Mindfulness exercises

What daily meditation can do

Just nine minutes of meditation before bedtime leads to restful sleep, brings rapid relaxation, and allows you to close out the day.(Bild: liliyabatyrova/stock.adobe.com)

Breathe in. Breathe out. Sit quietly for a little while every day. We show you the benefits of regular meditation for your body, brain, and subconscious. All you need is a little time and the willingness to let go. 

Remember the twelve boys and their 25-year-old coach who were trapped deep in a dark cave six years ago with no sense of time? They were hungry and cold. So they started meditating, which helped them maintain their inner peace. Instead of panicking, they spent their time practicing the Buddhist meditation technique "Anapanasati": they closed their eyes and concentrated on their breathing. Conscious breathing is the basis of this technique. It is intended to anchor us in the present. As soon as thoughts and feelings arise, our concentration is gently brought back to our breathing.

Staying present – directing mindfulness inward
An old proverb says: "You should meditate for 20 minutes every day. Unless you don't have time. Then meditate for an hour." There are few excuses, because there are now apps and podcasts that can help you learn to meditate. Meditation is a central component of Zen Buddhism. It serves as a tool for achieving clarity and peace of mind. The central element of Zen meditation is "zazen" – sitting on a meditation cushion.

Thoughts cease and you find inner peace, which, with increasing practice, leads to a deep understanding of life. In Zen Buddhism, the regular practice of meditation is more important than reading the sacred Buddhist scriptures. This type of mental training teaches you to always be in the moment and not to be distracted by thoughts. However, you don't have to change your life and beliefs to integrate regular meditation into your life. As different as we humans are, there are just as many ways to calm the mind and body.

Hectic pace, everyday stress, and a busy schedule? An old proverb says: "You should meditate for 20 minutes every day. Unless you don't have time. Then meditate for an hour."(Bild: Andrey Popov/stock.adobe.com)

Ultimately, it's about "finding yourself." What do you need to do this? Very little: just two things – a little time and the will to let go. And the best thing about it is that it's completely free! Meditation provides the right focus and can help us become more relaxed. It gives us an appreciation for the little things and allows us to view ourselves more lovingly. Regular mindfulness exercises also help us to become aware of our inner voice. Perceiving it and listening to it without judgment allows the inner critic to fall silent over time.

Thoughts revolve around yesterday and tomorrow
Our minds constantly oscillate between the past and the future: circular thoughts cloud our view of what is. When we become aware of this, mindfully perceive the moment and ourselves, and stop the flood of thoughts, we reduce stress. I am here. Not yesterday, not tomorrow—but now! "Become aware in your deepest inner self that the present moment is all you will ever have. Make the now the focal point of your life," writes German author Eckhart Tolle in his bestseller "The Power of Now," published in 1997.

A guide on how to get off the permanent merry-go-round of thoughts and break out of entrenched behavior patterns. Self-reflection not only brings serenity, it also activates our body's self-healing powers. Stress is like poison for the heart and brain. Meditative exercises calm the central nervous system, have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, increase body awareness, and raise levels of the happiness hormone serotonin.

How meditation works

All you need is time and the willingness to let go.

• Sit upright on a meditation cushion or chair. You can also engage in introspection while standing or lying down.
• Find a quiet, undisturbed place where you feel comfortable.
• Be aware of your breathing. Observe it. Count your breaths from 1 to 10 and back again. If your thoughts wander, start again at one.
• Another option is to repeat a mantra while breathing.
• Important: After your first attempts at meditation, be sure to stick with it!

After just a short time, your body will respond positively: "Just nine minutes of meditation before bedtime leads to restful sleep, brings rapid relaxation, and allows you to end the day," explains Gerhard Eggetsberger, a biofeedback trainer from Vienna. Twenty minutes of self-reflection every day regulates blood pressure and thus reduces our risk of heart attack by almost 50 percent! The more we pause, the better it is for our brain: Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig have shown that frequent introspection increases the activity of brain regions associated with positive emotions.

Other studies also show that meditation has a positive effect on the age of the brain and can reduce the risk of dementia. At the same time, our fear center, the amygdala, shrinks. As Eckhart Tolle describes: it's about accepting what is. Recognizing the unique moment, understanding life and its connections, and feeling contentment in it. And finally, taking a little of this calm with you into your everyday life and maintaining it. Try it and see for yourself what happens. PS: Certainly many wonderful things!