Meditation For Beginner: 10 Practical Tips That You Need To Know
In our everyday life, the city’s hustle and bustle might affect our well being. Many of us want to start practicing meditation to improve overall wellbeing but don’t know where to begin. Make yourself a cup of Hibiscus tea and sit back, to read these simple practical tips for understanding the mind.
Meditation has helped us to form all our other habits, its helped us to become more peaceful, more focused, less worried about discomfort, more appreciative and attentive to everything in our life. The below tips aren’t aimed at helping you to become an expert but should help you get started and keep going. You don’t necessarily have to implement them all at once—try a few, come back to this article, then try one or two more.
- Sit for just 2 minutes.
This may sound ridiculously easy—to meditate for two minutes. Start with just two minutes a day for a week, if that goes well, by increasing just a little at a time. Then in a month you will be meditating for 10 minutes a day. Bravo!
- First thing to do each morning
It’s easy to say that “I will meditate every day” but in fact it’s quite hard to follow. Write a memo that says “meditate” in your bedroom to remind yourself to the first thing you do when you wake up is to meditate.
- Don’t overthink about the how—just do
Most people worry about where to sit, how to sit, what cushion to use…this is all nice but its not important to get started. Start by just sitting on a chair, or on your couch, or on your bed. If you are comfortable on the ground, sit cross-legged.
- Check-in with how you are feeling
As you first settle into you meditation session, simply check to see how you’re feeling. How does your body feel? What is the quality of your mind? See whatever you’re bringing to this meditation session as completely OK.
- Count you breath
Now that you’re settled in, turn your attention to your breath. Just place the attention on your breath as it comes in, and follow it through your nose all the way down to your lungs. Try counting “one” as you take in the first breath, then “two” as you breathe out. Repeat this to the count of 10, then start again at one.
- Come back when you wander
Your mind will wander. This is almost absolute certainty. The good news is? That is okay! When you notice your mind wandering, smile, and simply gently return to your breath.
- Develop a loving attitude
When you notice thoughts and feelings arising during meditation, as they will, look at them with a loving attitude. They are a part of you, though not all of you. See them as friends. Not intruders or enemies.
- You can do it anywhere
If you are traveling or something comes up in the morning, you can do meditation in your office, or in the park or anywhere. Sitting meditation is the best place to start, but in truth, you are practicing for this kind of mindfulness in your entire life.
- Follow guided meditation
You can try following aided meditations to start with. There are plenty of free resources online, like meditation minis podcast by Chel Hamilton, Stress Free Naturally - Meditations with Ashlie Pappas.
- Smile when you are done
When you have finished your two minutes meditation, smile. Be grateful that you had this time for yourself, that you took the time to get to know yourself and make friends with yourself.
