How to Start a Meditaion Practice

Starting a meditation practice

Here is all you need to begin your meditation practice:

• A quiet environment. Choose a secluded place in your home, office, garden, place of worship, or in the great outdoors where you can relax without distractions or interruptions.

• A comfortable position. Get comfortable, but avoid lying down as this may lead to you falling asleep. Sit up with your spine straight, either in a chair or on the floor. You can also try a cross-legged or lotus position.

• A point of focus. You can begin with focusing on your breath or a meaningful word or phrase and repeat it throughout your session. You may also choose to focus on an object in your surroundings to enhance your concentration, or alternately, you can close your eyes.

• As you breathe, let your abdomen expand and contract, rather than moving your shoulders up and down. This deeper breathing is more natural and similar to how babies breathe.

• Don't breathe too quickly or too slowly; just breathe at a natural rate.

• If you find your thoughts drifting a lot at first, don't worry that you're doing it 'wrong'. Noticing that you've drifted and refocusing to your breathing is part of the practice, and something you're doing 'right'!

• An observant, noncritical attitude. Don’t worry about distracting thoughts that go through your mind or about how well you’re doing. If thoughts intrude during your relaxation session, don’t fight them. Instead, gently turn your attention back to your point of focus.

• The idea is to stay unattached to thoughts of any kind. That means that, if that inner narrative voice in your mind speaks up, gently come back to your point of focus, such as your breath and opt for internal silence. Keep letting go of any thoughts that may pop into your mind and the quiet spaces between thoughts will become longer and more frequent. You’re on the road of meditation

Tips:

• Give it time. Meditation often takes practice. If you’re expecting to do it ‘perfectly’, you may actually create more stress for yourself than you relieve, and you won’t want to stick with it.

• Start with shorter sessions—like five minutes—and work your way up to longer sessions—like 30. With practice, this type of meditation becomes easier and more effective.

• If the experience is frustrating for you and you don’t really want to continue, you may find more success with other types of meditation. Experiment!