Mindfulness

1. Timing:

Meditate at the same time every day, advises Cristina Chandika Ma, resident yogi and healer at our Cotswolds Wellness spa. ‘I always make sure that the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is to sit still in silence. That’s how I start my day: if I do that, I know that today is going to be wonderful; everything will fall into place.’ Your meditation practice will soon become a part of your daily routine. 'Just as your body and your mind know that at 10pm it is time to sleep, your body and your mind will know that at 7am in the morning it is time to meditate. You will go into meditation very easily and you don’t need many tools.'

3. Sit, settle and breathe:

Find a comfortable place to sit. 'It doesn’t matter how you sit, especially early in your practice, how you are sitting at all, as long as you are comfortable and could be still for a while. You could even lie down!' suggests Athena. The important thing is that you are comfortable. 'Eyes could be open or closed. If eyes are open - soft gaze at a non-moving object (something green like a tree is always soothing) or the tip of the nose. If eyes are closed, internally gaze through the space of your third eye (between your eyebrows).'

Start to ease into your mindfulness meditation by paying attention to your breath. 'The breath is everything!' says Athena. 'Ujjayi breath, sometimes called ‘ocean breath’, calms the central nervous system, brings your awareness within and creates the groundwork for you to start witnessing your thoughts. Once you have got the hang of witnessing your thoughts with no attachment and emotions on a regular basis, you cease to be the puppet of your monkey mind. This is when students find more inner peace and see with more clarity - and they start to respond rather than reacting to every day challenges. All this starts with the deepening and regulating of one’s breathe.'

5. Harness the power of crystals:

Using crystals in your meditation practice can help amplify your inner voice and clear your surroundings. Each crystal is different and has different healing properties and uses: it is important to choose the right crystal for your practice as this will help you reinforce more specific intentions. ‘Different stones attract - and work - for the individual in their own way, so how we use them, and how we respond to them, is entirely unique’, explains Crystal and Spiritual Healer, Emma Knowles. ‘Crystals act as filters to our energy, so they can be used not only to draw out the things which no longer serve us, but also to draw forth what we desire – be it confidence, love or energy’.

'Crystal filters need a job - a task. When placed with an intention of ‘I ask this crystal to lift and hold a happy mood and keep us safe, calm, happy and energetically healthy’ - they can do epic things - as each crystal placed under this intention will start to work like a wifi hub, transmitting signals to each other and across the whole house at that intention and that frequency.’

‘I have been using them most of my life – so I pick what intuitively am drawn to that day. I set my intention, ‘what do I need for today’ and then I reset my eyes, my mind and let myself be led to what’s needed.’

Strengthen your heart with rose quartz. ‘We all need a little softness on the day-to-day, and pale pink Rose Quartz is just the thing. It is excellent for general love and luck – I always say that it brings some “every day magic” to our lives, and lightens the load. Keep a piece in your pocket for a little lift, when you need it most’.