How to Meditate?

11.03.2022

Meditation is a way to train your mind, just as exercise is a way to train your body. But it’s not easy to do, especially in the beginning. For pretty much all of us, it’s impossible to sit for hours and think of nothing, or have an “empty mind”. So, the easiest way to begin meditating is to start small and focus on your breath. This how-to list is not aimed at getting you to become a master meditator, we just want to help you start small and keep going.

1. Start small
   This may sound a little ridiculous, but you need to start very, very small, like a 2-minute meditation in the beginning. If that goes well, add 2 more minutes and keep adding every week.
2. Try to meditate in the morning
   “I’ll meditate every day” – sounds really easy, right? But most of the time we’ll forget or we can’t find the time to do it. Instead, set a reminder on your phone for every morning when you get up, or put a note that says “meditate” somewhere where you’ll see it.
3. Focus on just doing
   It doesn’t matter where you do it. You can meditate just by sitting on a cushion, a chair or on your bed. Just try to find somewhere quiet and comfortable.
4. Don’t worry about doing wrong or right
   You’re not doing it wrong. There’s no perfect way to meditate, just be happy you’re doing it at all. To help them focus, some people use apps like Asana or Headspace, some use influencers on social media, some use background music and some use nothing at all.
5. Don’t worry about clearing your mind
   Our brains are non-stop idea machines, and there is no way to stop all your thoughts. Stopping all your thoughts is not the “goal” of meditation. It’s normal to have some passing sounds in your head. Instead, just try to work on focusing your attention, and when your mind wanders try to bring it back to focus on your breath or something else.
6. Understand and become friends with yourself
   Try to understand how your mind works and what’s going inside your brain. As you get to know yourself, do it with a friendly attitude and make peace with yourself.
7. Circulate your breath through your body
   Focus on one body part at a time. Start with the soles of your feet – how do they feel right now? Then slowly move this focus through your toes, the top of your feet, your ankles, your legs… all the way to top of your head. You’ll get better with practice.
8. Really commit yourself
   Don’t just say, “Sure, I’ll try this for a couple days.” Really commit yourself. Lock in with your mind for at least a month or even 40 days. Many people combine meditation with a commitment to yoga as well, for full mind and body experience!
9. Smile
   After every meditation session, whether it is 2 minutes or 2 hours, just smile. Be grateful that you have made this time for yourself and stuck to your commitment. These minutes or hours really are precious times where you can get to know and make peace with yourself.

Mediation isn’t always easy or even peaceful. But it’s a kind of relaxation which has lots of benefits on your wellbeing. I hope these steps help you start your meditation journey, and may it continue for the rest of your life. Share our article with your friends and don’t forget to follow us on social media.