How-to: use candles to meditate

Eat, sleep, work, gym, run errands, eat, sleep work… the relentless chaos of everyday life can be enough to send you loopy! Neglecting to take time out from your busy life can lead to exhaustion, illness and burn out. Keep your wits about you by injecting a little meditation into your daily ritual. Here’s how to do it…

Set the scene

Choose a room in your home you feel really comfortable and relaxed in – the bedroom is usually the best spot. Next, set the scene by turning down the lights and lighting some scented candles to make a soft glow. Did you know? Soft light has an instant calming effect on the body, causing you to release extra amounts of dopamine: the sleepy, happy hormone.

Meditation techniques

Don’t freak out – meditation doesn’t have to mean sitting cross-legged and making strange sounds. The right meditation techniques are the ones that work for you and no two people are the same – but in general, most people find that sitting or reclining in a relaxed position while focussing on the soft glow of a candle helps to get them into the right mindset.

Relax your mind

Once you’ve relaxed a little by focussing into the light of the candle, clear your mind of daily stresses. If you struggle to have a totally clear mind, use visual imagery – close your eyes and imagine physically writing down all your worries and cares onto a piece of paper, then visualise screwing the piece of paper up into a tight ball and throwing it into a black void.

Stay calm

Spend ten or twenty minutes just relaxing with your eyes closed, being as comfortable as possible. Focus intensely on your breathing. Make it the only sound you hear. If it helps, you can use traditional meditation techniques, like picturing a relaxing setting and concentrating on putting yourself into that picture – such as a warm beach or a calm ocean. You may even feel so relaxed that you drift right off to sleep!