Mindfulness Based Meditation

Featuring: Jeanette Bosak
Interview & video by: Catie Menke
Copy by: Shannon Holt

With the constant feeling of uncertainty we are all experiencing at this point in time, finding a sense of calm is something we all seem to be craving. If you haven’t yet, this may be the perfect time to start a mindful meditation practice and find that sense of calm. Meditation provides endless benefits, some of which include, reducing stress & anxiety, boosting mood and increasing energy.

Art Direction by: Catie Menke. Photograph by: Shannon Holt.

Meditation can seem overwhelming at first as there seems to be a lot of preconceived notions around the practice, but with a few, simple instructions, anyone (yes, anyone), can learn to meditate and reap the benefits of having a daily meditation practice.

In this episode of Brunch, Catie is sitting down with Jeanette Bosak, a meditation teacher who specializes in mindfulness based meditation with sound. In this episode, Jeanette is sharing her 3 tips for practicing mindful meditation, outlining the 3 areas of focus and 2 additional tips below for when you are just beginning your meditation practice.

Focus on Breathwork

“Breathwork is the most important part of your practice,” says Jeanette, “it allows you to calm the nervous system down and ease any of the anxieties that may be going on.”

If you find your mind wandering during your meditation practice, that is okay, take note and then bring your focus back to your breath. In this episode, Jeanette breaks down a couple ways to breathe that may help in keeping focus on your breath through your practice.

Become intune with your body

“Once you’ve focused on your breathwork, you will start to become in tune with the full body.”

As mentioned above, mindful meditation is a great way to release stress from your body and as Jeanette points out in this episode of Brunch, there are two ways to do this. The first is through movement meditation, like yoga or stretching and the second, through a body scan meditation. “Body scan meditation is really directing your focus to different parts of the body,” explains Jeanette. Body scan meditations can be done through a guided meditation where you are directed to release tensions, sometimes in areas you didn’t even realize you were holding it.

Slow the mind

“Just like your breathwork provides you oxygen and life force, your mind is what carries you on throughout the day.”

People often go into a meditation practice with the belief that their mind should be silent, but this thought is why many people get easily discouraged when meditating. All the chatter, as Jeanette points out, is “actually common for human beings because we are action oriented, driven beings.” Mindful meditation doesn’t eliminate the chatter, but rather, it helps to slow the mind down by redirecting your attention away from those thoughts and focusing on the breath and the body.

Create a calming space in your home to practice

This doesn’t have to be some extravagant room or dedicated corner of your house set up with a meditation cushion (although that would be nice!). Getting started with your meditation practice shouldn’t be complicated. Find a space, whether it’s in your living room, in your backyard or in your bed. No matter where you choose to start, make sure the space is calming and that you can sit or lay comfortable, within that space, for a few minutes.

Start small

Lastly, when it comes to starting a mindful meditation practice, start small. Don’t expect your first time meditating to be a 30+ minute session. Start with 5 minutes, see how that feels and increase your time with each practice until you build up to that 30 minute session. A great way to keep track of your progress is to start a meditation journal. After each session, write down how you feel or what came up during the practice. This will allow you to track your growth as well as give you a place to resort back to at times you might be resisting your practice.

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