To take the pressure off and allow your practice to unfold more naturally, here are 20 priceless tips to help you get started. As you practice more, you'll develop a routine and get more used to these concepts. As a guiding principle, whatever happens during your meditation session is okay. Meet your experience with kindness and gratitude, and your meditation session will be well worth it, no matter what happens.
1. Begin With Quick 5-Minute Sessions
It's easy for beginners to get overwhelmed when trying to sustain a 20-minute-meditation. That can feel brutal in the beginning. Start out nice and easy. Begin with 5-minute sessions, and when you're ready for more, move it up to 10 minutes.
2. Stretch or Do Yoga First
By stretching or doing yoga before you start meditating, you'll prepare your body to sit in one position for a long time. Yoga and meditation go hand in hand. Even just rolling your neck and stretching your back beforehand can help you stay comfortable for longer.
3. Try Out a Guided Meditation
For a fun experience and to have someone guide you through your meditation, try out a guided meditation. You can find free guided meditations available on YouTube and other platforms. You might find it easier when you follow someone else's instructions.
4. Set Your Timer
When you set a timer for your meditation, you don't have to keep checking the clock. This removes a big distraction from your practice. Moreover, you won't be sitting in meditation all day because you've forgotten to see how much time has elapsed. Set your timer so you can relax and enjoy your experience.
5. Remove Distractions
Turn off your cell phone, put it on vibrate, or leave it in the other room. You want to be in a space without distractions. I find that the best place to meditate is in my room with the door closed.
6. Don't Try Too Hard
Meditation at its best is soothing, relaxing, and effortless. It's merely observation; observing your breathing with your conscious awareness. So there is no real effort involved, just being consciously aware. So don't work too hard at it.
7. Create a Daily Practice or Ritual
By meditating every day at the same time or within the same daily routine, you develop a habit that becomes easier to practice every day. If you don't build meditation into your daily routine, you'll find yourself forgetting to do it.
8. Get Relaxed Beforehand
You want to wear comfortable, loose clothing and be in a relaxing environment. Make sure your room is comfortable. Before you start, take a few deliberate deep breaths and stretch any part of your body that feels tense or achy.
9. Try Out Different Types of Meditation
There are dozens of techniques https://trello.com/ritascribner might be surprised to hear how different their experience was.
20. Observe the Feeling Within Your Body
Notice how you feel internally, within your body. What sensations are there in your legs? Do you feel your toes and calves? Notice your diaphragm moving as you breath. This will keep you connected to your body.
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Also on The Huffington Post:
De-Stress With 7 Unusual Meditation Techniques
Buddhism Boot Camp
In our frantic, fast-paced lives, it can be difficult to completely switch gears and let go of our competitive natures, even when we're trying to slow down and find balance. Touting itself as an "ideal training method for this generation's short attention span," Buddhist Boot Camp is a new title instructing readers on the basics of Buddhism and meditation using a no-nonsense approach.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-casano/meditation-tips-beginners_b_7691498.html
