What is Meditation?
Looking for some Meditation tips? From people who really know what they are talking about? Then you’re in the right place….
Quickly! What are you thinking about right now?… Got it?
Well, it is possible that for a really short moment, you had to empty your mind before scanning your thoughts. During that brief instant, one could argue that you were meditating.
The goal of meditation is to quiet the mind, so by watching our thoughts appear and disappear without judgment we’re technically gaining mindfulness.
As you can see, it is actually not that hard to get into meditation. You don’t have to sit under a tree until you start levitating; chant the OM mantra for hours; or grow your beard until you can sweep the floor with it.
It’s just a matter of willingness, patience and acceptance.
Richard Singer, author of the book Eastern Wisdom. Western Soul states…
But once you decide to immerse yourself in this practice, there are a few meditation tips you can follow that will not only help you on this journey, but will make it more enjoyable too!
Meditation Tips from the Experts
So, we hear you ask, “how do i get started?”, “What’s the best way to begin my journey into a more peaceful state?”
Well we’ve got your back and we’re here to help…
We spoke to 3 experts and got some great helpful meditation tips and techniques. These experts include…
Randi Ifcher, meditation teacher at Fusion Fitness and 02 Yoga in Coral Springs Florida;
Dr. Jeffery Martin, Harvard-trained meditation expert and co-founder of the Finders Course; and
Zach Stahlecker, teacher at Yoga Moves Us
1. How to Start Meditating – First Choose the Setting
The way you set up the place to do meditation is really important to make you feel good throughout the session and achieve the results you want.
Get Comfortable: Sitting cross legged might not be ideal for everyone, especially if you are not used to it. You can sit in a chair, lean against a wall, lie down or make it a walking meditation if you prefer.
Enhance your environment: You can light up candles, burn incense or play some music to help your senses be present.
Use technology: There are many Apps available both free and paid that you can use for guided meditations or natural sounds that will keep you relaxed.
Have a clear intention: Get clear on why you want to meditate. Having a clear goal to work towards will help to sustain your motivation.
2. Timing
The time of the day when you meditate plays an important factor on how successful your practice can be.
Meditate first thing in the morning: It becomes easier to procrastinate as the day progresses. Meditating early will help you not only wake up and give you extra energy, but it will give you clarity for the whole day.
Post exercise brain stretch: One of the benefits of working out is the increased neuroplasticity it provides. In other words, your brain is primed for its own workout after you finish your physical one. Scheduling some time for meditation immediately after you exercise allows you to take maximum advantage of its effects. Yoga might be the ideal physical practice you can do before meditating, but you can try anything else.
3. Duration
One of the most important barriers we face when meditating, or actually when doing any other challenging task, is that we think we don’t have enough time to do it. Therefore, playing with the length of your meditation sessions could be something that you can benefit from. Here’s some meditation tips for this…
Short meditation sessions are worthwhile: If you don’t have 30 minutes to meditate, then just take five, or even one minute if that’s all you have! Writer Peter Williams once said: “Meditating often creates more time than it takes. You will feel less crazed and time-starved then before.”
Extend your sessions slowly: Add a few minutes each day. Start out with a 5-minute meditation practice and slowly make it longer over time.
Try long meditation sessions: Once you feel ready and have tried shorter meditation sessions consistently, go ahead and let yourself meditate for as long as you can. With time and practice, you’ll be meditating all day long while doing other activities.
4. Meditation Technique
Once you’re all set up to meditate, you need to use the mediation technique that better suits you. The road doesn’t really matter as long as you gain the mindfulness and awareness that meditation aims for. There are various techniques you can choose from:
Mantra: Silently repeat a word or phrase that could psychologically prime you in the right direction for the day. Pause each time you think the word, wait for its afterglow to fade, and then repeat it. When your mind drifts, just bring your attention back and say the word again. Drifts happen because of a core rhythm in the brain, and they are nothing to get frustrated about. After a while the brain will settle in, since you are “doing something”.
Focus on your breath: Focus on either how the breath feels flowing into and out of your nostrils, or the rise and fall of chest or belly while you breathe. It may help initially to mentally note ‘in’ and ‘out’, but you can drop this after a while. The key is to try not to change the breath, just contemplate it. You could also count your breaths if it helps you concentrate, but it’s better not to do it.
Visualization: Focus on your body parts. Consciously relax each part, from your feet to your head. You could also imagine a light coming out of your chakras, or just a white light surrounding you.
Scan your mind. When you are in meditation, ask yourself “what is my next thought going to be?” After that, there is a glimmer of internal silence. You can use that technique to slow the inner dialogue, and quiet the mind.
One final thought to leave you with…
If you think about it, meditating should be something quite easy, you just have to empty your mind! The problem is that once we get used to having a hundred thoughts per minute, it becomes quite hard to quiet them all.
For that reason, when we start with meditation, probably the most important thing to remember is to let go of judgment. Thoughts will come to your mind and the worst thing you can do is to feel angry about it.
And most importantly, in every aspect of life really, Be humble and remember that we all remain beginners even after years of practice.
So with that in mind, we’d love to hear in the comments below, any advise, meditation tips and techniques you have picked up along the way, please feel free to share with us all….