Meditation for Beginners

How To Meditate

The benefits of meditating are much touted by those already undertaking daily or regular meditation. People have different reasons for wanting to meditate: 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 how to stay motivated.

1.Think about what you want to achieve with your meditation. People come to meditation for a wide range of reasons — whether to improve their creativity, help visualize a goal, quiet their inner chatter, or make a spiritual connection. If your only goal is to spend a few minutes every day being present in your body without worrying about everything you have to do, that’s reason enough to meditate. Try not to over-complicate your reasons for meditating. At its core, meditation is just about relaxing and refusing to be caught up in everyday anxieties.

2.Find a distraction-free area. Especially when you’re just starting out, it’s important to clear your environment of distracting sensations. Turn off the TV and radio, close your windows against the street sounds outside, and close your door to noisy roommates. If you share your home with roommates or family members, you may find it difficult to find a quiet space where you can focus on meditation. Ask the people you live with if they would be willing to keep quiet for the duration of your meditation exercise. Promise to come tell them as soon as you’re finished, so they can resume their normal activities.

• A scented candle, a bouquet of flowers, or incense can be great little touches to enhance your meditation experience.
• Dim or turn out the lights to help you concentrate.

3.Use a meditation cushion. Meditation cushions are also known as zafus. A zafu is a circular cushion that allows you to sit on the ground while meditating. Because it does not have a back, like a chair does, it doesn’t let you slump back and lose focus on your energy. If you don’t have a zafu, any old pillow or sofa cushion will do to keep you from getting sore during long stretches of cross-legged sitting.

• If you find that sitting without a chair-back hurts your back, feel free to use a chair. Try to be present in your body and maintain a straight back for as long as it feels comfortable, then lean back until you feel you can do it again.

4.Wear comfortable clothes. You don’t want anything to pull you out of your meditative thinking, so avoid restrictive clothing that might pull on you, like jeans or tight pants. Think about what you might wear to exercise or to sleep in — those types of loose, breathable clothes are your best bet.

5.Choose a time when you’re comfortable. When you’re more familiar with meditation, you might use it to calm you down when you’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed. But if you’re a beginner, you may find it hard to concentrate at first if you’re not in the right frame of mind. When you’re starting out, meditate when you already feel relaxed — perhaps first thing in the morning, or after you’ve had to unwind after school or work.

• Remove every distraction you can think of before you sit down to meditate. Grab a light snack if you’re feeling hungry, use the restroom if you need to, and so on.

6.Have a timer at hand. You want to ensure you practice your meditation for long enough, but you also don’t want to break your concentration by checking the time. Set a timer for the length of time you wish to meditate — whether 10 minutes or an hour. Your phone may have a built-in timer on it, or you can find many websites and apps that will time your sessions for you.