{"id":970,"date":"2020-06-19T07:57:36","date_gmt":"2020-06-19T12:57:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/?p=970"},"modified":"2020-06-19T07:57:39","modified_gmt":"2020-06-19T12:57:39","slug":"how-to-meditate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/how-to-meditate\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-Care Sunday: How to meditate (tips and tricks)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We’re all about taking a few minutes to center our minds and start the new week full of positive vibes. Today, we’ll go over some tips and tricks for meditating on your own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"how<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The good thing about meditation is that you can do it from the comfort of your own home (it works out since we\u2019re all stuck at home right now and campus is closed). Anyone can meditate, and you only need a few minutes a day to benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t get caught up in the little things<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t need to spend money on special chairs, seating\ncushions, clothes or accessories. Unless you want to\u2014by all means, treat\nyourself.  You also don\u2019t need to focus\non holding a particular posture or sit facing the rising sun, or whatever (go\nfor it if that\u2019s your thing, though). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All you really need\nto meditate is a quiet place that you feel comfortable in.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find a place to sit and get started. You can meditate any time during the day that works best for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you miss Self-Care Sunday last time? Catch up here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Start small the first time you meditate<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Set aside two minutes. For real, that\u2019s all you need. After\na week of meditating for two minutes, you can increase the length of time to\nfour or five minutes. Honestly, there aren\u2019t any set-in-stone rules for how\nlong you should meditate, but it\u2019s best in the beginning to start with short sessions.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 2. How\nare you feeling?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As you start meditating, close your eyes and take stock of\nhow you feel. What\u2019s your mental state? How does your body physically feel? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Focus on your breathing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As you start to get in the zone, pay attention to the rise\nand fall of your chest and your breathing rhythm. Focus on each inhale, follow\nit as it fills your lungs and exhale. Try to keep your breathing natural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Don\u2019t worry if your thoughts wander<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It will happen, but don\u2019t worry. When your thoughts wander,\nmake a mental note and focus back on your breathing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any stray thoughts or feelings that arise are nothing to be\nashamed of or feel frustrated about. Be kind to yourself and recognize and\naccept that the things you feel are legitimate and it\u2019s ok to feel a certain\nway. Especially<\/em> with everything that\u2019s\nbeen going on these past few months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Having stray thoughts during meditation doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re\ndoing it wrong. There\u2019s no right or wrong way to meditate. Even though you\nstart meditation by focusing on your breathing, it\u2019s not about 100% clearing\nyour mind. It\u2019s more like a mental space where you acknowledge your feelings\nand the patterns your thoughts take. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. End your meditation session<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t have to do anything special to finish meditating\nonce the time is up. As you go about your day, try to remember the quiet and\ncalm you experienced while you meditated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s basically all there is to it. The more you practice, the easier it will be and the more of a lasting impact it\u2019ll have on your wellbeing. Once campus re-opens, you\u2019ll be able to see firsthand some of the events and services we offer to help our students. Fun fact: The UML Office of Student Affairs<\/a> offers weekly Mindfulness Meditation and Loving-Kindness Meditation sessions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We’re all about taking a few minutes to center our minds and start the new week full of positive vibes. Today, we’ll go over some tips and tricks for meditating on your own. The good thing about meditation is that … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":754,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[73,21],"tags":[74],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/970"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/754"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=970"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/970\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":971,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/970\/revisions\/971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}