Best 6 products for meditation
While getting fit remains one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions, this year, many people have committed to improving their mental wellness. As a result, they’re searching for new ways to manage stress, anxiety and burnout.
Meditation can offer many benefits, from improving mood to boosting self-awareness. Many practitioners also report physical benefits from meditation, such as better sleeping habits.
If you’re new to meditation, you might not know where to start. Fortunately, you can begin at home with a few products that set the stage for peaceful practice.
What is meditation?
Meditation is a practice where you pause and focus on something in particular, whether it’s clearing your mind of negative thoughts or giving deeper thought to a project. When you meditate, you tune out the world around you to focus, decompress or collect yourself. There are several practices, including mindfulness, progressive relaxation, breath awareness, and guided and spiritual meditation. Generally speaking, meditation practices share the same core elements: a quiet, distraction-free area, a comfortable seated or lying position, focus and openness.
Although meditation is a practice in and of itself, it’s often incorporated into other activities.
- Yoga and Pilates classes may use breath awareness as part of certain flows and techniques.
- Many martial arts, including Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido, use meditation in conjunction with physical and mental exercises.
- Meditation is sometimes utilized in psychological therapy, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy, where patients learn to develop healthy thinking habits or mindful coping skills.
What are the benefits of meditation?
While most people are aware that meditation may have a calming, relaxing effect, it’s not the only benefit. In fact, there are as many physical benefits as there are emotional ones.
Emotional benefits of meditation
Studies show that meditation may help manage stress, increase patience, raise self-awareness and cope with stressful situations.
For creatives and professionals, meditation sometimes provides the much-needed “step back” to gain perspective on challenging projects. Children and adolescents may also benefit from meditation to manage their anxiety during stressful events, such as exams or competitions. Meditation is often considered a form of self-care, and many people practice it while they get massages or use skin care masks.
Physical benefits of meditation
While meditation may improve your overall mood and well-being, it often affects your body at the chemical or physical level, too.
One of the top physical benefits of meditation is lowering blood pressure, which according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Meditation is often used as a way to improve sleep health, including for individuals with insomnia and depression. Recent studies also show that for some individuals, meditation may be effective as part of a pain management program.
How do I meditate?
Meditation can be as simple or involved as you’d like it to be. Regardless, you can start by finding a calm, quiet location, whether it’s in your living room or a shady spot under a tree. Next, set up the space so it’s as peaceful as possible, which may include tidying the space, setting up aromatherapy candles or turning on relaxing music.
After you’ve created a meditation space, it’s time to begin your practice. Find a relaxing position, seated or lying, that will be comfortable to maintain for several minutes. Once you’re comfortable, close your eyes and begin focusing on your breathing and body. What comes next, however, is entirely up to you.
Some people meditate and focus only on their breathing, blocking out all other thoughts during their session. Others use breathing as a gentle springboard to enter a relaxed, concentrated phase where they focus on something specific. If you’re not sure which method to use, you can try guided meditation, where you listen to someone walk you through a breathing and thought process.
Top 6 products for meditation
Gaiam Meditation Cushion and Pillow Set
Enjoy a comfortable seated position during meditation with this cushion and pillow set. They’re filled with organic buckwheat hull, which adapts and responds to your body.
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Amazon Echo Dot 5th-Generation
Place the Echo Dot in your meditation space and listen to relaxing music or guided meditation. You can also explore Alexa skills for your practice, such as ambient sounds or positive affirmations.
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“Practicing Mindfulness” by Matthew Sockolov
If you’re interested in mindfulness meditation, this bestselling book features 75 meditations geared toward stress management. The book is beginner-friendly, and seasoned practitioners can also appreciate it.
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Himalayan Glow Crystal Salt Lamp
Dim the lights and turn on this Himalayan salt lamp to enjoy a warm, soothing glow during meditation.
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For those who want to incorporate sound into their practice, this palm-size Tibetan singing bowl is a worthwhile investment. It emits calming tones that are said to sync with brainwaves.
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Pure Enrichment PureSpa Deluxe Aromatherapy Diffuser
Take a deep breath with this aromatherapy diffuser during breathing exercises. The device is known for its quiet operation and works well in smaller meditation spaces.
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Sian Babish writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
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