Beginning a meditation practice is a fulfilling way to calm your mind, settle your nerves, and find a sense of peace inside yourself, leading to better overall health of body, mind, and spirit.
If you are new to meditation, don’t worry—it’s really quite easy, and there’s no “wrong” way to do it, though there are some helpful approaches you can take which will lead you to your goal of inner peace in the most direct way.
This article will lay out an overview for you of how to approach meditation for the first time. As you become more experienced, you may wish to tailor your meditation practice to your own unique style.
Set Aside Sufficient Time
First, find a nice chunk of time in which you will not be interrupted. For your first time practicing meditation, you might not want to push yourself too much. Maybe fifteen minutes or so of actual meditation is enough for you to get started.
Still, it would be nice if you could set aside at least a half hour or even forty-five minutes so you will not feel at all hurried or pressed for time. One of the keys to mediation is relaxation. If you have enough time set aside, you will not feel rushed.
Environment
Next, try to find a reasonably quiet environment in which you will not be disturbed by anyone. The good thing about mediation is that it helps you overcome a stressful environment. But as you first get started, you will want to give yourself as much of a head start as possible through finding the quietest place easily available to you.
Try to find a quiet setting to get started
Comfortable Position
Meditation can be done in any posture: seated, standing, kneeling, cross-legged, or any way you can imagine. However, most people meditate in a seated position. Whether you prefer a chair or the floor is completely up to you; just be sure you’re comfortable to enhance relaxation.
Most people meditate with their eyes closed. It is possible to meditate with your eyes open, but this is quite uncommon. The reason for this is that when you close your eyes, your mind enters a beta state, which is a peaceful condition conducive to meditative practice.
Meditation
So, now you are seated, your eyes are closed, and you are alone in a quiet environment. What comes next? Well, this is where you have a number of options from which to choose. However, remember one thing: When you meditate, the main thing happening is that you are paying attention to your existence itself.
Some people focus on their breathing, noticing when they breathe in and when they breathe out; this is the whole focus of their meditative practice.
Other people focus on the thoughts that are passing through their mind: They notice when a thought occurs, and they let the thought pass through their mind like a cloud passes through the sky. This approach allows a person to eventually be able to let any thought pass through their mind without being emotionally affected by it; thoughts are simply arising in the mind, and the person’s consciousness is monitoring the thoughts without identifying with them. This approach leads to a sense of inner peace as you become used to practicing it.
Only recommended for advanced students!
After fifteen minutes or so have passed, it is time to congratulate yourself on your first attempt at meditation. As you get accustomed to your meditation practice, you will find that it brings a great deal of peace and a sense of well-being to your life. This peace will radiate into every aspect of your life, including your overall sense of bodily health.
Happy meditating to you!
Sarah Boisvert is an author who has recently written on home improvement including how to choose correct gutter sizes. She also covers business topics including marketing and sales.
Photo Credits: adamr & Craftyjoe via freedigitalphotos.net, public domain images
If you are new to meditation, don’t worry—it’s really quite easy, and there’s no “wrong” way to do it, though there are some helpful approaches you can take which will lead you to your goal of inner peace in the most direct way.
This article will lay out an overview for you of how to approach meditation for the first time. As you become more experienced, you may wish to tailor your meditation practice to your own unique style.
Set Aside Sufficient Time
First, find a nice chunk of time in which you will not be interrupted. For your first time practicing meditation, you might not want to push yourself too much. Maybe fifteen minutes or so of actual meditation is enough for you to get started.
Still, it would be nice if you could set aside at least a half hour or even forty-five minutes so you will not feel at all hurried or pressed for time. One of the keys to mediation is relaxation. If you have enough time set aside, you will not feel rushed.
Environment
Next, try to find a reasonably quiet environment in which you will not be disturbed by anyone. The good thing about mediation is that it helps you overcome a stressful environment. But as you first get started, you will want to give yourself as much of a head start as possible through finding the quietest place easily available to you.
Try to find a quiet setting to get started
Comfortable Position
Meditation can be done in any posture: seated, standing, kneeling, cross-legged, or any way you can imagine. However, most people meditate in a seated position. Whether you prefer a chair or the floor is completely up to you; just be sure you’re comfortable to enhance relaxation.
Most people meditate with their eyes closed. It is possible to meditate with your eyes open, but this is quite uncommon. The reason for this is that when you close your eyes, your mind enters a beta state, which is a peaceful condition conducive to meditative practice.
Meditation
So, now you are seated, your eyes are closed, and you are alone in a quiet environment. What comes next? Well, this is where you have a number of options from which to choose. However, remember one thing: When you meditate, the main thing happening is that you are paying attention to your existence itself.
Some people focus on their breathing, noticing when they breathe in and when they breathe out; this is the whole focus of their meditative practice.
Other people focus on the thoughts that are passing through their mind: They notice when a thought occurs, and they let the thought pass through their mind like a cloud passes through the sky. This approach allows a person to eventually be able to let any thought pass through their mind without being emotionally affected by it; thoughts are simply arising in the mind, and the person’s consciousness is monitoring the thoughts without identifying with them. This approach leads to a sense of inner peace as you become used to practicing it.
Only recommended for advanced students!
After fifteen minutes or so have passed, it is time to congratulate yourself on your first attempt at meditation. As you get accustomed to your meditation practice, you will find that it brings a great deal of peace and a sense of well-being to your life. This peace will radiate into every aspect of your life, including your overall sense of bodily health.
Happy meditating to you!
Sarah Boisvert is an author who has recently written on home improvement including how to choose correct gutter sizes. She also covers business topics including marketing and sales.
Photo Credits: adamr & Craftyjoe via freedigitalphotos.net, public domain images
I say start with a simpler goal - 5 minutes twice per day. The benefits include stress management and relaxation which help the body, increased mindfulness and focus, and increased energy. The mindfulness can be a benefit to your spiritual life, but meditation also has "non-spiritual" physiological benefits.
ReplyDeleteIf you want a simple one to get started, all you have to do is imagine the breath that you're breathing in is full of bright white cleansing light, and your mind and thoughts are being purified.
ReplyDeleteSimply focus on bringing in the white light and breathing out the black smoke. If your mind starts to wander, just bring it back in. Don't get mad at yourself - remember it's normal and treat yourself with compassion.
ReplyDeletethank-you for this i found it really helpful
ReplyDeleteWow…I tried it for five minutes and im exhausted but feel great! Thank you
ReplyDeleteThank you for this guide. So pure and easy, I’m prepared to start practicing immediately
ReplyDeleteThanks…Meditation was something for me that I never understood…now I kno the meaning and it proves that a calm state is always the best among life’s orientations
ReplyDeleteit helps me think better and clearer.
ReplyDeleteyoga helps in tuning up our body.
ReplyDeletereally nice and very useful advice.