Meditation & Developed by UNC Counseling & Wellness Services for the Department of Housing & Residential Education

Setting aside time (even minutes) first thing in the morning is optimal. The benefits of meditation and mindfulness accumulate over time with regular practice.

How Can I Start? Commit to meditating with a practice that appeals to you every day for a period of two weeks, and see how it goes. Find other like- minded individuals to meditate with – this will help you cultivate and maintain a meditation practice.

Posture Posture is also important for formal practices. While meditating, sit in a dignified manner with back and neck and head aligned in a straight line, but not rigidly so, hands relaxing on your lap, and eyes gently closed. You may prefer to sit in a chair, on the floor or a cushion with legs crossed, or lying down.

A Way With Words Some forms of meditation use a short phrase or an inspirational passage that is memorized and repeated silently as the focal point for meditation. For some, having words to focus attention on works well and is very appealing. It is like planting seeds in your consciousness and watering them with your attention so that your best self and ideals will flourish in daily life. Another benefit of using an inspirational phrase or passage is that the ideals of the inspirational words are incorporated into your consciousness.

-Lao Tsu Break into the peace within, Hold attention in stillness And in the world outside You will ably master The ten thousand things

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly. -The Buddha

Appreciate Every Day Each day write down three things (events, experiences, interactions, etc.) that you think went well or that you appreciated. These can be small things like something about nature you enjoyed, a pleasant interaction with someone, a good meal, or even feeling good about the way you responded to a stressful situation. Also ask yourself why you think these events occurred. Often these experiences are unplanned, but they might not have registered in your consciousness unless you had a mindful intent to notice and appreciate them. See how this affects your mood and outlook.

Mindful Awareness of Your Body Body Scan: A fundamental form of mindfulness is being in touch with how your body feels. Just by noticing the tension stored in different muscle groups you can start to release this tension, become more self-aware, and still your mind. Yoga: Try it, you might like it. See yoga resources at Campus Recreation and in the community. Standing Meditation: Stretching and focusing intently on movement and body posture is another effective way to center and quiet your mind.

Loving Kindness: Compassion, which might be described as mindful attention to the well- being of ourselves and others, is more challenging but also more healing than you think. Mindful Conversation and Relationships Full Attention: Simply, in your day to day conversations with others, practice giving your full, undivided attention to the other person, letting go of your judgments, opinions, grievances, clever insights, etc. Instead focus intently on their presence and words. See what this does for your relationships.

Using Music for Mindful Awareness of Emotion There are feelings that you like to have, those you don’t like to have, and even those you don’t know that you have. Your emotions are not inherently good or bad, right or wrong though. Sometimes when you can sit with an uncomfortable emotion and not judge yourself for feeling it, your experience may shift in unexpected ways. Try listening intently to an instrumental piece of music bringing your attention back to the music itself whenever your mind has wandered or has started to evaluate this experience. Music Evokes Feeling

Resources Carolina Meditation Club UNC Counseling and Wellness Services UNC Campus Recreation