Meditation can get a bad rap. We tend to think that unless we are Yoda on top of a mountain, without a single thought having come through our heads – then we haven’t meditated.

But this is far from the truth. Alice Law explains.

All it takes is to find the type of meditation that suits you, and then put in 5 minutes of practice each day.

We all have 5 minutes – it takes us 5 minutes to go to the bathroom…but we complain that we don’t ‘have time’ to meditate and look after our mental wellness.

The truth is that when it comes to our minds, the very things you think you don’t have time for are the exact things that you need to make time for.

Just as the body needs food, the mind needs space and stillness. So meditating is a great way to start giving your mind exactly that.

When we meditate, we create a space within our minds to be able to respond instead of react. Which is really the aim of the game isn’t it?

None of us want to be going through life reacting to what is going on around us, without any control of our own emotions.

Especially at times like now, where there is so much fear and uncertainty, stress and worry, it’s so important to be able to remove ourselves from that and to not be continually reacting to what is going on in the world around us. But instead to be able to respond how we would like to, so that we can still find peace and positivity within the current disruption of the world.

When it comes to looking after our minds – what we practice gets stronger, good or bad.

So, we have to look at what it is we are continually practicing without realising and then change it for the better. If you are going around all day in fear and anger, then that is exactly what you are strengthening. Equally if you are going around in a state of calm and positivity then that is what you are practicing and that is what is getting stronger.

This is why meditation is such a great thing for us to use, because not only does it help us to practice the good – the stillness, the calm. But it also allows us to create a space so that we can respond instead of reacting and CHOOSE what that response is – good or bad.

We now know from studies that meditation does this is by weakening a connection to a part of our brains which is sometimes nicknamed our ‘Me Center’ (technically the medial prefrontal cortex) – the part of our brain that processes information that relates to ourselves and our own experiences.

When we experience something that upsets us or puts us into fear then it triggers a strong reaction in our ‘Me Center’, but when we meditate as part of our fitness practice, we weaken this neural connection.

The result? We don’t react as strongly to things that as we once may have, and instead we give ourselves the space to choose how we want to respond.

Meditating for just 5 minutes a day will shift your mood, meditating for just 12 minutes a day will rewire your mind and I always say meditating for just 20 minutes a day will change your life.

So, what are you willing to put into meditation?

What are you willing to put into the health and fitness of your mind?

We all have 5 minutes – the question is, are you willing to put just 5 minutes a day into looking after your mind?