We all lead busy and stressful lives and we rarely get the chance to give ourselves five minutes to relax.
Emma Mills has some great meditation tips that will help you start your day in a positive way.
1. Don't go anywhere - My motto is 'Don't go anywhere' when meditating as you are learning how to sit still and be happy in the moment without constant distraction by mind chatter, fear and stress.
2. Use your senses - Check in with what you can hear, see or smell, right now. This helps bring you back to your senses, back to the now.
3. Take two minutes - Have two minutes of silence at your desk before you set down to work as it will help you to take inspired action rather than frantic action.
4. One thing at a time - Practice doing one thing at a time and ensure you are doing it thoroughly with your full attention. I once heard someone say 'How you do anything is how you do everything' - I think this is great advice.
5. Take it easy - Don't over do it, mindfulness will come naturally. A little bit of meditating every now and again will work perfectly as long as you have a light-hearted spirit.
6. Learn to listen - Much of our knowledge is made up of past facts but we need to learn to listen to what is right for you in the moment. It is like hitting refresh on a Twitter feed, you see the top result of what is right, right now, rather than what was right half an hour ago.
7. Make your own rules - Find your own way to meditate, as it doesn't have to be boring, cross-legged or extra spiritual. Meditation is an orientation to life and life is always changing so change the environment - with practice you can meditate anywhere; in the garden, at work, in the kitchen, even when you are out at parties.
8. Use art - Art helps a person to develop sensitivity and awareness, which is what meditation, is all about. Art encourages us to engage with the senses, to be still and to listen openly.
I like this quote from Jean Klein: "Let's say you are looking at a sculpture from Angkhor Buddhism. The smile on the face of the Angkhor statue is particularly beautiful. When your attitude is receptive, you may be completely taken by this smile...The smile captures you and you feel yourself smiling."
9. Follow your interest - if you have a sense that you would like to try meditation then come to a class to learn about it - always develop your interests even if you are just thinking about it.
Come and learn more about meditation with Emma Mills on 24th July, the class is part of Eventbrite Summer School being held at Pizza Pilgrims new coffee kiosk, Sottoscala throughout July. Visit www.eventbrite.co.uk/summerschool to book your place.