The first time meditating wasn’t by Mente Soul’s choosing, but by following a yoga routine.

The instructor began by saying, “Hello everyone, please meditate.”

How? Do I just close my eyes and try not to sleep? Popular media pictures show someone in meditation with their eyes closed while sitting on the floor resting hands on their knees. Let’s do that.

Meditation Tips

Engaging in any new habit begins with simplicity. Start by realizing thoughts arise without choice frequently. The goal is to pass by stories without question. Live in the present relieving any flashbacks during the practice.

Find a Quiet Space

Locate an area without loud noises or anything that will disturb your meditation. This may be in a room at home, part of a library, or in an office. Find a spot where you will be free from any interference.

Set A Timer

Meditation sessions do not have a specific length of time to follow. Begin with short routines of 5 – 10 minutes once a day. You decide whether to increase the time length or amount of practice throughout the week.

Regardless of the time spent meditating, consistency is vital. Set an alarm on a watch, phone, or any device which will return the brain to present thoughts. Once the timer starts one worry should leave to start the cycle.

Enter a Comfortable Pose

Sit on a chair or the floor in a comfortable position. The back should be straight (No hunching!) as you release tension from the jaw, neck, shoulders, and other parts down the spine.

“And then I make the OK sign with my hands, right?”

Media symbolizes the image of someone with this hand position, but stop. Worry about your hands when further advanced in meditation sessions, but not to start. You don’t need a picture to reveal the proper pose. We can guide each other but eventually instruct ourselves.

Place the hands in a comfortable position on your lap or by your sides to relax. 

Close Your Eyes and Breathe

We try to remove anything that alters our thoughts for this moment and vision is one of them. Close your eyes as you breathe in through the nose. Air enters through the nostrils as you inhale and exhale. Each breath is another second.

Start the session by breathing in and out as you normally do letting any other thought pass without judgment. Sense the air flowing in to fill your lungs and out through the nostrils.

But I don’t feel any different!

Don’t believe that one meditation session will change your life. The benefits are noticed when mediation is a consistent practice. The endless thoughts our minds create are anticipated. Forcing the brain not to judge them is unfamiliar.

Pause if you start resisting the meditation method. Holding any doubt about its usefulness from the beginning is like adding a judge. A person doesn’t go to the gym and walk out as an athlete. This takes years of disciplined training.

Meditation, like weightlifting, should be practiced regularly for future gains no matter how small. Benefits are noticed after a practice that depends on managing your mental power.

Meditation is ready the day you trust the brain.

Sources:

Turner, A. (2021, March 1). 10 Tips For Starting A Daily Meditation Practice That Lasts. MindBodyGreen. https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/how-to-start-meditating

Pizer, A. (2022, September 22). How to Start a Mediation Practice. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/meditation-for-beginners-3566846