Mindfulness Meditation During Lockdown
The last few months have been a difficult time for us all, and lockdown has posed a number of surprising mental and physical challenges. Perhaps the most troubling for many has been an increase in anxiety and uncertainty, which can affect us in a number of ways.
Luckily, there are ways to improve your mindfulness during lockdown. One of the most obvious is mindfulness meditation techniques, which is what we’ll look at in this article.
Lockdown mindfulness techniques
As many of us have found, adjusting to new ways of working and living, particularly all in the same space, has been a massive challenge. If you’ve found it difficult to cope with new ways of living during lockdown, then the following tips will be beneficial for developing a new mindfulness routine that takes your new circumstances into account.
Breathing exercises
The first step to achieving inner calm is to learn an effective breathing exercise. This should be the first step before moving onto actual meditation, as you need to know how to control your breathing and how to use it for inner calm.
The best breathing exercise is the 4-7-8 method, which is as follows:
- Breathe out completely so your lungs are empty
- Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds
- Hold the breath for 7 seconds
- Breathe out through your mouth, fairly forcefully, for 8 seconds
- Repeat at least 4 times until you notice yourself feeling calmer
Setting the right mood
Once you’ve mastered the breathing exercise, the next step before you begin to meditate is to set the right mood. Your meditation space should be quiet, softly lit, and ideally should be scented to induce a feeling of calm.
For this, we highly recommend our Jade Orchid and Lotus Blossom candle, a favourite among our inner copper concrete candle range. Although this has always been a popular scent, it’s proven to be a best-seller during these uncertain times.
It features a beautifully fresh and relaxing fragrance that begins with indulgent orchid, freshened by notes of bergamot. This leads to a core scent of oriental lotus blossom with top notes of cinnamon, all on a base of musk and vanilla; perfect for creating a sense of relaxation.
Mindfulness meditation
After creating your perfect mindfulness space, begin to meditate. This is simply the process of using the breathing exercise to empty your mind; focus on your breathing and nothing else. This will be difficult at first but will get easier with practice.
Repeat this as often as necessary; every day is ideal, but you should try it at least 3 times a week in order to see the best results. In time, this mindfulness meditation should lead to muscle relaxation as you begin to let go of all your worries.
Getting into a proper mindfulness routine takes commitment, but the benefits are almost endless. If you’re looking to create a feeling of serenity in your space in order to meditate, why not try one of our Jade Orchid and Lotus Blossom soy wax candles? They’re perfect for that quiet moment you’ve been craving.