HERE’S your starter for zen – is it worth learning to meditate like Prince Harry?
The dad-to-be has revealed he practises meditation every day as he prepares for parenthood.
Harry, who we have mocked up here in three classic contemplation poses, has clearly taken a leaf out of wife Meghan’s book.
But though she has long been a fan of the discipline, even she was sceptical at first.
Writing on her now-defunct blog The Tig, she said she “rolled her eyes” at the idea of meditating and thought, “Give me a break”.
Now she and Harry both swear by it to bring them some much-needed calm.
It is a far cry from Harry’s party-loving past, but mindfulness guru Ed Halliwell says that is exactly why it will be doing him so much good.
Like Prince Harry, Ed — a former editor of lads’ mag FHM — had a wild lifestyle.
But he credits meditation with turning his life around.
He said: “I was someone who had the accelerator on all the time.
“I was living a lifestyle that many people would have wanted, working on a lads’ mag in London.
“It was very hedonistic, very fast-paced. But human beings aren’t really meant to be ‘on’ all the time.
“You can have too much excitement.
“I burnt out at 28. I really tipped into a long period of anxiety and depression.”
What is mindfulness?
ACCORDING to Ed, a simple way to think of mindfulness is “being aware of what is going on inside of us – thoughts and feelings – and learning how to pay attention”.
He adds: “Practising meditation is a way of doing that.
“I would say it’s very similar to going to the gym. If you want to condition your body and get in good shape you need to exercise regularly.
“Meditation is exercise for the mind. It’s mental fitness.
“We get caught on automatic ways of thinking and behaving and the exercise of meditation trains us to relate differently to what’s going on.
“It helps us to learn how to look at, understand and manage our thoughts and feelings without getting overpowered by them.
“It’s like we cultivate a mental resilience. It’s mind training.”
Ed, now a 45-year-old dad of two, quit his magazine job and tried several different approaches to make himself feel better.
He previously said of that time: “I read all the self-help books I could find.
“I was seeing a therapist, taking anti-depressants, attending support groups and trying all sorts of alternative treatments.
“I was willing to try anything which, in a way, was a good thing because everything I tried I approached with an open mind.”
Yet nothing worked until he discovered meditation and mindfulness.
He said: “It’s made a massive difference to my life.
“I now have a lot more tools to help with my own well-being.”
From performing better at work to feeling more equipped to deal with emotional blows, meditation has been proven to provide a whole host of benefits.
Here, Ed gives you the lowdown on mindfulness and shares the ultimate beginners’ guide to upping your zen.
Who is it for?
IF you have a mind and a body, and want to live well with them, then mindfulness is for you, insists Ed.
He explains: “If you want to be fitter physically you would train. But you don’t need to be unfit to benefit from a physical training programme.
“So you don’t need to be unwell or stressed to benefit from meditation.
“Meditation is used by all sorts of high performers – from the British Olympic team to politicians and CEOs.”
Ed’s top tips for mindfulness
- FIND A GUIDE: Like learning any new skill, it is easier when you have a teacher. Try to find your own personal trainer. There are mindfulness courses all across the country.”
- GO ONLINE: If getting a guide is not possible, there are plenty of apps or self-help guides to explore. Having some guided meditation is a great way to learn the process.
- TAKE SOME BREAKS: What we are really practising with mindfulness is taking some pauses in the day. So take some breaks from your daily routine – maybe just a few minutes each day. One of the easiest ways to make some time for mindfulness is just going outside and taking a walk. Meditation is not just sitting down and breathing.
- LOOK AROUND YOU: Let yourself experience your senses. Feel the wind on your skin, feel your feet walking on the ground – and look around.
If you take time not to rush and you actually look around at the world then you are already practising meditation. - EAT MINDFULLY: Rather than eating your lunch at your desk while also surfing the web or sending emails, step away and allow yourself to really experience eating. Bringing your attention fully on one thing at a time, such as eating, is practising mindfulness.
- DO A BODY SCAN: You do this lying down, where you offer attention to each part of the body in turn.
Spend a few moments experiencing how your feet are feeling, your legs, then the middle of your body, the upper body, the arms, hands, then the head.
It puts you in touch with the sense and the feelings of the body. - START SMALL: If you get into a mindfulness course you could practise meditation for 30 to 40 minutes at a time. But to begin with, a few moments of mindful walking or “following the breath” is a good starting point.
- PRACTISE DAILY: If you want to learn to play the piano you have to practise. Same with this. The more we can engage with mindfulness, the more we are likely to benefit.
What are the benefits?
MINDFULNESS and meditation have a long list of benefits.
Ed says: “Mindfulness can help people prone to depression and with managing stress. It has been shown to help break bad habits, such as smoking or eating too much.
“It helps us to regulate our emotions so we’re not blown this way and that by every feeling we have. It can also help performance at work.
“And it helps relationships. If we can understand ourselves, we can understand other people more.”
How to meditate
- GET COMFY: Choose a relaxed position. You could sit on a chair with both feet on the floor. Or try the traditional lotus pose – cross-legged on the floor with your hands lightly on your knees or in prayer at the heart-centre. You can have your eyes open with a soft focus or closed. This position focuses you and prepares you to meditate.
- FOCUS: Begin to pay attention to the sensation of the breath in your belly. Feel the waves of breath as they come in and out.
- BREATHE: There is no need to breathe deeply or in any special way. Breathe normally and do not force it. Just focus on the waves of breath going in and out, like you are surfing on the breath.
- STAY CALM: Don’t worry if your mind wanders, it does that. If you find you have begun thinking about the future or the past, notice that and gently bring your attention back to the sensation of breathing.
- REPEAT: Carry this on for a few minutes. The more you practise, the longer you can meditate for. Start small, just like with physical training, you would not start with a marathon.
Celeb fans
BURNT out, The Beatles headed to India in 1968 and sought help from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, leader of the Transcendental Meditation movement.
More recently, model Daisy Lowe claimed meditation “has changed my life”.
And former Bolton, Everton and England manager Sam Allardyce said it helped him “cope with the pressure you come under in this job”.
Books and apps
Mindfulness Made Easy, by Ed Halliwell
An introduction to mindfulness practice and step-by-step guide for a self-paced course.
Search Inside Yourself, by Chade-Meng Tan
The Google mindfulness course developed for its employees.
It’s a really nice introductory point.
Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world, by Mark Williams and Dr Danny Penman
A step-by-step guide through an eight-week course from one of the leading teachers in the UK. Includes CD.
Headspace
Launched by Bristol student Andy Puddicombe, who packed in his studies to become a Buddhist monk, this is now probably the best-known meditation app.
The free version gets you a ten-day package of guided meditation.
Calm
As well as short, guided meditation sessions, this app also provides a library of calming music and “sleep stories” performed by the Stephen Fry, among others.
Insight Timer
The social network of the meditation world, this app shows a world map of all the other people signed up to it who are meditating.
There are “insight groups” where you can discuss meditation techniques, as well as a big library of guided meditations.
MOST READ IN FABULOUS
Stop, Breathe & Think
The free version gets you 30 meditation exercises and activities including “body scans”.
It also lets you log how you are feeling so that the app can offer exercises to suit your mood.
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News Pictures Our starter guide to zen like Prince Harry after the dad-to-be revealed he practises meditation every day
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