10 Minute Meditation (A Comprehensive Guide)
What does a person want after a long hard day of work? Of course, a person wants to be relaxed and calm his nerves.
At the end of the day, relaxation is what we all crave for.
There have been many ways introduced to calm the nerves some people would like to have a hot cup of coffee or tea to relax them.
Others would like to take a walk in the woods so it can have a relaxing effect. Yet other people would like to have a bubble bath so they can get relaxed.
Another form of mental relaxation technique which is all the rage nowadays is 10 minute meditation.
You must be familiar with the concept of meditation but you certainly don’t know that a 10 minute meditation can help you as well.
Let’s just tell you that 10 minute meditation can also help you if it is done right.
It is a technique that does not require expensive equipment or fancy gym stuff to help you take care of your mind and body and that is why it has become famous among the masses in the past a few years.
Anyone can spare 10 minutes of their time in a day to do a 10 minute meditation.
However, it is highly important that you know what type of meditation to be used and when to use it only when you will be able to get full benefits of a 10 minute meditation.
If you don’t know much about meditation then this article will help you understand what meditation is, how it is done, what types of meditation are there, and the benefits of meditation.
Before we go into the depths of any of the mentioned content, we should first know what meditation actually is.
Then we’d discuss 10 minute meditation and so on.
- What is Meditation?
If you are also among the people who are confused about what meditation is then you don’t have to worry because there are many who don’t actually know about meditation.
There is no singular definition of meditation as it is hard to define meditation neatly.
It is generally known to have your attention focused in order to calm your mind.
Breathing is considered a pivotal point in meditation because if you are focusing on your meditation then it will help remove distractions, restlessness, and worries from the mind.
Meditation is not a new concept and it is centuries old but gained much popularity in the recent past because of its benefits, cost-effectiveness, and you can easily manage it with a lot of workloads and it is not restricted to some people.
Meditation’s feasibility and benefits go way beyond physical disabilities and individual differences.
- 10 Minute Meditation
Meditation is known to be one of the healthiest ways of self-care and it has been said by both meditation enthusiasts and experts that it is a great antidote to the fast pace of our technology-driven world.
Meditation not only helps us calm down and ‘de-stress’ but it does both of these things.
It makes us see what is going on in both our minds and hearts so we can see how we have constructed the world in our minds.
It also helps us see with clarity, acceptance, and compassion the pain we carry around.
It helps the person transform the relationship with himself, with the world and the people around him.
The concept of 10 minute meditation is introduced for the people who are too busy in their lives to take half an hour out for meditation.
It is to tell them that only 10 minutes of their time spent on meditation can have miraculous effects on their mind and cognitive function.
- Why 10 Minute Meditation
Some people still might be wondering about what could be the health benefits of meditation which will help them convince themselves to do a 10 minute meditation.
There are a number of physical and mental health benefits of a 10 minute meditation.
Your body and mind start working in coordination and help you work better and efficiently than before.
There are a few other benefits of 10 minute meditation are listed below to give you a glimpse of what meditation can do.
- Anxiety
10 minute meditation is proven effective for anxiety. It has been proven through a number of researches that meditation can reduce symptoms of anxiety.
A study found out that meditation encourages the growth of new brain neurons by forming new connections in the already existing neurons which makes it an effective treatment for anxiety.
Meditation can help prevent anxiety from developing again in a person. If you are generally an anxious person then you should definitely think about giving meditation a try.
It also increases hope in the person. Take time out for yourself and do some meditations, at least do a 10 minute meditation technique as a beginner.
- Stress
10 minute meditation is proven effective for stress. Do you often worry about things even if there is not much to stress about?
Do you often fidget and do a lot of overthinking? If the answers to these questions are yes then you are in dire need of meditation.
Meditation is amazing when it comes to distress yourself.
According to research, different mindfulness and meditation techniques increase the parasympathetic response in the body.
Meditation also affects the regions in the brains which are responsible for reducing stress.
It is not only helpful in taking your mind off things but also gives you time to relax physically, emotionally and mentally.
It also influences your nervous system as it decreases the body’s production of stress-related chemicals such as cortisol.
It also reduces oxygen consumption, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and heart rate.
It increases the intensity of alpha, theta, and delta brain waves which are associated with the relaxation process.
- Insomnia
10 minute meditation is proven effective for Insomnia.
Insomnia is probably the most prevalent 21st-century disorder and there are many people around us who can’t sleep for many reasons.
Overuse of technology, fast-paced life and stressors of keeping up with the world has made our generation so stressed out that it is hard for them to have a good night’s sleep.
Meditation like many other problems can also help in this regard too and help you fall asleep and stay asleep.
It was found out in a study that patients who followed a 3 months meditation program at home have significantly improved their abilities to fall asleep and stay asleep.
- Pain
10 minute meditation is proven effective for pain. It might come as a surprise to you that stress aggravates every condition your body is going through.
Similarly, if you are having aches and pains in your body and you are stressed out too then your pain can be aggravated.
10 minute meditation reduces your stress and in turn reduces the pain as well.
Moreover, researchers have also been trying to find out that meditation can also reduce chronic pain.
A study was conducted on patients who were suffering from backache, tension headaches, and chronic migraines who were able to reduce the pain medication and some of them stopped those medications altogether after doing consistent meditation.
- Cardiovascular Diseases
10 minute meditation is proven effective for cardiovascular. As it was told earlier meditation can reduce the disastrous effects of any disease or disorder indirectly by lowering down stress in a person, it can also help with cardiovascular diseases.
According to a study, patients with coronary heart disease who tried meditation practice for 16 weeks were found improved.
Patients with heart rate variability and blood pressure were also found improved as compared to the control group.
Another study found 11% decrease in risk of heart attack and up to 15% decrease in the risk of stroke in patients who practiced meditation for at least six to 9 months.
Even though all of the above-mentioned findings are backed up by research, there is still a need for rigorous research and studies to know if there are any other benefits to meditation because individual differences are also there.
- Types of Meditation
People can often get confused about the types of meditation because once you start searching for the perfect one you will come to know that there are dozens of meditation out there.
These types are mainly based on the techniques used in meditation.
Let us introduce you to some of the techniques of mediation.
- Guided Visualization
This is our personal favorite technique and it is most famous in the athletic community.
In this type of meditation, you imagine the desired outcome.
For instance, a football player may use guided visualization in a game by closing his eyes and taking a shot.
For extended guided visualization the person is asked to feel what he is going to feel after the vision is accomplished.
- Mindfulness
This is a familiar name and many have known the concept of mindfulness. This technique helps you to experience the present by making you hyper-focus on tasks during your day.
You need to get all the distractions away from you including, TV, computer, phone, etc. then you are more concerned about the task in hand without any interruption then you are being mindful.
It will clear your focus and being focused becomes more natural to you so the attention span is increased and improved.
- Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental Meditation (TM) is generally practiced twice a day because it encourages the use of mantra and it is very popular nowadays.
- Zen Meditation
It is also referred to as zazen meditation and it is practiced while you are in a seated position while your eyes are closed.
It is more focused on correct posture as you will be sitting on your back straight and head centered.
- FAQ about 10 minute meditation.
Are there any simpler types of meditation to be used right now?
You can use the following meditation but first, you need to focus on developing your mantra, whatever comes naturally to you.
It can be longer or shorter depending on you and you need to try this mantra wherever you are, whether you are in the shower or sitting or walking.
The mantra can be repeated in the following times.
– During Walking Meditation
– During 10 Count Meditation
– During Shower Meditation
How to know which meditation is best for me?
There is no hard and fast rule to that and you need to experiment before you finalize which meditation suits you the best.
- References
- Carrasco, A. (n.d). 5 Benefits of A 10 Minute Meditation Practice. Retrieved from https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-8171/5-benefits-of-a-10minute-meditation-practice.html
- Malinowski, P (September, 2018 Mindfulness meditation: 10 minutes a day improves cognitive function). Retrieved from: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-09-mindfulness-meditation-minutes-day-cognitive.html
- Fagan, C. (n.d) Meditation Overview- 10 Minutes A Day That Can Change Your Life. Retrieved from: https://www.psycom.net/10-minutes-that-can-change-your-life