These 5 Meditation Hacks Will Keep You Calm

Sometimes meditating can be hard and for no reason at all. Meditating in theory is easy, it's just breathing right? Following your breath shouldn't be complicated but alas, just like human nature, it is. Sitting quietly takes patience and practice, and it can be frustrating when you've been trying to quiet the mind for 20 minutes and you still feel stressed out.

Getting the right meditation mat is only half the battle. Here are 5 ways you can hack your meditations to make it easier to follow along and achieve that state of peaceful awareness meditators are always striving for.

Following your breath works pretty well. Simply listening to the whooshes in and out is helpful to calm the mind and nerves.

If you want to relax your energy even more and tune into another frequency of healing, consider listening to singing bowls while meditating.

Singing bowls are an ancient Tibetan tool to get into that deep meditative state. Using sound healing can put you into that state faster and give you that all-over tingly pins and needles feeling that makes you think...wow I'm actually feeling something here.

Some people are sensitive to sound healing and even experience visions and strange swirling colors in their mind's eye. You can choose from a variety of frequencies, and there are even free videos of Tibetan Singing bowls on Youtube.

Ok, this one majorly changed the way I meditate. By simply setting an intention before sitting down, you can focus more than when you're meditating blindly. An intention could be an affirmation like...I am well...or I am abundant. Or you can meditate on something specific like...maybe your partner, or a color, or a painting.

By having a point of reference, your mind won't freak out so much trying to find a place to rest. Whenever your mind gets distracted, just remember your intention and it puts you right back on track.

You could even use this for manifestation. Meditate on the thing you want to manifest like a new job or bicycle and it will help bring it to fruition.

If you are a regular meditator, you probably have already heard of something called "noting." It's a meditation technique that can really boost your focusing ability during meditation. It's also a godsend for people with anxiety because it helps you to think of what you're doing in the present instead of getting caught up in anxious thinking.

To note, just do your regular breathing and whenever your mind gets distracted, say in your mind "thinking" or "feeling." If it's a thought, label it as "thinking" and if it's a sensation like a feeling, label it as "feeling."

You can go further by labeling it "thinking" or "feeling," then labeling it again as "positive" or "negative". This isn't to judge your positive or negative thoughts, but just to add another dimension to them so you can further let them go.

Seriously, this technique could change the way you meditate and it could bring a lot of great mental health benefits too. Give it a go!

Oh man, do I love a good body scan. I try to incorporate them into my meditations because they're so effective at relaxing the nerves and in turn, relaxing the breath and ultimately, your concentration.

To do a body scan, most people start at the top of the head, but honestly, you could start at your feet or hands, wherever is most comfortable. Take deep breaths and let your mind go over the surface of your body, scanning it evenly.

It's recommended that you allow your mind to go at its own pace and not force it into a flow, it will get into its own flow. You'll notice that as you scan over certain parts, it will relax those areas, but that's not the point, so if your body doesn't relax don't worry. If you repeat this daily, you will experience a relaxed nervous system and better meditations.

Sometimes when I'm meditating without a timer, I trail off and wonder what I'm doing in the first place. Timers can be so powerful to keep your mind on track. You would be surprised that by setting a time limit for meditation, your mind automatically gets in this "zone." Because you know you only have so much time to achieve that deep state, you actually focus on doing it.

Set your timer to 20 minutes, 30 minutes if you have more time. Just make sure you set it to a gentle, gradual wake-up, otherwise, your brain will freak.