Tonic’s Meditation Guide for Beginners

Written by Joanna Mitchell, Tonic’s Business Communications Manager At the recent Adnews Media & Marketing event, our Tonic Ambassador Matthew Johnstone spoke about managing stress and building resilience in media. One of his key recommendations is implementing a daily meditation practice. Many of my friends in Adland say they’d love to practice meditation but they ‘just don’t have the time’ or ‘I’ve tried it once but my mind was too busy’. However, as someone who started meditating several years ago, I’m here to tell you that it’s easier than you think…. Don’t worry about quietening the mind Lots of people think meditation is about stopping the mind chatter. It’s not. Thoughts are normal and they will continue while we meditate. It’s just about redirecting our attention to a calmer space (like the sound of our breath) and not diving into the thoughts that come up. Just Breathe Once you’ve found a comfortable seat and relaxed your body into position, turn your attention to your breath as it flows in and out of your nose, and start to make your breaths longer and smoother. It really is that simple. Don’t worry about doing it wrong and if you become side tracked and loose focus, just keep taking it back to your breath. Start with just 5 minutes Keep your practice short by starting with just 5 minutes of meditation per day. You can even do this during your commute to work. Once you feel comfortable with 5 minutes of meditating, extend it to 10 minutes and then to 15 minutes. Like most things, meditation takes practice. Download the Insight Timer The Insight Timer is a free mindfulness app. One of my favourite settings is the ‘Deep Om’ sound. As well as paying attention to your breath, play the ‘Deep Om’ in the background to help create and maintain a relaxed state of mind. Tonic Media Network offers wellbeing programs and initiatives to agency staff for free. Check out Tonic Healthy Living here >> *Image by Matthew Johnstone