It is said that we have over 60,000 thoughts daily and that much of those are the same as those that we had the day before. In other words we exist in a perpetual chatter in our minds. It is little wonder then that all our miseries and our pains we experience are created in the chatter that we keep repeating to ourselves.

Learn to be silent. Let your quiet mind listen and absorb. - PYTHAGORAS (580.B.C.-500 B.C.)

It is only recently that the concept of being silent through simple exercises like meditation has started to be embraced in the western culture. In the western culture we value noise. Think about a conversation that has a pause of silence, it is perceived as uncomfortable and even embarrassing so we rush to fill that silence with noise. We spend very little moments in our daily lives in the silence and yet it is in the silence where we will find true bliss.

The benefits of meditation go far beyond just the silence. Meditation has also been linked to a reduction in stress, anxiety and improved well-being. We can all do with less stress in our lives and integrating small pockets of your time daily can do wonders for you. Think of it as taking time out each day for yourself. You wouldn’t think twice about taking out some time out to have coffee with a friend or walking your dog in a park so why not subscribe daily to taking time out for yourself.

Practicing meditation needn’t mean selling all your worldly possessions and joining a Buddhist monastery. You can do it without affecting your current lifestyle. Simply find a quite place that you can be undisturbed for about 15 mins and set this aside daily for your meditation. It might be a room in your house. A good time is either in the morning before work or in the evening before retiring to bed.

You can place a few cushions to make it more comfortable and sit down in your quite space. Simply close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Breathe in deeply through your nose for a count of six and breathe out through your mouth for a count of six. Simply repeat this until you feel a sense of calm throughout your body and focus on relaxing.

Don’t worry to much about your thoughts, try initially to focus on your breathing. As you do this more and more begin to focus more on the breathing and try to empty your mind of thoughts.

The idea with meditation is to take time out of your daily routine for yourself. Have fun with it.