Meditate in 12 Easy Steps

Program Description
Stress is a contributing factor in chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes, and is associated with anxiety and depression. Meditation is a practical tool to reduce stress. Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard University found that if people meditated for 20 minutes a day, twice a day, blood pressure levels dropped. Even a brief daily meditation can help you manage stress.

Actions
1. Select a realistic time and place at which you can commit to doing a 10-minute meditation daily.

2. Release any expectations or rigid rules about your meditation, and instead consider it a time to do something that will support your health.

3. Try to not eat an hour before meditation as eating can make you drowsy. But if you are hungry, snack lightly.

5. Go to a quiet room with no distractions.

6. Sit in a way that allows you to keep your spine straight and supported: in a chair or cross-legged on a cushion on the floor, or against a wall on a folded blanket.

7. Begin by closing your eyes and for 10 minutes just notice the quality of your breathing.

8. If you start to mentally create a "to do" list in your head or replaying a conversation in your mind, simply bring your attention back to your breathing.

9. As you sit you may experience impatience, frustration or sleepiness--don't judge your meditation.

10. As you near the end of your meditation, deepen your breathing and notice external sounds and the objects immediately around you to more firmly bring your awareness back to the present.

11. If you feel restless or agitated in any way, give yourself at least 5 more minutes for this to fade before returning to the rest of your day, so that you do so from a non-reactive, quiet place.

12. In order to reap the health benefits of a sitting meditation, consistency is more important than the length of time--every day for 10 minutes is better than 30 minutes once a week.