Mindfulness and meditation have become buzzwords over the last several years. We are told they’re good for us and we should be doing them but what do they really mean?
Meditation uses techniques like focusing on your breath, a thought, or an activity to train your mind to be more aware and attentive. Most often it’s done while sitting quietly in a room with no interruptions.
Mindfulness is a form of meditation that involves paying close attention to the present moment. It means being fully aware of your thoughts and feelings as they happen, without judgment. Mindfulness can be practiced while walking, driving, or really any activity.
Mindfulness meditation is a combination of both practices. It most often means sitting quietly while focusing on the breath or body. Each time your mind wanders, you gently bring your attention back to the present moment. Practicing this daily helps reduce stress and improve emotional regulation by making you more aware of your feelings and thoughts.
Many people give up on this practice because they think they’re not good at it. They believe that when their mind wanders, often called Monkey Mind, they’re doing it wrong. The truth is that a wandering mind is what makes us human and is just part of the practice.
Using an app like Calm can make it easier to practice by offering guided meditations that remind you to come back to the present and can help you stay focused. Calm has so much variation that it allows you to practice daily without losing interest. It even has an entire section just for kids!
Deep Focus playlist
I listen to the Deep Focus playlist regularly while working. My job is often fast-paced with a lot of information coming at me all at once. When I’m struggling to focus on a particular task that requires my full attention, I’ll put on this playlist of instrumental tracks. Within minutes I’m honed in and getting shit done. I can’t quite tell you how or why it works – I just know it does!
Soundscapes
Calm has a ton of different soundscapes to choose from, ranging from heavy rain to crackling fire to crashing beach waves. Surprisingly even to me, I like to sleep to the sound of crickets chirping. It reminds me of peaceful summer nights and lulls me right to sleep. I’ve also been known to listen to the birds chirping on a cold winter day when I’m feeling a bit stir-crazy.
Daily Move
The Daily Move is a series of meditations that involve movement led by dancer, filmmaker, and yoga teacher Mel Mah. Each practice is typically less than 10 minutes of guided stretching and gentle movement while focusing on your breath.
Daily Jay
If you like to be inspired, try the Daily Jay series with Jay Shetty. Jay is a former monk, author, and podcaster, who uses his own life experiences to offer inspiration and wisdom in navigating life’s ups and downs in a daily session of less than 10 minutes.
Daily Calm
The Daily Calm series is led by Tamara Levitt, the Head of Mindfulness at Calm. A new guided meditation is released every day and is designed to start or end your day with a sense of peace. Tamara’s voice is so soothing and her sessions are filled with compassion, perspective, and grace.
Sleep stories
Yet another great feature of the Calm app, sleep stories are a great way to unwind and drift off to sleep. Many of the stories are narrated by celebrities like Lucy Liu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Idris Elba, and LeBron James to name a few. Most of the stories are around 30 minutes but they offer shorter ones for those with less attention span.
Calm has an amazing variety of options, really something for everyone. You can purchase a monthly, annual, or lifetime subscription. If you’re unsure you’ll get enough use out of it to warrant paying for a subscription, you can sign up for their free 14-day trial. Subscribers can also give someone a gift of 30 free days to try Calm. I’ve been using the app for over 10 years and recommend it to everyone. What have you got to lose?
