If you have managed to miss the meditation hype, put simply the practice is based on training the mind. This training prepares us for the ‘sport’ of being able to better control our thoughts and feelings.

There are various forms of meditation, but the most important and simplest to implement as part of your daily routine is mindfulness meditation. This practice involves monitoring thoughts as they enter the mind whilst focussing on your breath. In time this will build resilience against your thoughts dominating your attention.

As a busy teacher, finding time for some headspace is paramount to achieving any semblance of work-life balance. Introducing a meditation practice can help you switch off when you want to switch off. The demands of an intense job like teaching call for you to take control of the mental inputs you receive.

Through mindfulness meditation, you are practising paying attention to your breath as a means of monitoring when your mind wanders. Bringing your attention back to your breath every time a distracting thought enters your mind builds resilience. You will strengthen your mental muscles to grasp control of your thoughts. This allows you to manage your thoughts in a way that frees your mind for other tasks.

As well as gaining control over mental stimuli, meditation also has a number of short-term impacts on the body:

• lowering blood pressure
• improving blood circulation
• lowering heart rate
• lowering respiratory rate
• reducing stress
• reducing anxiety

The simplest entry into mindfulness meditation is to sit and breathe. Much easier said than done! So here is a simple routine to get you started:

1. Find a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed;
2. Sit, either on a chair with feet planted on the floor or cross-legged on the floor;
3. Close your eyes, softly focus on something abstract in the distance, or on a candle in the foreground;
4. Breathe in and out slowly. In through your nose and out through your mouth;
5. As thoughts enter your mind, acknowledge them and then allow them to leave – you may wish to imagine them as a balloon floating away or a cloud evaporating.
   • Pro tip: if you are struggling to focus on your breath, you may find it beneficial to count your breaths to occupy your attention.
6. To begin with, meditate for just 1 to 2 minutes and increase with regular practice; 10 minutes is a good target.

Your mind will wander more than you would like and bringing attention back to your breath will feel like an endless battle. With consistent practice, you will become more adept.

There are innumerable audio meditations available online. All you need to do is search YouTube for ‘mindfulness meditation’ + your chosen duration and you will find a vast choice. Try a few and bookmark your favourites for future sessions. Here are some of our favourites to get you started:

• 5 minutes – The Honest Guys
• 9 minutes – Sam Harris
• 10 minutes – The Honest Guys
• Mindfulness Bell  – 5 minutes – The Guided Meditation Site
• Body Scan – 15 minutes – Teik Yen Co

Once you build a habit of regular practice you may find that the audio guides become a little repetitive. Your next option is to download one of a number of available apps. Meditation apps offer variety and tailored courses of meditation to suit your goals. There are plenty out there, but two of our favourites are Headspace & Calm. Both apps have free & paid plans.