How To Use A 15-Minute Yoga Meditation For Anxiety

Guest blog by Steph Davidson

If you suffer from PCOS, increased stress or anxiety are often two of the many side effects. But these feelings certainly shouldn’t overwhelm you. Finding ways to decrease your anxiety levels and bring more mental and emotional calmness into your life is an important life skill that can bring many benefits to the body and mind.

Meditation has been utilized for thousands of years as a simple yet highly effective way to curb anxious thoughts and help people cope with the pressures of everyday life.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to be a Buddhist, an experienced yogi, or even have tried meditation before to enjoy the benefits. You can start reaping its benefits as a beginner with sessions as short as 15 minutes at a time.

Mindfulness Meditation is a form of mindfulness that promotes emotional, mental, and physical well-being. Originally used to help people deepen their connection to the divine, meditation is now more commonly used to help everyday people mitigate anxiety and boost their mood.

Over the years, many studies have been done on the effectiveness of meditation for anxiety. Some have found that daily meditation (even 5 to 15-minute stints) can be as effective as antidepressants, and can play a significant role in supporting the parasympathetic nervous system and reducing cortisol levels.

There is also growing scientific evidence to support the idea that meditation can be used to help treat the following ailments:

• Chronic pain
• High blood pressure
• Insomnia
• Mood swings
• Tension headaches

All of these ailments are potential PCOS symptoms or side effects.

It’s important to understand that meditation is not a magic trick that makes anxiety disappear. But it can be a very useful tool for developing mental strength and responding to stress in a healthier way.

How To Meditate At Home For Beginners

If you’ve never meditated before, the idea might seem daunting. But fortunately, this practice is extremely accessible, easy to learn, and costs nothing to try. The following five steps include everything you need to know about how to meditate at home as a beginner.

• Pick a quiet, comfortable spot – Find somewhere calm that you know you won’t be disturbed for the duration of your meditation practice.
• Sit in an upright position – There are a variety of different ways to sit during meditation, but a simple upright, cross-legged position (Lotus position) is a good place to start. Perhaps lift your hips with a pillow or a block if they are tight or uncomfortable.
• Find a focal point – To experience meditation, you need to meditate upon something. It can be a physical image, a mental image, a mantra, or a soothing sound.
• Breathe deeply – Deepened breathing will help to activate your parasympathetic nervous system and allow for the transition into a more relaxed frame of body and mind.
• Set a timer – Whether it’s 5 minutes or an hour, setting a timer will help you stay focused when you feel yourself getting distracted. Just remember to make the alarm a gentle one.

There are many different ways to meditate, but this simple 5-step process is a great way to introduce the practice into your everyday life. You can choose any time of the day to practice meditation, but most people recommend an early morning or evening session.

Different Meditation Strategies

Meditation can come in many different shapes and forms. This makes it easier to adapt to your individual personality and preferences, allowing you to have the best mindfulness experience possible.

1. Guided meditation

There are thousands of guided meditations available online. Typically, they include gentle music and a soothing voice that guides you through a meditation journey. Guided meditation may take you through an imaginative walkthrough, such as a forest, or invite you to observe your thoughts with more clarity.

This kind of meditation is great if you aren’t sure where to start, and would like something more tangible to ease you into the practice.

2. Mantra repetition

Across the many cultures that practice meditation, mantra is a popular accompaniment to meditation. Mantras are phrases or words that get repeated in a rhythmic way so as to provide you with a message or concept to focus on in a mindful way.

There are many different types of mantras for anxiety to choose from. You could opt for a traditional Sanskrit mantra, or simply repeat an affirmation such as “I Am Calm” to help promote inner tranquility.

3. Visualization

Some people like to envision a certain object, environment, or scene while meditating. This is great for people who have a penchant for visual imagination. You can envision anything that makes you feel calm and at peace, such as a color, a symbol, or yourself floating amongst fluffy clouds.

With visualization meditation, the sky’s the limit. Alternatively, you could also use a physical object or focal point to meditate on, such as a flower, a sentimental object, or even your own hand.

4. Scan your body

A popular form of meditation is to imagine yourself scanning your body from head to toe. Often, in moments of anxiety, you can feel disconnected from yourself and your body. This kind of meditation helps ground you in yourself and provides a soothing distraction from frenzied thoughts or feelings.

5. Breath work

Breath work is a great addition to any meditation session. You can either combine it with one of the above strategies or use it on its own for enhanced relaxation and well-being. The simplest form of breath work is to inhale slowly through the nose and exhale slowly out of the mouth on repeat. Pranayama breathing is also excellent for creating a rhythm and relaxing into your meditation.

Naturally Soothe Your Anxiety With Meditation Meditation is one of the many great tools for curbing the common impacts of anxiety and supporting yourself in the process of mitigating everyday stress. By activating your parasympathetic nervous system and lowering cortisol levels, meditation can be used to keep you feeling grounded, calm, and at one with yourself.

One of the best parts about yoga meditation is that you don’t need any experience or physical tools to start. Accessible anywhere, anytime, you can use meditation to support your body and mind and combat the effects of PCOS when you need a helping hand.

 

Steph Davidson is a content manager with over ten years of experience in writing, editing, blog development, SEO, marketing, and media relations. Steph works for Felix, Felix is an end-to-end platform where you can get prescriptions for lifestyle medications through an online visit with a licensed doctor, and have your medication shipped to you. Steph lives in Toronto and can be found drinking tea and watching horror movies when she’s not working with words.