How to Begin With Meditation

We have all encountered those moments in life when your stress begins to overwhelm us and we begin to crack under the pressure. We feel tired and overworked. We feel like we don’t have enough time in the day. Our stress begins to make us irritable and frustrated. Sometimes, we all have had to look for new ways to relax ourselves and control our stress. If you’re looking for a new way you can relax yourself, meditation might be just the thing you’re looking for. While at first glance, it might not seem like meditation will do much for you but a couple of minutes of meditating each day can make a change in your life. It can make you feel more at peace and calmer. It can help free you from all that stress that might be crushing you.

There are a lot of questions and confusion surrounding meditation. How do I sit? Do I keep my eyes closed? How long do I meditate for? In actuality, there is no answer that is the only correct one. Meditation is a fairly open ended subject, there are many ways that it can be done. What matters is finding the way that is right for yourself. You want to be comfortable when you are meditating, you want to be able to relax yourself. It’s best to find the way that is most comfortable and relaxing to you.

In this article, I’ll give you a few pieces of advice on how you can get started with meditation and the different ways that you can do the steps of meditation.

You don’t have to be consistent with your meditation, meaning you don’t have to do it at the same time every day. Your time can change for different days. Don’t stress yourself on picking out a time you can do every day at the same time. You should go one day at a time, finding a time where you can sit down for a couple of minutes. It’s best to find a time when you know you won’t be interrupted until you are finished meditating. How long you wish to meditate is up to you. Some go on for less than 10 minutes while others will meditate for up to 30 minutes a day. If you choose to meditate for longer than 10 minutes, it is recommended that you take a break in between. Stand up and refresh yourself for a few minutes. Do a few stretches or walk around. For beginners, 5 minutes is usually the recommended time. As you continue to practice, you can slowly increase your time if you so desire to.

Loud noises can be awfully distracting, they’re definitely something you don’t want to be hearing while you’re meditating. It is best to pick a quiet location that is also one where you won’t be distracted or disrupting. A bedroom is a quiet place for example. If there is still noise that is distracting you, you can listen to calming music to help you block it out. Sites such as YouTube have a lot of meditation music for you to choose from. I always meditate with music because even the hum of electronics is enough to distract me. But it is up to you to meditate with or without music. You can also recite a mantra or two if you prefer to not listen to music. Mantras can help you focus and concentrate, they can be a big aid if you are struggling.

It is important to find a way to sit that is most comfortable for you. However, it is also important to remember to keep your back straight. Slouching can make you lose focus so it is better to meditate while sitting straight. If you have trouble sitting straight, you can sit against a wall or another hard surface to help you out. Most meditators will sit with their legs crossed and their arms gently rested on their laps or on their knees. Many keep their eyes closed as to not be distracted, but some do keep their eyes open if you prefer. As mentioned, how you choose to sit is entirely up to you. For me personally, I choose to sit on my bed, legs crossed, and arms settled on my knees. I always have my eyes closed and I always have music on. That is the position that’s most comfortable for me; find one that works for you.

It is best to take deep breaths as you meditate. If you are having trouble focusing, you can count your breathing to relax you. I do this from time to time if I am too troubled to focus, it is a big help to have something to focus my mind on. Breathing is often a good aid to reach a peaceful meditative state. Mantras are another way that can help you reach that peaceful state. You can find mantras easily by searching around the Internet. Om (or aum) is a very popular mantra said during meditation if you are looking for something to begin with. You can also visual a place that calms you down if that would help relax you.

This is for people who would prefer to keep their eyes open. If you feel more comfortable with your eyes open but are struggling to focus, it is best to find a peaceful object to focus on. A statue of Buddha is used by many people but if this conflicts with your faith or just makes you uncomfortable, a decorative object like a vase can work. Decorative items are very good to use as peaceful objects to focus on.

Don’t keep your body stiff or rigid, it will take away from the relaxation and peace you are trying to achieve. Try to relax your body just as you are relaxing your mind. If your back is hurting you sitting straight, as I mentioned earlier in the article, you can sit against or lean against a wall to make yourself more comfortable.