The Beginners Guide to Meditation
Meditation For Beginners: How to Meditate in 5 Steps
Meditation Step 1: Search For A Tranquil Environment
For successful meditation, you will require a quiet environment in which to practice.
Background noise, such as the television and radio, will cause distraction and disrupt your train of thought. Instead consider peaceful, tranquil, and meditation-friendly audio and music.
It’s also best to choose a fairly cool or warm area to meditate. Being too cold or too hot won’t allow you to concentrate.
Make sure you’re in a suitable area where you won’t be disturbed.
Meditation Step 2: Sit Comfortably
To meditate, you’ll need to find a comfortable position in which to sit for ten to fifteen minutes. You don’t need to adopt a specific position if you are going to find it hard to adapt.
Generally, the regular position for meditation is with crossed legs and hands on your lap. However, if you struggle with this at first, find a position you are comfortable with. Just ensure that you are not slouching.
Meditation Step 3: Breath
Focusing on your breathing is an important process in meditation. However, you want it to be natural.
Start by closing your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Let it begin with shallow breaths, and just continue to breathe for a few minutes.
Your intake of breath will become deeper as you progress. Take your time to breathe slowly as there is no need to force it.
TIP: You can learn more here about breathing techniques.
Meditation Step 4: Focus On Your Thoughts
Through deep breathing, you should feel more at ease. Once that happens, turn your focus to the actual process of breathing.
Be conscious of each breath that you inhale and each that you exhale. It may take a while for your mind to fully focus on your breathing.
Don’t worry if you struggle with your train of thought. It’s perfectly ok for your mind to wander onto other subjects. Simply let it drift and gently try to bring your attention back to your breathing.
It may be difficult to concentrate, whether you’re a beginner at meditation or not, however, as you start to continually practice, your attention should gradually improve.
If you find it easier, then use numbers to ‘count’ your breathing. So, for instance, count one to inhale and two to exhale, and continue to repeat these numbers as you breathe in and out. This can be an effective way to get into the mindset of learning to meditate.
Meditation Step 5: Open Your Eyes
When you are ready to end your meditation, open your eyes. You should be in a
calm and serene state.
Meditation Tips For Beginners
When you’re first learning how to meditate, it's important to view it as a skill that you cultivate and strengthen over time. When you’re just getting started, use these meditation tips to enhance your practice…
Keep an eye on your posture, ensuring your back is straight. This will help you focus, and infuse the practice with positivity.
Try meditating first thing in the morning. This sets a wonderful tone for the rest of your waking hours and also takes advantage of the receptive state of your mind before the rush of the day begins.
If you can't relax into your meditation, try counting your breaths for a while. This will calm your thoughts, guiding the brain into a more focused state.
Let thoughts drift by, rather than trying to stop them. It is natural to get distracted; the important thing is to gently refocus your mind as soon as you noticed that it has wandered.
Meditate in silence if at all possible, in a quiet room. If there are background noises, try listening to some quiet instrumental music.
Commit to meditating for at least a month. This will allow you to acquire the basic skills, and begin to see the real benefits it can bring.
You may want to explore other meditation techniques in the future, such as meditating while listening to soft music (new age music) or other audio.