Mainstream meditation

There are many ideas of what exactly meditation entails. Is it taking a quick five minutes out of the day to focus on breathing, or is it engaging in a full Buddhist-style effort to achieve inner peace?

Yes, experts say. It’s both. But it can also be prayer, a mindful session of yoga, or a few minutes a day with an app or book that helps you meditate. The point is to engage in a mind and body practice that increases calmness and physical relaxation. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, part of the

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, meditation can improve psychological balance and enhance overall health and well-being. Studies have shown it can reduce high blood pressure, ease symptoms of anxiety and depression, improve insomnia and even alleviate symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis.

It can also help relieve that everconstant torment of modern life—stress.

“Meditation affects the mind by clearing away the racing thoughts, worry, deadlines and demands. This gives your mind a chance to hit the reset button, providing a brain reprieve, if you will,” says Stacey Pierce-Talsma, chair of the osteopathic manipulative medicine department at Touro University California. “Some studies have demonstrated actual changes in the size of some areas of the brain, while others have demonstrated that meditation techniques activate areas of the brain that assist us with mental clarity while decreasing activation in areas of the brain that activate stress.”

Starting simple

Starting a meditation habit can be as simple as taking a few minutes each day to focus on your breath. Dr. Pierce-Talsma suggests belly breathing, which involves placing your hands on your abdomen and feeling it expand as you inhale and fall as you exhale. Try elongating your breath, inhaling for a count of four and exhaling for a count of six or eight.

Meditation can also mean spending time saying a prayer, or repeating a meaningful word or mantra.

Or, it can be as simple as going outside.

“Take a walk in nature, mindfully,” Dr. Pierce-Talsma says. “Notice each step, each leaf, the sun, the breeze and really be aware of the moment.”

There’s an app for that

Many people find success with guided meditation, which involves meditating with the help of a guide providing instruction. There are many ways to do this — you can work in person with a trained teacher, or you can have a book, an app, or even a YouTube video guide you through the meditation.

Nora McCarthy is a Chicago-based meditation coach who personally practices guided meditation. She says it helps train your brain to exist at the alpha wave level—this is when the brain is relaxed and daydreaming.

“[The alpha level] is where you access creativity, imagination and daydreams. That’s where guided meditation does most of its work,” McCarthy says.

Experimenting with apps like Headspace, Calm, buddhify and dozens more can help you find the type of guided meditation that works best for you. Some employ music, nature sounds, or imagery, while others even help target specific goals, like boosting creativity or reducing stress.

Get physical

Experts agree it’s best to meditate in a quiet spot that’s free of distractions. Meditating in the same spot at the same time every day trains your brain and helps it become habit.

You can sit quietly, or you can lie down, always making sure to practice good posture, opening your chest to allow the deepest breaths possible.

You can also incorporate meditative practices into exercise. Fitness expert Denise Austin recommends weaving meditation into stretching, for a deepbreathing, oxygen-enriching doublewhammy.

“I created a six-minute routine that’s stretching, relaxation, breathing and meditation,” says Austin, who’s the wellness ambassador for the AARP, which provides a video of the routine at stayingsharp.aarp.org. “It’s a stretch from head to toe. It’s simple and eases people who are afraid of the word ‘meditation.’”

Whether you use a book, an app, a video, or work with a teacher, finding just a few minutes a day to meditate can have a huge impact on your mental and physical health.

“It’s a fabulous, natural way to reduce any anxiety or tension,” Austin says. “And it helps to calm you and bring you into the present.”