations.

As you start with your forehead, take notice of any tension you may store within the space.

Next, focus your sensation down to your eyelids. Are they heavy? Soft? Fluttered shut?

Move your awareness down to your jaw and lips. Simply take notice of the sensations that arise. Can you feel the air move between your lips? What does that feel like?

You have likely heard terms like "mindfulness" and "meditation" thrown around and you're not sure if this whole thing is right for you. If you're contemplating trying these practices, you've come to the right place.

Mind-full and mindful seemingly have a marginal difference. Besides, they are separated by one letter, L. But the contrast is great. Mind-full describes our minds on a very average day where we are constantly bombarded with thoughts and worries related to our past, present and future such as household chores, managing our health and paying the bills. On the other

Now, move your sensation down to your chest and notice the rising and falling of your chest. Next, towards your abdominal space. Notice whether you are breathing into your stomach. You don't have to change anything- simply notice.

Shift your awareness now to your legs, feet, and toes. Notice any sensations.

Congratulations! You just completed a body scan exercise. You can tailor this mindfulness exercise to wherever you are- on a bus, in a line at the grocery store or at home. Simply taking 5 minutes a day to be mindful can help increase clarity, reduce stress, and support your health.