A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation – Tips and Simple Techniques

Most of us are aware of the world around us, but self-awareness is something that may we may seldom give importance to. Well, you can be ignorant about self-awareness until you learn the true art of meditation. Because meditation is not about sitting in one corner quietly and attaining some calm and peace, but it is the tranquillity that you attain and where your mind becomes completely aware of yourself. If you wish to know how to achieve that mental state, you need to learn and practice meditation – in this post, we will discuss all this and more!

How to Prepare for Meditation?

Before you take up meditation, it is important to understand that the true goal of this practice is to understand and focus the mind in attaining a higher level of calmness and self-awareness. Many neurologists believe that meditation can help with enhanced concentration, more-controlled emotions, decreased stress levels and other such experiences. Initially, one may struggle to learn the effective ways to meditate; however, with practice and time one can master the correct ways of meditation and benefit greatly from it. If you have decided to meditate, here’s how you can prep yourself for the process:

1. Relax Your Body and Mind

As soon as you sit to meditate, try and relax your mind. You may start deep inhaling and exhaling. Keep breathing deeply until you feel lighter and more relaxed. Hold your breath for a few seconds and exhale through your mouth. As you practice this, you may begin to feel your tension getting released, and you may feel calmer. Repeat all these breathing techniques a few times or until you feel your tension going out of your body.

2. Wear Comfortable Clothes

Uncomfortable or improper clothes may affect your profound meditation experience. You need to dress up in clothes that you are comfortable in. Restrictive or tighter clothes can distract you immensely. Wear loose, comfortable clothes and also make sure you are not wearing any shoes. If you plan to meditate outdoors where there is a cool breeze, make sure you dress up appropriately because your thoughts may get consumed by the feeling of cold. Also, if you wish to mediate in a place where you cannot get into comfortable clothes (like your office), make sure you loosen your belt, remove your shoes or other such things that can help you feel comfortable.

3. Stay Still

Staying still while meditating may seem impossible in the first go, but as you keep practising, you will be able to remain still as a rock. Staying still during the meditation process is essential because any kind of physical movement can send signals to the brain and disrupt the mind. The easier way to achieve stillness is by thinking that your body is an immovable object, like a rock. Try not to move for the first few minutes, no matter how uncomfortable that may seem. As you overcome the ordeal of the first few minutes, you may feel more settled in your own mental state.

4. Keep Your Eyes Shut

You can meditate with your eyes open or closed, but for beginners, but it is better to begin with the eyes closed. This is because beginners may get distracted visually. As you begin the practice, keep your eyes closed and look upwards. Try and bring in focus as you try to look upwards with your closed eyes. The idea is to energise your body towards a spiritual awakening. As you become comfortable with meditating, you may try meditating with your eyes open. When you practice with your eyes open, you need to focus on one object by restraining yourself from going into a state of trance.

How Long Should You Meditate Each Day?

You may practice as much meditation or as little meditation as you want – it is entirely a personal choice for how long or how to practice meditation. However, if you are a beginner and you wish to get into the habit of meditation, it will be a good idea to practice from 5 to 15 minutes every day. As you become more experienced and comfortable with it, you can practice it for half an hour to an hour each day. You can even meditate twice a day if you want.

Where Should You Meditate?

You can practice meditation anywhere you like, provided that the place is calm and quiet and there are no distractions. A calm atmosphere helps you focus better, and your thoughts or mind do not get affected by any external stimuli. You can meditate comfortably in your house or any place you can steal some quiet moments. Make sure your phone in on silent, television is switched off, or no other such appliances are plugged in. However, meditation need not be completely sans noises. The sounds of cars honking or birds chirping should not affect your meditation. Not letting the external noises affect your mental state is one of the major aspects of meditation. You can also practice meditation outdoors in the garden or park where there are no loud noises or high traffic sounds.

What Is the Proper Meditation Posture?

Posture is of utmost importance when you meditate. Therefore, one must pay heed to proper posture to gain maximum benefit. Make sure you sit upright, either on a chair or on the ground. You can sit either in a half-lotus or full-lotus pose. However, if you find the position too uncomfortable, you may sit cross-legged with your back and spine straight. Make sure that you do not slouch or bend your back. Also, you need to feel relaxed in any pose that you plan to meditate in.

How to Do Meditation – Easy Meditation Techniques

Are you wondering how to do meditation at home or how to do meditation for beginners? Well, there are several techniques that one can follow to meditate. Here are some easy meditation techniques for beginners:

1. The Breathing Technique

One of the widely popular techniques for mediation is the breathing technique. All you have to do in this technique is to focus on your breathing and how it travels through your body. You can pick up any spot around your naval area or abdomen and try to channelise the focus on to that point. Once you begin the process, emphasise on your breathing and nothing else. Do not pay heed to whether the breath was shorter or longer than before; you only need to be aware of the fact that you are breathing. Also, do not make any efforts to make changes in your breathing pattern; just keep breathing the way you normally breathe. To integrate better focus, you may use a mental image to help you guide. Sometimes your mind may wander; it is very normal to let it happen. Just return to your state and start focusing again.

2. The Mantra Chanting Technique

Chanting a mantra is also one of the techniques of getting into a meditative state. You can choose any mantra you like; the trick is to keep repeating the mantra until your mind enters a meditative state. For example, chanting ‘Om’ is one of the mantras that you can use. You can keep reciting the mantra over and over again until you slip into a tranquil state of mind. It is normal for your mind or thoughts to stray and wander. Do not worry and let that happen, what you need to focus on is getting back into your state by channelising your focus. As you become a pro, you may not be required to chant mantras over and over again because you will enter a deeper level of consciousness and awareness.

3. The Visualization Technique

Visualization is also another famous technique for reaching a remarkably calm and serene place in your mind. You can choose any place; whether it is real or fictional, it does not matter. What matters is that you think about this place and explore it through your mind. You can choose a warm desert, a calm beach, a beautiful garden or any place. This place becomes your private place – as you enter the world of your thoughts, try and explore it. Do not push yourself too much; just let the thoughts flow on their own. Just feel whatever you see there, like the scent of the flowers, the sound of the water, and other such things. Be in that place as long as you want and when you wish to come back, just trace your thoughts backwards and open your eyes gently. You can use the same place or a different place for meditating again.

Meditation can change your life and bring in many changes in your outlook towards life. Experience this blissful state of mind, and we hope this article helps you in achieving that.

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