WEBVTT

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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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Hey everyone, Angie Miller
here with AFFA and I'm

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so glad you joined
me here today.

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So did you know that today
is World Mental Health Day?

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So I can't think of
a better day to talk

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about how we, as
fitness professionals,

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can improve our mental wellness
so that we can pass that along

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to our participants.

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So as a mental health therapist
and educator, and a fitness

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professional, I really
believe in the value

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of treating the
mind and the body

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together and respecting the
connection between the two.

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So my goal is to
help everyone feel

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healthy from the inside
out, and meditation,

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what I'm going to
talk about today,

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is one way that we can do that.

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Meditation is a
form of self-care

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and we, as fitness
professionals,

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are on a mission
to save the world.

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But we have to save
ourselves first

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and meditation is
that form of self-care

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that can help us do that.

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So why meditation?

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Well, meditation promotes peace
and calm, and mental clarity.

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Sometimes our mind can feel
like a whiteboard filled

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to capacity, and
meditation can be

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the thing that clears some
space, the eraser that

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clears some space.

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Research supports that
meditation can help drive down

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stress and reduce
anxiety, and that it

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can improve areas of
the brain associated

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with learning and memory.

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So how do you meditate?

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Well, there's lots of different
styles and forms of meditation.

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If you're brand
new, you might want

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to consider downloading an
app or joining a meditation

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class where you have a
community of support.

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But let's say that
you want to meditate

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in the comfort of your
own home and you just

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want to get started on a
simple breathing meditation.

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Well, I have some tips to help
you get started on doing that.

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A simple breathing
meditation that you

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can do in the comfort
of your own home.

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So number one, start with
three to five minutes a day

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and add time as your awareness
improves and your comfort

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level improves.

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Number two, try to meditate
at the same time every day

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so that you can create habit
and establish a routine.

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Number three, also try to
meditate in the same place

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every time that you meditate,
so that it's a place of comfort,

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a place that is peaceful, a
place that is clutter-free,

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and you could even bring in some
objects that bring you comfort.

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Some pictures, or
some candles, or you

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could even bring in
an object that you

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can use during meditation
that you want to focus on.

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Number four, you want to
sit or lie down on a mat

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or in a chair.

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If you sit, try to
think about setting up

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as tall and
dignified as you can.

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Think about something
still and statuesque,

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something unwavering
like a mountain,

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and allow your posture to
reflect that through strength,

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and awareness, and commitment.

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Number five, you
can close your eyes

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or you can focus on the
object that you have chosen.

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Number six, you want
to breathe slowly,

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and gently, and calmly without
forcing your breath in any way.

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And when your thoughts
start to wander,

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just bring them
back to your breath

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or bring them back
to the object.

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Number seven, when your
thoughts do wander--

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and they will, they'll
wander during meditation just

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like they do in everyday life.

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So when your thoughts
wander, we really

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want to avoid chasing them,
or condemning them, or judging

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them.

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I just picture my
thoughts floating away

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on a cloud in the sky or
floating away on a leaf

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going down the river,
then I bring my thoughts

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back to my breath or back to
the object that I am meditating

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or using as my focal point.

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So those are just some quick and
simple tips that you can use.

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Remember, there's no right
or wrong way to meditate.

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Meditation is just a way that
we disconnect from the outside

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world and connect with
ourselves in a very personal ,

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caring way.

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It's just a form of
self-care for us.

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So I'm so glad you
joined me here today.

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I hope that you'll
consider connecting

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with me on social media.

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On Instagram, I'm
AngieMillerFitness,

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and on Facebook and
Twitter I'm AngieMillerFit.

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My website's
angiemillerfitness.com.

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Keep doing what
you love and loving

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what you do because
you're doing a great job.

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I will see you next week.

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