What is Meditation?
According to Verywell Mind, “Meditation can be defined as a set of techniques that are intended to encourage a heightened state of awareness and focused attention. Meditation is also a consciousness-changing technique that has been shown to have a wide number of benefits on psychological well-being.”
Benefits of Meditation
Practicing meditation regularly has a variety of benefits such as reducing stress levels, providing a way to cope with anxiety, improving mental focus, lengthening your attention span, improving your sleep patterns and even improving your physical health. Many of these benefits overlap with the benefits received from using a spa regularly and overall lead you towards a healthier and happier lifestyle.
One of the most important pieces of meditation is feeling comfortable and relaxed. Your personal hot tub is likely already a comforting place for you. For most people, their hot tub is already an escape from the craziness of everyday life and a place where they can let themselves relax. This quiet and peaceful environment is the perfect place to begin a meditation journey.
Meditating does not have to take up too much of your time. In fact, choosing to meditate for just a couple of minutes in your hot tub is the perfect place to start.
Getting Started
In the beginning, keep your jets turned off. The idea is to clear and relax the mind. The less distractions, the better. Once you start feeling comfortable with your meditation practice, you can turn on the jets and play some soft music. Take care in choosing how you sit during your meditation. Sit in a position where your spine is straight, your chin is gently tilted down, and you feel comfortable and relaxed.
As you begin, close your eyes and relax completely. Take this time just to focus on your breathing. You can even count each breath – Breathe in, breathe out, “one,” Breathe in, breathe out, “two.” Repeat this until you get to ten, and then start back at one. Your mind might wander and that is okay. It is natural for the mind to find new things to focus on, but rather than worrying about the future or fixating on the past, just bring your attention back to your breathing. Breathe in, breathe out, “one.”
Another meditation technique is to do a scan of your body as your settle into your breathing. Start at your toes and mentally take note of how they are feeling. Continue this all the way up to your head. If you find an area that is particularly uncomfortable, tense, or painful, make a mental note of it and move on. The idea of this is not to focus on discomfort, but rather to bring awareness to yourself. Practice directing the breath to any areas of tension and allow your breathing to ease any stress in the body.
Don’t be too hard on yourself as you begin your meditation journey. To begin, just set aside 3 minutes of your time in the hot tub to dedicate towards meditating. As you feel comfortable, you can continue lengthening the time. Please remember that if you have your spa set at a high temperature, it is suggested that you do not stay in it for more than 15 minutes. Turn your temperature down if you plan on spending an extended amount of time in your spa.
Another option would be to listen to a guided meditation in your spa through your Bluetooth speakers. These are many free options and apps that you can use to pick a meditation within a variety of topics. Get everything in order and then climb into your hot tub and relax.
In conclusion, practicing meditation is a great activity to add into your daily practices. Meditating while relaxing in your personal spa is an amazing way to take care of yourself, reduce stress levels and improve your mental focus.
REFERENCES
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-benefits-of-meditation#2.-Controls-anxiety
- https://www.nytimes.com/guides/well/how-to-meditate
- https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-meditation-2795927