| How to Meditate for Beginners Feb 19th 2013, 03:00 The benefits of meditating are much touted by those already undertaking it daily or regularly. People have different reasons for wanting to meditate, from quelling the internal chatter, getting to know oneself better, finding calm and a sense of grounding, enforced restful contemplation or tying it to one's faith. Whatever your reason for wanting to meditate, it can be daunting to know how to begin and stay motivated. This article will provide you with a way to start. Choose a Basic Meditation - Understand the purpose of meditation for you. Not everyone has the same reason for meditating, although most people appreciate its effect on calming your thoughts and causing you to stop and simply "be", amid the chatter and cacophony of everyday life. Seeking inner quiet is important for everyone, from the business person to the artist, and it's a way of connecting with yourself, taking time out from a hectic day and observing the spiritual needs within. Try not to over-complicate your reason for meditating––at its core it's about relaxing and refusing to be caught up in everyday anxieties.
- Here are some of the reasons people meditate: To improve creativity, to visualize goal achievement, to quiet the inner chatter, to reach your real self, to banish negative approaches to thinking, to connect with the wider world and universe, to become more compassionate, to follow a faith such as Buddhism, to be more mindful, to breathe better (sporting and music types will find additional benefits), to improve health, to find peace, to control anxiety, to solve problems, and much more.
- Choose an easy, basic meditation program to introduce you to the benefits of meditation. Most people like to begin with a simple sitting meditation, somewhere quiet, simply focusing on breathing. As you advance, you can try other types of meditation, including walking meditation, guided meditation and meditation focused on a specific issue or problem.
- Avoid using difficult poses or thinking that you need "the right equipment" or clothing. Meditation is possible anywhere, dressed (or undressed) as you are, and making do in a quiet spot of your world.
- Avoid slumping (like on a cozy couch) or lying down somewhere that you're used to falling asleep in. These are not positions conducive to staying alert when meditating. When beginning, you can sit on the floor or on a chair, sit on your heels, or sit cross-legged in the half lotus or full lotus positions (if that's comfortable for you––don't force it).
Preparing Yourself - Ensure that you are alert. You need an alert mind to make the most of meditation, so be free of alcohol or non-prescribed drugs for at least 24 hours.
- Meditate on an empty stomach. Wait two hours after a full meal or an hour after a snack or a caffeine drink before meditating, as the digestive system can be very distracting.
- Don't smoke in the lead-up to meditating. If you smoke it is best to wait for roughly thirty minutes before meditating.
- Wear something comfortable. Remove your shoes and loosen any tight clothing so you are comfortable.
Preparing your meditation space - Choose a restful spot. You need to make sure you have some peace and quiet around you when you first begin learning to meditate. This is critical to your success.
- Eventually, you may even master meditating even in noisier places. While a noisy meditating environment is not ideal, having this skill can truly help you to cope with stressful or sensory overload situations.
- Disconnect or turn on the silencer for all phones.
- Make the area pleasant. A scented candle, a bouquet of flowers, a incense or something else pleasing to you can be great little touches to enhance your first meditation.
- Dim the lights. Or, turn them off if you are going to use candles. You don't want to come out of your meditation session into bright light.
- Use a straight-backed chair to sit upright. Or, use some cushions/pillows to support your back and head. If you're meditating outdoors, sit against a tree trunk, a warm garden wall, or some other comfortable support. For those sitting lotus style, a zufu is a good purchase (a zufu is a large, firm cushion filled with kapok).
- If you would like to sit in a kneeling position, it is possible to use a meditation bench that can help to keep your back straight and take the pressure off your legs.
Begin meditating - Sit still in your chosen position. Be mindful of your breath. Every time that your thoughts race off somewhere (and they will, along with song jingles, to-do lists and all manner of unwanted chatter), come back to your breath.
- Breathe deeply in and out.
- Seek to be aware of the different physical sensations you're experiencing as you breathe deeply in and out.
- Notice how your body expands with an inhalation and contracts with exhalation.
- Experience the breath coming in through your nose, out through your mouth and experience how it feels through other parts of your body.
- Notice the stillness around you before and after each breath.
- Come back to your breath whenever the thoughts try to take over.
- Accept that focus will be hard for the beginner. While it's important to try and keep focused while meditating, you'll find it's very hard as a beginner. Don't berate yourself––all beginners experience the inner chatter, the clamor of one's thoughts trying to regain supremacy and break the peace. If thoughts enter your mind, just let them float out of your mind again and return to focusing on your breath. You will need to do this time and time again––that is fine, it's normal.
- Focus may be increased if you use a particular method that helps quell the inner chatter. The counting method is used successfully by some people. It requires counting at the beginning of a breath meditation, counting for a few minutes. You will be focused on counting rather than other thoughts. Count each out-breath from one to ten, then return to one. Each time your mind wanders, return to counting again. Never overdo counting though––it is possible to replace focus on the breath with focus on counting, and if that happens, stop.
- Never expect too much. Many people get disheartened and frustrated with meditation because they expect immediate results. Meditation takes time to grow into and to fully appreciate. It may take days if you're on a retreat with nothing more to do than meditate, or it can take weeks or months if you're only dedicating a slot here and there for meditation each week. Be persistent, as there will come a moment when your awareness will suddenly shift and you'll want more of this experience!
- Practice and persevere. You will gain the benefits of meditation when you least expect it because meditation cannot be forced or fitted into a schedule––your awakening and increased awareness will come when the time is right. However, you can increase your chances of being successful by finding others to meditate with. It might be an individual or a group, but it's best to find someone more experienced at meditation than you, to offer guidance and inspiration.
- In time, the mindfulness that you experience from meditation should spill over into the rest of your life, causing you to think carefully about your diet, your activity levels, the things you submit your mind to through reading, viewing and listening.
- Make sure that your cellphone is set to silent.
- Try to always leave three to four hours between meditation sessions.
- Keep your spine as straight as possible while being as comfortable as possible.
- Find a silence place to help concentrate and focus on your meditation.
Edit Warnings - If listening to music while meditating, only listen to calm songs. A song could be calming at first but then change into rock in the middle––this is not appropriate as it interrupts the meditating process.
- Be wary of any organization asking you for large amounts of money upfront to learn meditation. Many people don't know any better and can end up paying thousands of dollars to learn to meditate, when they could just as easily learn exactly the same method free of charge or for minimal cost. Keep an open mind and be aware that meditation is not a religion and you don't need a guru to learn it.
- Frustration comes with the territory. Roll with it––it's teaching you as much about yourself as the more peaceful side of meditation. Let go and become one with the universe.
Edit Things You'll Need - Cushions/pillows may help
- A sign outside your door saying you're meditating and should not be disturbed
- A room in which you will feel comfortable meditating
- Comfortable clothing
- Relaxing music (there are plenty of appropriate meditation songs or tunes available to download from reputable music stores online)
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