1.    Breathing Meditation

We all do it, but how often do we think about how we breathe? We can't last too long without breathing, but we barely notice it most of the time.

Using breath is one of the easiest ways to start your meditation practice. Sit quietly and observe your breathing as you inhale and exhale. Notice where you feel the breath rise and fall in your body. If your mind gets distracted, try counting your inhalation and exhalation.

When we're anxious and under pressure, there's a reason why the advice is to take deep breaths. Our flight-or-fight response kicks in during moments of stress. The body prepares to deal with the perceived threat by generating adrenaline and cortisol (the stress hormone), which increases blood pressure. Short bursts of stress are not generally troubling in healthy individuals, but prolonged stress can become a problem. Research suggests that breathing meditation can lower blood pressure. 

Here are some meditations that use breathing techniques:

Box Breathing

• Sit comfortably and exhale through your mouth to clear the air from your lungs. 
• Then inhale through your nose for a count of four.
• Hold your breath for a count of four.
• Then exhale through your mouth for a count of four.
• Hold again for another four counts. 
• Repeat three more rounds of this cycle.

Abdominal Breathing

As the title suggests, this encourages deep breathing from your diaphragm in your belly. It also allows more oxygen to circulate to help you feel more energised. You can practice abdominal breathing either by sitting or lying down.

• Place one hand on your belly and the other on your chest.
• Slowly breathe in through your nose and follow the air downward to feel your stomach rising against your hand.
• Then exhale slowly, noticing how your stomach contracts.
• Repeat the process, focusing on the rise and fall of your belly while your chest remains still. Start with three rounds, but if you practice daily, you can aim to build up to five or ten minutes each session.

Alternate Nostril Breathing 

This practice demands focus, so it’s a great way to divert your attention from anxious or stressful thoughts.

• Begin by sitting in a comfortable position.
• Place your right thumb over your right nostril and breathe in deeply through your left nostril.
• Release your thumb from your right nostril and use your ring finger to close your left nostril.
• Exhale through your right nostril.
• Then inhale through your right nostril.
• Close your right nostril and breathe out through your left nostril.
• Repeat the cycle for up to five minutes, always finishing with an exhale through your left nostril.

2.    Body Scan Meditation

This meditation allows you to check in with how your body feels. Body scan meditations may help to improve sleep quality, so if you have insomnia, try this meditation in the evening.

• This meditation works well lying down, but you can sit if you prefer.
• Begin by taking a few deep breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth.
• Then focus your attention on your feet. Observe any sensations you may feel. Do your feet feel hot or cold? Are you noticing any tingling or discomfort? Perhaps you notice nothing at all, and that's fine. There's no right or wrong.
• If you notice any tension, imagine it dispersing as you exhale.
• When you feel ready to move on, release the focus on your feet and move up to your legs. Follow the same process of observing, breathing and releasing.
• Gradually work your way up through your body until you reach the crown of your head.
• Then release your focus, take a few deep breaths and bring your attention back to your environment.

3.    Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Do you ever get into a warm bath at the end of the day, and as you relax, you realise how tense your muscles have been? When you’re stressed, you might not notice how much tension you hold in your body. Progressive muscle relaxation helps to release this.

A 2020 study into progressive muscle relaxation also showed favourable results towards assisting patients with pain and fatigue symptoms caused by type 2 diabetes. 

Much like the body scan, you work on different areas of the body, but this time you focus on amplifying and then releasing tension. Here’s what you need to do:

• Start by lying or sitting down.
• Centre yourself by taking a few deep breaths.
• Bring your attention to your feet. Clench your feet and toes for a few seconds, and then release. Notice how your feet feel now.
• Move up through your body, using the same process of tensing each area, releasing and observing. Focus on your legs, glutes, abdomen, shoulders, arms, hands, neck, jaw and forehead.
• Finish by tensing your whole body and then relax.

4.    Present Moment Meditation

We can spend a lot of time dwelling on past events or thinking about the future. Rumination and worry stop us from living in the now. Present moment meditations encourage us to slow down frantic thinking. A recent study of 100 healthcare workers indicated using a mindful meditation app helped to lower stress levels.

Here are a couple of techniques to encourage mindfulness:

Sound Meditation

If you're suspicious of me straying into the territory of gongs and sound baths, I promise I won't. This method is a great way to improve focus and concentration.

• You can do this one inside, but it works outside too.
• Find a comfortable position. Close your eyes and spend a few moments observing your breathing.
• Now switch your attention to the sounds around you. You might hear a clock ticking, a radiator pipe gurgling, traffic noise or birdsong. 
• You might not think you can hear much initially, but allow yourself time to tune in. 
• Notice the rise and fall in the sounds you hear and the rhythms they produce.
• Then pick three of the most prolific sounds to focus on one at a time.
• Concentrate on this sound for roughly 30 seconds (no need to measure it accurately), then switch your attention to the second of your three chosen sounds.
• If you get distracted by other noises, turn your attention back as soon as you notice.
• Switch to your third sound after another 30 seconds.
• Repeat the whole cycle.

Observing Thoughts

Why would you invite all your chaotic thoughts into your meditation practice?

The keyword is observing. You're essentially window-shopping your thoughts without going into the store to make the purchase.

If you're a ruminator, mastering this technique can help you gain perspective. But it's challenging, especially for those of us who can benefit the most from it.

So, how does an overthinker observe their thoughts without getting caught up in them?

• Begin by closing your eyes and following your breath.
• Then turn your attention inwards. As each thought appears, imagine it in a bubble that floats away as the next thought enters. You could also imagine thoughts as clouds drifting across the sky or boats travelling gently downstream. 
• Irrespective of the visual you use, the key is to treat each thought as transient that needs no analyse during this process.
• If you become involved in a thought, disentangle yourself from it by concentrating on your breathing for a few moments.
• When you first try this meditation, you may keep engaging with thoughts. As frustrating as it is, stick with it. Your mind follows familiar patterns of behaviour, and it will take effort to change these pathways.
• Sometimes it's helpful to label each thought as worry, sadness, frustration etc. You acknowledge the thought without suppressing it or judging it. 
• You might notice patterns in your thinking, and you can work on these observations with a more objective mindset afterwards.
• To begin with, try this practice for about five minutes daily, gradually increasing the time. 

5.    Visualisation Meditation

Visualisation meditation is another technique to help with relaxation.