Self-Care through Mindful Meditation

The new buzzwords in healing is mindful meditation. Everyone is talking about mindful meditation and reaping the benefits! 

Sometimes we may think, meditation? That’s not for me, I don’t have the time for that hippy whippy stuff. But it’s not about free time, it’s about understanding what we value and making time for it, right? Discovering how this prophetic practice can help you in many aspects of your life can be transformative to how you view the world.

So now about that free time, if you normally pick up your phone and start scrolling, turn on the TV or listen to a podcast – although this can help switch off from daily stressors – what is much better for your health and stress relief is Silence and Solitude which can also be labelled as Mindful Meditation.

“What is even better for your health and stress relief is Silence and Solitude”

Silence and solitude can bring higher consciousness to intuition, a greater sense of calm, listening to that voice within, what’s it saying? Are you ready to listen? Connecting to your deeper self to grow! These moments can give clarity help to make big decisions, stimulate brain growth, and relieve tension which helps to feel more relaxed generally.

Science shows that silence itself can rewire the brain to make you more intelligent! One of the most amazing facts I’ve learnt which studies show that after only a couple of hours of continued silence the brain starts to grow new braincells in the area connected to memory – wait what!? This is mind-blowing- pardon the pun! Conditions like dementia and depression are linked to a decline cell production in the memory portion of the brain, this can open doors between the connection between silence and treatment for mental illness. 

“Science shows that silence itself can rewire the brain to make you more intelligent!”

Mindful Meditation is not new in Islam, it is so deep rooted in our faith as Muslims, from the very first revelation we know that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was meditating at the Cave of Hira where his Prophethood came to light. We know that good character has a weighty benefit to our scales on the Day Of Judgement however this Hadith also created importance to Silence in long periods:

‘You must have good character and observe long periods of silence. By the one in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad (PBUH), no one can behave with deeds more beloved to Allah than these two.’ Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

The time we live in now which we are so distracted make our minds wander constantly, this prevents the mind from being settled in the present moment. The need for clearing the mind is great and the need to have time in seclusion with silence is even greater. Feed your brain with a little meditation exercise to start with, beginning with small pockets of time if it’s a new thing for you and increase the duration as you get comfortable with it.

So take a moment, yes right now if you so wish or when you manage to get that moment away from the kids or family for a wee while, give it a shot…

get a space with no distractions,

leave the phone in other room so you don’t get tempted to lift!

sit silently in a place where you find comfortable,

take a deep belly breath and relax,

pay attention to the body,

pay attention to the sensations that arise in the sitting,

creating awareness to the body,

feel the breathing taking place,

the sounds that you hear - if it’s a fly buzzing around or the sounds of the birds tweeting

noticing the textures of the materials that you are sitting on,

the smells around you – whether it’s the coffee that you made earlier or just smells in the air

and fully encompassing the present,

whilst doing this any thoughts that come into mind - allow them to flow in and out as if there’s a breeze of wind that passes by you,

with no resistance to the thoughts,

just allowing the flow to take place,

bringing the attention back to body and breathing, 

feeling the peace in these moments,

enhancing the experience with awareness of Allah and His Magnificence,

feeling the gratitude for all the things that you have,

you are given everything within His Profound Blessing and Wisdom. 

sitting with that feeling,

let the silence do its work…

A few moments to start with…notice the difference in your composure throughout your day, mark the difference which will then impact on your decision to

make it a daily practice… the more you do the greater the impact.

Just like brushing your teeth in the morning and night, this practice is also beneficial as a day starter and finisher.

The profound ripple of a simple act cannot be underestimated, are you willing to take a dip into enlightenment?

#becomeyourbetterself

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