There seems to be this misconstrued idea that to meditate, one must be able to shut off all their thoughts and be able to sit solemnly in silence. Otherwise, it’s not considered as really meditating or worse yet, that you are simply, someone, who cannot meditate.

If it’s any testament to any of your meditating concerns or worries, there have been many Buddhist monks and spiritual teachers before us, who still speak of meditation troubles. As this is, and seems to be, the human condition in which we live and an undeniable truth for the human mind in its sheer existence. So, before we launch into the most beautiful (and simple) intricacies of why we meditate, we are here to assure you, that no one is too beginner or too advanced to start, and that beneath all this spiritual and wellness fluff – meditating is simply an ancient practice that’s actually very basic and accessible for all.

To meditate is to simply sit. We allow ourselves the sacred time and permission to sit in the seat of our thoughts, for however long our time allows. And whether that be “sitting in shit” or sitting in something so uncomfortable – we try, perhaps for the first time, to not resist anything and just allow whatever to come up and through. We sit and observe, without passing any judgement, from the seat of pure objectivity, trying not to avoid, skip, banish, or fixate on any thought or feeling – to meditate is simply to cultivate; where we don’t attach meaning to anything and allow what is, to simply, just be.

For years, meditating has allowed me to walk myself through life – through all its heartbreak, loss of loved ones, tides of emotional erraticism, the good the bad, the sick and the healthy. To me, it has now become home, something I always have to return too. And with so much talk of how to do it, who to do it with, which modality to commit too, how much to pay (meditation should very much always be free) – it appears it’s becoming a little complicated and overwhelming for some and so here we are for those who are looking to start.

So below, from one avid meditator to the next, we have rounded up some of the easiest and most accessible meditation apps that are here to assist. From Eddie Stern’s free and easy Breathing App to soundscapes with OPPO, RUSSH rounds up the easiest meditation apps for you to get started below.

The Breathing App by Eddie Stern

Honestly – my favourite. If you don’t want to look any further, just start here.

Insight Timer

An overwhelming large resource of different guided meditations if that is more what you are after, along with different talks, spiritual lectures and courses from all around.

OPPO Relax

Beautiful soundscapes and easy to navigate meditations from breathing techniques to meditative sound baths.

Glo Yoga & Meditation App

If you are ever looking to integrate a yoga practice in with your meditation practice – I cannot, cannot, recommend Yoga Glo enough.

Headspace

Possibly one of the biggest meditation apps on the market, and big for a good reason. If you are completely new or curious to start, none is more accessible and easy than Headspace.

Ensō

Minimal, sleek and no frills – Ensō is an app that won’t interfere with your practice too much but offers some guidance while also giving you the space to leave your practice up to you.

Calm

An all encompassing app including nature sounds, guided meditations and step by step breathing exercises.

Sattva

If the world of Vedic meditation (mantra meditation) is more something you want to explore, along with traditional sacred sounds and Sanskrit – Sattva will have you covered.

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But how exactly do you start? And what exactly is meditation? If you’ve ever been curious as to how meditation works, how to do it, where to start and how to make it part of your routine, we’ve got the answers. We connected with the team at mindfulness app Calm to find our more about meditating – and to get the answers to our key questions around this practice. Below, find the details of everything you’ve ever wanted to know about meditating and meditation according to Calm.

What is meditation? How do you actually do it?

Meditation, most simply, is a practice to calm the brain by paying attention. And most often, what we’re paying attention to is our breath.

When starting out, it can be hard to know if you’re “doing it right.” You might feel weird, awkward and sometimes a bit silly. On your own, you might think your wandering mind means you’ve messed up or that you’re not focusing enough. All of these feelings are normal when you’re just getting started.

To kick start your meditation journey, we recommend listening to a guided meditation, such as The Daily Calm, or try Calm’s How To Meditate series. Designed for beginners — a guided meditation is where an instructor talks you through each step — they offer you direction, coaching, and encouragement that will reassure you that you are indeed doing it right.

How can meditation benefit our wellbeing? What sort of mental health benefits does it have?

With almost half of Aussies (45.5%) experiencing a mental disorder at some point in their lifetime (Department of Health), we can all benefit from learning how to be more mindful and recognise mental health is health.

Meditation is scientifically proven to help people, which is why it’s recommended by top psychologists and mental health experts all across the world.

Meditation has been proven to help reduce everyday stress, burnout, insomnia, anxiety, addiction, depression and chronic pain. In addition to feeling relief, people are also noting the benefits of cultivating compassion, gratitude, focus, joy and self-love through their meditation practice.

Mindfulness teaches you how to build awareness, pay attention, face discomfort, be present, and manage life’s ups and downs. With greater clarity, you make better choices, build stronger relationships and feel confident to take on everyday challenges.

Are there physical benefits to meditation too?

A lot of people don’t realise that meditation has great physical benefits too. With regular meditation practice the grey matter in your brain shrinks, in turn reducing anxiety and stress. This lowers blood pressure and enhances immunity and the body’s ability to heal.

Cutting edge science is starting to find that meditation may also slow down the biological ageing process. Whilst it won’t stop you from getting older, several studies have found that meditation activates genes that produce telomerase. Telomerase is a natural enzyme that helps prevent telomeres (the name of the long proteins protecting our DNA when our cells divide) from shortening which can cause cell damage. That means meditation can protect us from age-related health decline at the cellular level.

Are there different styles of mediation?

While meditation can be honoured as a practice that came out of traditions like Buddhism and Hinduism, today meditation is a universal and secular practice. This is exactly what Calm aims to deliver, with hundreds of hours of original content including bespoke meditations, Sleep StoriesTM, wisdom series, natural soundscapes, music and more, so you can discover what works best for you.

Everyone’s preference is different, we recommend you try a few different styles to find what works best for you, some people find ASMR and body scans as most approachable, whereas others prefer sleep stories or guided meditation. There are also more interactive styles like yoga nidra or sound baths.

What kind would you recommend to a beginner?

For a first time mediator, we recommend trying guided meditation. Guided meditation is helpful for beginners learning how to meditate but also for experienced meditators who prefer to be accompanied through their mindfulness practice. Guided meditation can be deeply comforting because the meditator is never without support.

What’s the difference between meditation and mindfulness?

At its core, mindfulness teaches us to calm the mind, develop concentration, and increase awareness. With greater awareness of our thought patterns and emotional habits, we can improve our mental health by learning to relate to our circumstances in a more objective, compassionate, and skillful way. Mediation is an exercise to learn to be more mindful.

Mindfulness has both formal and informal practices. Formal mindfulness practices include guided and unguided meditation for example, breathing exercises and body scans. These formal practices are where we really build the muscle of focused attention and compassionate insight.

Mindfulness can also be practiced informally, amidst the everyday rush of our daily lives. We practice mindfulness informally when we take a deep breath before seeing a client or washing the dishes. These moments of mindfulness are important as well. While we may not be sitting peacefully on a mountain top, we are still practicing awareness.

Do you have any tips for anyone looking to try and include meditation in their lives?

Like any habit, it’s all about routine. That’s why Calm created the Daily Calm. A signature 10-minute meditation, led by Calm’s Head of Mindfulness, Tamara Levitt, that offers a unique mix of meditation and inspirational content to encourage a sustainable mediation practice. It’s short, sweet and easy to squeeze into your daily routine.

Here are some extra few tips to help you find your mediation groove:

What do you think more people should know about meditation?

Building a strong mediation practice takes consistency and patience. Think about meditation the same way you think of physical fitness: it takes more than twenty sit-ups or running a single mile to get lasting results. The longer you stick with it the easier it becomes and the more benefits you’ll notice.

When you’re learning how to meditate, you’re learning how to transform your life. So be patient and find what works for you.

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If you missed it, the renowned meditation app moved into TV and film last year with its Netflix features Guide to Meditation and Guide to Sleep. And now it’s created a third instalment, Unwind Your Mind.

Unwind Your Mind isn’t your typical filmic experience. This animated feature is a ‘choose your own adventure’ style pathway to relaxation. The experience allows watchers to select how they’re feeling and the goal they’re trying to achieve before taking you through a guided exercise to help unwind and relax. Once you’re done, you then have the option to go back and choose another route to proceed to ‘sleep stories’.

Now, let me tell you the first time I tried this, I was ready to fall asleep in just a few minutes – something that normally requires me to take a sleeping pill. My racing, over-stimulated minds was put to rest almost instantaneously. I tried it next on a day where my partner said he was experiencing unusual feelings of anxiety. Despite some initial misgivings, I sat him down in front of the program. Lo and behold, he was asleep in less than five minutes.

The experience offers three customisable paths: meditation, relax or sleep. From there, you are able to tailor your path to your in-the-moment feelings and time constraints. And it offers a beginner’s gateway to meditation and mindfulness.

“We want to give many people access to more mindfulness in their lives once more. With the help of concrete instructions, backed by science, viewers can build a healthy routine and gain a more restful sleep”, says Eve Lewis Prieto, Headspace Director of Meditation and Mindfulness Teacher.

The experience launched on Netflix on June 15 and is currently available to all Netflix subscribers in Australia – and be ready for the best sleep of your life. Watch the trailer below.

Image:  Casey Horner on Unsplash

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What is your morning beauty routine?

My routines definitely vary depending on if I’m stressed, in cycle or hydrated enough, etc. But usually, when my skin is good, the routine is usually just an Aesop face wash in the shower and some moisturiser on after. Maybe a little cheeky eye cream too, a touch of mascara and I’m done!

I always aim to use organic, cruelty free, vegan products as i don’t like putting chemicals or “bad energy” (as i like to call it) on my face. I find Sukin moisturiser works the best for me… a little goes a long way.

What is your night beauty routine?

Usually the same as above, (minus the mascara). However I tend to put on a clay mask rather than moisturiser. The clay mask helps rejuvenate my skin after a long hard day and makes me feel shiny and light. Also use the Sukin clay mask. If not the mask, I generally substitute it with rosehip oil, only to the cheek areas.

Describe what you do for a living? What does a typical day look like for you?

Well, besides modelling, I bartend, each day is so different. It really depends on what’s planned or what I feel like doing in the moment. I’m a very go with my flow type person.

However a typical working day (modelling or bartending) would definitely start with having a good nights rest, getting up early (early** might vary on shift times), practicing yoga and meditation. Having a very big boogie (I allocate at least 30 minutes a day to grooving), getting ready, then hopping on my motorbike and heading over to said destination.

Coming home I like to take a breather and reflect on the day. Then proceeding with whatever I feel I need to do. Which could be anything from reading, writing, playing guitar, or painting, to meditating again. Practicing breathing techniques or just drinking wine in a hot bath… it varies.

What is the supermarket/ drug store/ chemist beauty product(s) that you use and love?

Drug store/supermarket winner has to be Sukin!! BUT if we’re talking a little off grid, I’m a HUGE fan of Lowanna skin care. They are indigenous owned, natural, vegan and cruelty free!! Also, it’s made from native ingredients the First Nations have been using for centuries! (And that’s what i call good energy).

What is your main form of beauty body maintenance? What products do you use on your body?

I do a body scrub at least once a week But for the most part, it’s just absolutely slapping that moisturiser on, and listening to what my body needs!

How do you keep fit/ healthy? Does exercise form a large part of your routine?

I’m big on keeping fit and healthy, not only physically but mentally. I’ve recently (thank you ISO) picked up yoga and I have felt that it has helped me move so much pent up energy trapped inside my body. I also go to the gym.. well, used to.. have they reopened yet? I also enjoy getting my exercise through unconventional things. Like skateboarding, rollerblading, rock climbing and dancing!! Keeping fit and healthy doesn’t have to be boring!

What cosmetic procedures/ professional treatments do you have as part of your beauty routine?

I (and i know this is sad) don’t actually really get procedures or treatments. To be honest, I don’t ever think I’ve ever gone to a spa or had a professional facial treatment… anyone want to take me? I feel like I’m missing out on something great.

What do you do when your body needs to recover?

Meditate!! Your mind is so powerful. It can manifest and create so many wonderful things, but everything starts with you. Your mindset, how you perceive yourself and the world etc… or take a long bath/ stretch it out, whichever works best for you xx.

You’re tired/ hungover/ rundown: what is your beauty hack?

Tough one! Definitely an eye serum for my poor puffy eyes the morning of, and lots and lots of water!!! And honestly minimal makeup, I find when you’re hungover/tired you tend to work up a sweat much easier and breakouts can come back twice as deadly!

So if I can, I will spend an extra minute or two on shut eye and totally skip the makeup routine or if you must, a very light coverage… You may look a bit like a walking zombie, but trust me it will help the following day.

In these situations I also try to reiterate to myself that I AM beautiful, strong, intelligent and powerful, (even if I don’t necessarily feel like it in that moment). And that I don’t always have to look my best, to feel my best.

What I usually find with that, is the better you feel (mentally) the better you look! So shine bright baby, and go get em xx.

What is the one non-negotiable in your beauty routine?

Primer/moisturiser preferably one with a little sunblock in there too!

Do you have a beauty icon? Who are they and why?

Honestly, it’s any woman I see feeling radiant in their own skin. I think that’s so powerful, and so beautiful, that it doesn’t matter to me whether they’re wearing makeup or not.

What is the best advice on beauty you’ve received?

Less is more!! (thanks to my Ma for that one). Oh and also, a soft brown eyeliner on the outside, not on the waterline, for a big eyes effect!

What is the best advice on health you’ve received?

Look after your mental [health]. Fuel your soul with good foods, stay hydrated, and go with the flow, baby. No need to stress, life is way too short, enjoy the trees, sunshine, flowers. Stress causes breakouts. Frowning causes wrinkles. No, thank you!

Pro tip: unlearn your societal influenced behaviours of comparing yourself to an unhealthy standard. You are you, you are unique, and you are intelligent, resilient and gorgeous.

What is the one product you can’t live without?

You really saved the hardest for last didn’t you? I’m going to have to say (an organic) lip balm, because I feel like you can also sneakily fix your brows, add a bit of a glossy cheek and fix ya eye bags if tired. The limit does not exist!

Also, just in case anyone needs to hear this:LOVE *clap* YOUR *clap* SMOOCHING *clap* BUDDIES *clap*.  No one likes kissing a chapped lip, take care of them!

The post Nikita Taltavull on owning your power and indigenous beauty products using native ingredients appeared first on RUSSH.

The first launch for the collection includes a face cream, face roller, and candle that are all “skin-loving, dermatologist-developed, cruelty-free products.” The Skin Transformation Cream was developed in partnership with Dr. Renée Snyder, a board-certified dermatologist and the co-founder of clean beauty brand W3LL PEOPLE. 

Image: Keys Soulcare

The rich formula containing bakuchiol, malachite, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid hydrates, plumps and nourishes the skin – all while purifying and centring the spirit. The chic black face roller in Alicia Key’s collection is of course, like no other. Made from Obsidian stone, the stone is known to revitalise the look of skin tone, texture and suppleness, while its cooling properties promote a sense of tranquillity while de-puffing the skin.

Image: Keys Soulcare

Starting a beauty brand when you’re makeup free:

Back in 2016 the singer made headlines by penning an open letter titled Time to Uncover in Lenny Letter when she announced she will be going makeup free. Alicia Keys discussed how through meditation she came to have a “deeper knowing of myself”. And after being on a photoshoot where the photographer shot her makeup free the signer spoke about how she had never felt more empowered. 

“Cause I don’t want to cover up anymore. Not my face, not my mind, not my soul… nothing.” With this in mind it will be interesting to see how this translates into a beauty brand. The signer may have vowed to wear less makeup but this didn’t mean she also decided to use less skincare. 

Where can you purchase Key Soulcare in Australia?

In addition to the major US beauty store, Ulta, Key Soulcare is available to shop online directly on the brand’s website. While international shipping isn’t being offered just yet, the brand has confirmed that it will be in place by the end of January 2021. Until then, we’ll be keeping our eye out for any further updates and watching any – and every –review we can on the new collection.

Image credit: @aliciakeys

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1/9   From left: Vanessa Moody @vanessa_moody; Raquel Zimmermann @raquel_zimmermann.  

Let’s fade into the sun, let your spirit fly. Make like Gisele and Candice and take the time for meditative moments.

Avoid the alarm with The Broad Place Meditation Sand timer.

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