What is meditation? Perhaps many of us think that it is an unusual custom, most likely related to an exotic philosophy or religion and reserved only for a select few. On the other hand, the practice of meditation can be used by literally anyone, even children, regardless of their religion, and can thereby achieve many benefits. Meditation is a type of mental training. The goal is to clear the mind, calm down , eliminate prejudices, and focus on the here and now. It has a positive effect on our mental and physical health. What can we achieve through meditation? A feeling of calm and relaxation,

• Inner balance,
• Stress resistance ,
• Control of emotions and negative thoughts,
• Calming and slowing the pulse,
• Reduce fears and self-doubt,
• well-being ,
• Learning to let go,
• help to become aware of one’s own needs,
• Improve concentration .

When to start?

It's best to do it in the morning, when you're not yet tired and don't have too many things on your mind. It's important to choose a quiet, peaceful, and unobtrusive place. It's popular to meditate cross-legged or in the lotus position, but it's not required. If this position is uncomfortable, you can just as easily meditate in an armchair or on a chair, or, for example, on a special meditation cushion. To help you calm down, it's worth closing your eyes, although this isn't required.

Another important point is the time spent meditating. It may seem like meditation should be long, at least 20 minutes, to be effective, but that's not true. You can start with just 2 to 3 minutes of meditation to feel the benefits. Usually, devoting about 10-15 minutes of meditation during the day is enough to clear your mind of unnecessary thoughts and calm down. There's nothing stopping you from meditating longer if you have the desire and the right conditions (time, peace and quiet). It all really depends on you and your individual needs.

Now that we have chosen the time of day and place to meditate, it is time to begin:

• we sit in a position that is comfortable for us, so that the back is straight,
• we close our eyes
• First, we concentrate on the breath - we pay attention to every inhalation and exhalation as well as to every detail: how the diaphragm works, the chest rises and falls,
• It is natural for other thoughts to come to mind, ordinary ones about everyday duties, sometimes stressful ones. However, you should not focus on them, but let them flow freely through your mind while you continue to focus on your breath.
• we can try to concentrate on the rest of the body, to feel every part of it.

Focusing on the breath is the simplest method of meditation. At first, it may be difficult for us to avoid distractions, but after a few days, we'll feel the difference and meditation will come naturally. The most important thing is to try and not wonder if we're doing everything right, because in fact, there's no strict recipe for how to meditate properly. If we want to meditate and do it in our own unique and best way, we'll quickly notice the effects.