How to Start Meditating

Learning how to start meditation for the first time can be really overwhelming. And when I first started there were a large number of techniques and methods to try. This article is going to give you some great ideas to start your meditation practice. But the easiest way to start is following the seven-step below.

How to Start Meditating in 7 Easy Steps (5 minute)

1. Choose focus object for your mind focus, object, a mantra or your breath.
2. Set your timer five minutes.
3. Gently close your eyes or leave them open with a soft gaze.
4. Gently bring your mind to your focus object.
5. Mind starts to wander gently bring it back to focus object.
6. Be patient and Kind with yourself when your mind wanders
7. Your timer sounds, allow yourself to gently come the meditation.

Different Ways to start Meditating

If like me, you are having trouble starting, there’s nothing wrong with getting a bit of external help. During my research I found a variety of supports available to get you on track and each are great in different ways. I’ve just listed a few examples.

Classes

If you want to experience the energy and technique, a class gives you both. Training under a master helps you stay on track and really pushes you through. There are different streams of medication and each has slightly different teachings and styles. Mantra and spiritual meditation use chants, others focus on breathing while others are guided. Do some research, you will resonate toward the style or class that suits you the best.

• Metta meditation.
• Spiritual meditation
• Sound Bath Meditation.
• Mindfulness meditation.
• Breath awareness meditation.
• Zen meditation. …
• Transcendental Meditation
• Vipassna meditation
• Chakra meditation
• Dynamic Meditation

Audio

There are many CD’s available from a host of styles or if you are a visual learner you can find educational and guided meditations on you tube. There are guided meditations, workshops, series from beginner to more advanced that are free and easily accessible. No matter what style you choose to explore, you will find it. The good thing about You Tube is you can experience a few different genres until you find what suits you the best or mix it up and take the best from different disciplines.

Retreats

Retreats are fantastic for a total meditative experience because there are no distractions and the teachings are holistic and include rest, diet and cleansing. Find out the program before you book in to make sure its right for you. Vipassna for example is ten days of silence after a three day introduction and this can be very challenging. Find out if the retreat caters for beginners so you’re not setting yourself up to fail. Meditation is a skill that requires dedication and practice.

Books

If you enjoy reading and really want to get a deeper understanding books have a whole wealth of information and teaching. The Miracle of Mindfulness an introduction to the practice of meditation -Making Space Creating a Home Meditation Practice. Both of these books were written by ThichNhat Hanh who is a Zen master and offers easy to read, great strategies. The Compass of Zen by SeungSahn who is Zen master who’s base is Buddhist. This book teaches some very solid, clear cut ways to develop meditation practice.

Apps

Apps are cool, because they’re with you whenever your phone is, its like an instant guide.

Headspace This is one of the most popular meditation apps and easy to use.

Satva This app is good if you get distracted easy as it offers chants and Mantras.

Insight Timer This is a great app because it has many guided meditations that talk you through your meditation.

Breath2relax This is a simple beginners App that teaches you how to concentrate on breathing.

Which meditation is easiest for beginners?

The easiest meditation and in some ways an essential skill to acquire as a foreground of all meditation styles is mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness is where you practice being in the total present no matter where you are or what you’re doing. Mindfulness is being curious, open minded and not having any judgement, you are just being. The trick is to only do one thing at a time and really experience it. What does the air feel like while you’re walking, the sounds, the hair touching your face….just sense into the experience. You can complete a mindfulness meditation in 10 minutes, practice while walking or showering, sitting in the park. Once you get used to practicing mindfulness, you will find the more advanced styles or practices easier to complete without your mind playing whirly gigs on you.

How To Start Meditating for Beginners

What to Think About

True aim of meditation is to realise your true self and that self doesn’t come with words or judgement or even an explanation. In order to reach a place where you, as witness connect to self the mind must be quietened. When you begin to meditate you may think about how your body feels touching the cushion you are sitting on and rather than thinking begin to sense into yourself in the present. For some, a mantra or prayer will direct the focus of thought but without those all you need to do is concentrate on your breathing. If a thought comes to your head, observe it and let it flow before returning to your breath, observing the feeling of the air going in and out of your lungs.

How to Breath

prior to beginning your meditation it can be helpful to take three long deep breaths in an our as this helps oxygenate the body and relieve some stress. After that “just breath”. Breathe naturally and trust that your body will provide what it needs. Don’t try to force a slower or deeper breath, just observe your breathing as it is. You may find that the speed of your breathing changes through the meditation, that’s ok, just observe with acceptance. Practising some diaphragmatic breathing while walking for example has been known to enhance the meditative experience and is good for you anyway.

How to Sit

It is important that you are in a comfortable seated position either on a chair or on the floor. If you are on a chair it is best to sit slightly forward on the seat with both feet aligned with your hips and flat on the floor. Some find it helpful to roll up a towel and place it between yourself and the chair. It is a good idea to push your shoulders back slightly as this helps keep your spine straight, not like an army soldier and stiff, just optimum posture. Allow your hands to rest on your lap naturally, you may like to place one hand on top of the other while keeping an open posture. Finally drop your chin slightly.

Best Times

The best time to Meditate is in the morning after your body and mind is refreshed from sleep. Your mind isn’t filled with the whole days experiences and easier to find that space of stillness from which self awareness can be experienced. Another benefit of morning meditation is that you can really experience the benefits of clarity and calm which is a great way to start the day. If you are part of a family and have little kids to get ready to school its advisable to get up half an hour before them. There is clearly no point trying the morning meditation if the baby elephants are doing the cha cha in the next room.

What I Need to Start

What you need to start is acceptance, curiosity and a mind that is open to possibility without judgement. Ultimately you need to be accepting of the process and to strip away ego. In terms of practicalities you need a comfortable space free from distractions and if possible dress in loose fitted clothing appropriate for the temperature. If you are going to be meditating on the floor, a cushion is recommended. It is good to be well hydrated before you start. You need to turn off your mobile phone and get hold of a timer. You also need to be drug and alcohol free.

Before of After

It is better to Meditate after a shower for several reasons. Water is very calming and sensory allowing not only a shift in energy but a cleanse of energy. Water purifies the body and also clears away a heavy aura that has been dampened by the stressors of your day, especially if you are meditating in the evening. Having a clean body allows you to be more observant on your breathing as you have either washed away the sleep or the dust from your day which gives your mind less distraction. Our olfactory senses are magnificent triggers, albeit unconsciously. A fresh body before a mind cleansing is always preferable.

Advanced Meditation Tips to Help Beginners

Preparing for meditation is always helpful, cleanse your body and purify your mind by entering the meditative arena with forgiveness. Doing a brief dynamic meditation or series of 4-7-8 breathing rounds to help relieve stress can help relax your body. Try and sit completely still as any movement with send energy into your muscles and if you become distracted bring yourself back to your breathing by counting or repeating a chant. Sit upright to avoid drifting off to sleep and start out short, a ten minute meditation is better than none. Have patience and try to maintain a smile.

How to Start Meditating Daily Habit

Creating a meditation routine can be tricky with the mountain of other stuff that seems to have to get done so the best way is to link it to an automatic trigger, say after your morning shower, brushing your teeth, or when your partner gets home from work. Incorporating meditation into your daily routine, having it scheduled in helps consolidate the habit and it no longer becomes part of the checklist of to do’s. With practice meditation becomes easier and develops its own internal momentum and drive. Predictability and routine help train your mind for calm, just like having a regular bedtime helps regulate your circadian rhythm (sleep/wake cycle). It is also helpful to establish a regular meditation space at home that is free from clutter and you associate with peaceful energy. When your mind begins to associate time/routine and space with the meditative practice, it becomes automatic and achieving stillness will require less effort.

Meditating Alone VS Meditation Classes

Meditation is a solo journey inward, however there are a number of benefits in joining a group meditation. Firstly, you are less likely to give up and succumb to other pressures and being with likeminded others can make you more committed. Undoubtedly you have experienced the energy of a room change if a very agitated or depressed person arrives? Likewise the energy of calm is very contagious and in a space with numerous others resonating deep peaceful energy, helps you achieve a much deeper and calmer state. Monks meditate in groups and this collective connection enhances community peace and empathy. Other benefits include stepping out of your comfort zone and sitting with vulnerability, having guidance, shared learning, making new friends and having the experience of interacting with greater authenticity.

How to Start Meditation Specific to Improve Self Awareness

There are many forms of meditation that are general or focus on specific intentions, each designed to provide a deeper awareness of the authentic self. Some techniques focus specifically on opening the core of who you are, illuminating your essence for greater clarity about your purpose in life. There are a variety of guided meditations available but the following outlines a basic progression. Firstly you need to be comfortable in your space free of distractions and as you start breathing, begin a physical body awareness starting at your feet and progressing upwards through your legs, into your hips and torso, chest, arms, throat and head. Feel your breath rise and fall as you complete your full body inventory, just observing without judgement. Next step is a more subtle level of awareness and that is noticing your body’s energy, the heat, tingles and energy movement anywhere in your body. Observe and sense into the energy experience. You then move on to being aware of your emotional body, feelings that may be coming up, where you experience them but remember to act as a witness. Then become aware of your thoughts, the images and words that come into your mind, these are your thoughts, look at them and release them, using your breath as an anchor for remaining in the present. Finally, allow an observation an awareness of all of the parts together, without judgement, breathing with release and acceptance.

How to Start Meditation Specific for Anxiety

Meditation is a wonderful strategy that helps alter the neural pathways in your brain that become enlarged when you become stuck in fight/flight response. When anxiety becomes generalized, we lose our ability to regulate our emotions to find homeostasis, that place of balanced energy. Mindful meditation allows you greater control over your thoughts and feelings. As described above, a helpful technique is practicing a full body scan, focusing your awareness on every inch of your body. Anxiety is like showing a child a lollipop and saying you can’t have this, the more you fight it, the stronger hold it has over you. After your body scan and being present with your own energy, allow your thoughts to flow without judgement. Accept what comes to you and release it. The moreself-aware, the quicker your upsetting thoughts and worries will dissipate. When you become an observer of your thoughts and feelings, you begin to distance yourself from them using your breathing as an anchor. As you regulate your breathing, you begin to inhale optimum amounts of oxygen and release your stressors as you exhale. This in turn helps to shut down the automatic arousal system and you can view your thoughts as part of a journey.

How Do I Start Mindfulness Meditation

The most pertinent way to begin, is by having an intention to become truly aware of your essence and to be open minded about the concept that you are part of a much bigger divine entity. You start by truly wanting to free yourself from unwanted influences and removing the props that have acted as Band-Aids, that cover up or have helped you avoid facing truth. Courage is required to release outmoded habits and to finally and purposefully stop running from all that bothers you about yourself and your past experiences. To start Mindfulness Meditation requires you to be prepared so be patient, spend time researching different methods, practice some guided meditation and make a commitment. Find what resonates with you, prepare your space and determine a regular routine. Most importantly, don’t give up, with anything meaningful in life, the process is what’s important. Have patience and remove expectations. Knowledge is the key, become aware of the potential barriers and commit yourself to determination and resilience. Start slowly and build up the time you spend. Promise to engage in this exploration with self compassion and acceptance and lastly, enjoy your passage toward authenticity and awareness.