How To Do Meditation: A Beginner’s Guide
As much as we’d all love to be that person who meditates for so long each day that they’re always in a calm state of mind, it’s just not that easy.
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The ancient, Buddhist practice is all the rage RN, with new studies touting its pros – and there’s plenty of them! Meditating seems to take over our over-stressed brains, keeping negative emotions at bay and reducing feelings of anxiety – it’s what all the celebs do!
It’s pretty much a wonder treatment with no medication and no side effects.
But when you first start out, sitting down with your own thoughts for 20 minutes just is too much, too soon. Here’s how to start your journey, the easy way…
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How To Do Meditation: A Few Simple Steps
- Find a Quiet Place
- Take Advantage Of Apps
- Attach It To Your Routine
- Remember You Can’t Meditate Wrong
- Meditate To Music
1. Find A Quiet Place At First
As you develop your meditation skills, you’ll be able to practice in noisier environments, but to start your journey, it’s MUCH easier to find a quiet place to help you find your zen.
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2. Take Advantage Of Apps
Apps not only help to guide you through meditation sessions, but offer a real sense of community which helps you to stay motivated too. From Headspace to Calm, there’s tonnes of Apps designed to help you get started.
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3. Attach It To Your Routine
Dedicating a certain time of the day is great to keep your meditation consistent. Whether it’s after you’ve brushed your teeth, before your morning shower or even in the bath, associating it with part of your usual routine will be really helpful to remind you to keep it up.
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4. Remember You Can’t Meditate Wrong
You can’t fail at meditating. The point of meditation is to increase your focus and self-control over thoughts, which means you’ll probably not get to grips with it straight away – the whole thing is a work in progress.
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5. Meditate To Music Or The Tide
Listening to relaxing, non-lyrical music is a good way to set the scene for your meditation. Plus, it’ll stop you from feeling bored! You can also meditate to the sound of nature, if you’re lucky enough to live near the sea!
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So, How Do I Actually Meditate?
Meditation can be done in a number of different ways, but it’s good to keep it simple when you first start off.
Simple close your eyes and start to focus on your breath, concentrate on the in and out motion, the quality and depth of the breath. It’s inevitable that during this practice your mind will roam away away from your breathing – there’s nothing wrong with this, it’s perfectly normal for the mind to wander.
However, when this happens, simply notice what it is you were thinking or feeling and gently return back to the breath.
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The intention of this practice is not to get involved with the thoughts you have, but to be aware of them and make a mental note as it arises, before returning back to your breathing.
What’s Another Way To Meditate?
Instead of focusing on your breath, you can try a body scan, concentrating on different areas of your body.
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Closing your eyes, start at the top of your head. Slowly and deliberately, bring your attention to different parts of the body as your attention moves down, from your ears, to your mouth, neck and so on, all the way to your toes.
Some feelings might be comfortable and some might be uncomfortable, but don’t dwell on the sensations, just note them by labelling them as either good or bad and move on (unless, of course you feel serious pain).
Concentrate On WHY Your Doing The Practice
Before you start your practice, think about the reason/s why you want to meditate. Maybe you want to be less reactive, to feel less stressed or to be calmer around your friends and family. Whatever your reason, if you focus on it, you’ll be more inclined to continue with your goals.
