We all have to deal with stress and anxiety – whether it’s from work, family, or external factors – which is why it’s so important that we all know how to manage it.

One great way to maintain a happy and calm mind-set throughout the year is meditation. As well helping to reduce stress and improve your mood, meditation also helps you focus on your day to day activities.

The key to meditation and relaxation success is a habit of routine.  

1. When 

Traditionally, there are two optimum time periods for meditation; first thing in the morning before the sun rises, or between four and eight PM, depending on when the sun sets.  

They’re both good options to slip in your daily schedule, and both are said to help you properly connect with the spiritual world.

There are other benefits too:

• Putting yourself into a complete state of relaxation and clearing your mind of any stress first thing in the morning sets you on the right track for the rest of the day.
• Whether you’ve been at work or have been shopping, meditating between four and eight PM relieves you of any tension you’ve built up during the day and helps you unwind.

2. Where

Choosing a specific space to always meditate ritualises the practice and encourages you to make it into a habit.

Try and keep this space separate to activities that cause you stress or take you away from a relaxed state, such as where you work or the room where you exercise.  

You want to make the whole practice soothing; from the minute you walk into your meditation space to the minute you walk out. Make sure the room is a relaxing environment; try decorating with paintings of nature or adorn with candles and incense that you can light upon arrival.

3. Breathing

Breathing is an essential part of meditation, so it is important you understand and learn how to control and breathe properly:

First of all, make sure that when you are inhaling, your stomach is expanding, and when you exhale, your stomach deflates. 

Now, breathing in and out of your nose, take 4-8 quick and sharp breaths in, and one long breath out. Repeat this until you are completely focused on your breath.

4. Thinking

Yes, meditation is about clearing the mind, but this doesn’t mean you should ignore your thoughts. Instead, focus on one specific thought, your mantra for the day or week ahead.

A great mantra to begin with is to feel the pulse in your wrist with two fingers and repeat ‘Sat Nam’ – meaning truth is my identity - with every pulse. Combine this with your focussed breathing, and you will find that you easily drift into a meditative state of mind. 

If you do find yourself thinking, don’t panic and try to control your thoughts, simply return to your mantra to encourage concentration and a deeper state of relaxation.