Eight step meditation plan for the office

Keen to cut the emotional clutter from your life? Meditation might be the key?

Meditation is one of the best ways to bust stress, according to experts. So, if stress has been eating away at you lately and you're keen to bite back then, get started with our nine-step meditation plan for beginners. The best part? You don't need to sit cross-legged on a hillock to achieve a few minutes 
of bliss.



>> 1. Sit comfortably in a chair with your feet planted firmly on the ground and your back straight. If you need to close your eyes to relax, then pick a point in the dark and make that your focal point.

>> 2. Relax your neck by gently moving your head in small circles, backwards and forwards, front to back, and from side to side. 

>> 3. Roll your shoulders a few times to relax further.
 
>> 4. Stretch out your legs if you like, and then align them again. 

>> 5. Focus on one area of your body and concentrate on relaxing that area. Start with your feet, then move up to your calves, knees, thighs, stomach, torso, and to your neck, throat, and finally head. 

>> 6. Release any tight or sore area/s in your body. Do this by breathing into those areas two or three times.

>> 7. Focus on your breath. Notice each inhalation and exhalation. Slowly, as your breathing gets deeper, count to four for each inhalation and another four for every exhalation. 

>> 8. If you feel distracted by ambient sounds or a distracting thought or image, acknowledge it, and thenrelease the distracting though it by focusing more intently on your breath.

To begin with, set aside just three minutes every day at a specific time (early in the morning or post lunch at the office) to meditate. Over time, and with practice, incorporating meditation into your life will become a habit, and you can then slowly increase the duration of your meditation sessions.