How To Meditate: A Simple Way To Start Right Now
If you want to start meditating right now, here is a simple way to begin. Find a comfortable place to sit. Make sure your spine is straight.
Once you are settled and seated comfortably, you can either close your eyes or leave them slightly open, gazing at a point on the floor in front of you. Now you’re ready to begin practicing the art of attention.
As you breathe in, pay attention to your inhalation, feeling it fill your lungs, and then exhale, easily and naturally, counting “One” in your mind as you do so. Do this with your next breath, counting “Two” as you exhale, and with the next, “Three,” and so on. When you get to “Five,” begin again with the next breath at “One.” 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
If you get distracted and lose count, no problem–just start again at “One.” Don’t force your breathing, but allow yourself to completely relax while remaining fully alert, focused only on your breathing as you count silently in your mind, one breath at a time.
How To Succeed In Meditation
A lot of people start meditating and quickly give up. Often, that’s because they haven’t managed their expectations. You think your mind should be quiet like a blissfully placid lake on a summer morning. I’m sorry to say it, but that’s unlikely.
You need to know that you’re going to probably experience a whole range of new feelings and some of them are going to be foreign to you and maybe uncomfortable. That’s completely natural. Here’s the most important tip I can give you. I call it the Golden Rule of meditation. Are you ready?
Don’t make a problem.
Yes, it’s that simple. No matter what happens, stay calm and carry on. For new and experienced meditators, this is a priceless tip. If you can succeed in never making a problem out of any experience that you have in meditation, you’ll succeed. You’ll also start to realize that meditation doesn’t feel like anything in particular. Instead, it’s the choice and process of letting go and accepting things as they are and not fighting against your life as it is.
My second tip for success is this. You need to make meditation a habit. Unless you do, it will be hard to reap the benefits meditation can offer you. Weave meditation into your morning routine. Make it a regular activity every day at the same time and in the same place.
Research from University College London indicates that it takes approximately 66 days to create a new habit like meditation. You can learn more about how to create a successful meditation habit here.
Third tip: I think it’s important to feel that you are making progress in meditation. That’s another way that you’ll ensure that meditation becomes a lasting habit. One way to do this is to take note of all the signs of your success and progress. Often these signs are subtle, so pay attention when you start to notice them.
Fourth tip: Another way to boost your meditation practice is to meditate with others. If there is a local group you can meditate with, I highly recommend it. Meditating with other people is powerful. It can give you access to deeper states of focus and relaxation.