Tips for Beginning a Meditation Practice
Meditation may seem foreign or intimidating if you have never tried it. Learning to meditate is actually very simple and can be as natural as breathing. For the sake of stress relief, the purpose of meditation is to calm the mind and relax the body by inducing the parasympathetic relaxation response. The more often you do it, the better the results. Below are some tips to help you get started:
Find some quiet time by yourself that will be uninterrupted. This could be in the morning before you get out of bed or in the evening before you go to sleep.
Get comfortable by sitting on a cushion, chair or lying down (if you are not too drowsy).
Set the intention of “being” rather than “doing”. You can set other intentions such as letting go, giving your mind and body permission to relax, connecting with yourself, etc.
Start by noticing your breath and how it feels in your chest, nostrils, belly or wherever.
Continue to focus on your breath, moment by moment and breath by breath.
You may notice that your breath begins to change as you give it attention or that you begin to feel sensations in your body by giving it your awareness.
If you mind wanders just notice this without judgement, as this is what minds do.
This awareness and acceptance can assist with detaching from thoughts and prevent you from getting carried away by them.
Observe what is going on and what you are experiencing, without judgment, for that is the moment of awareness.
You can bring your awareness back to your breath over and over as necessary.
Initially this practice can take time to get used to. It requires patience, self-compassion and appreciation of self for attempting a new practice and taking the time to nurture yourself.
When you are finished be sure to ground yourself by bringing your awareness back to the room and into your body, by noticing your feet on the ground, and how your body feels as you move.
Following guided meditations can be helpful and relaxing as you begin a practice. To help you get started, complimentary guided meditation downloads can be found below.