This is a Meditation for Beginners guide, focusing on simple & practical approaches for meditaton newbies who wish to know how to meditate in order to to achieve serenity & inner peace in a relaxed environment.
With all the hustle & bustle of our daily lives, it is important that we slow down. Not just slow down our movements but slow the pressing thoughts and constant worries that chase around in our minds.
Meditation is an ideal way to relieve stress – relax your body & calm your mind. There are several types of meditation and it is generally practiced to achieve heightened spiritual awareness, but it is also a perfect medium for relaxation & stress relief. Depending on your level there are many ways to meditate but this article focuses on meditation for beginners.
While meditation was practiced widely in the eastern world and associated with eastern religions, our meditation guide is not directed to any particular religion or cultural practice. You can practice meditation on your own terms. Even the act of prayer involves an element of meditation.
There are many benefits of meditation. The Oxford Dictionary says that the art of meditation is to “think deeply or focus one's mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation - so do not link it solely to a region or think that you have to focus on a religious deity or chant words from a religious text.
Sit comfortably with your back straight – be it cross legged or on a meditation chair or pillow.
Keep your eyes closed throughout the session. If you find it difficult to do this, light a candle and use it as your focal point. The candle will act as a visual aide to help you strengthen your focus.
Inhale with your nose and exhale through your mouth. The breathing should be natural not forced. The length of your exhale should be long, just as long as your inhale and maybe even longer.
If you have trouble exhaling long, you can gently press your abdomen for the first few exhales until the outtakes are naturally long.
Count from 1 to 10 and then start counting again from 1. If a thought comes in your head, dismiss it ! As soon as you realize you have been distracted, dismiss the thought and continue to count your breaths starting from 1.
Be mindful of each breath, you will find yourself become more and more relaxed.
Once your mind starts to quiet focus on your body. Pay attention to each part from your toes to your head. You should now be more aware of your body.
When you find that you are focused on your breathing and aware of your body and are not distracted by the random thoughts in your head, then you know that your meditation for beginners practice is successful.
No need to worry about how much time has passed. Just have a timer set to give a gentle alarm or ring to signal the end of the session.
Continue to notice your breathing for a few repetitions and then slowly open your eyes. If you can, don’t throw yourself immediately into anything hectic. Sit quietly for a bit. If not, stand up slowly and gently stretch yourself.
Try to maintain the same level of calm for as long as possible while you continue with your day.
The meditation for beginner practice is best if done twice a day. Start for 5 minutes then increase the time to 30 minutes if possible.
Take a look at this video by Audio Entrainment. It sums up what was discussed earlier in 5 easy steps
If this video link no longer works, please let me know. Thanks !
Do you have an interesting story about your experience as a meditation beginner? Share it!
Was it difficult to stay focused? What were the challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
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