A ‘How-To’ Meditation for Beginners

Before we look into the ‘How-To’ Meditation for Beginners, let’s look into what meditation is:

Meditation is the art and practice of transforming your mind and it is a means to cultivating new and more positive ways of being. People meditate to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and peaceful state of being. Meditation is also a practice of focusing attention on the present moment and entering a state of deep peace while the mind is silent.

Eckhart Tolle once beautifully said, “One conscious breath in and out is a meditation.”

There are many different types of meditation. Here are some of them:

• Chakra meditation
• Yoga nidra meditation
• Guided meditation
• Mantra meditation
• Deep breathing meditation
• Mindfulness meditation

I encourage you to try out several of them and then decide which one you like most and make this the main one that you’ll continue to practice.

Have you heard of the benefits of meditation?

This is a list of some of them:

• Meditation helps with emotional and mental wellbeing.
• Meditation invites peace and tranquility into your life.
• It can help to increase your awareness.
• Meditation can bring more self-love into your life.
• Meditation brings the focus back to you. As it is wonderful to help others, it is most important that we look after ourselves first and meditation can assist with this.
• Practicing meditation helps with clearing your mind, quieting your mind and letting go of your thoughts.
• Meditation can help with reducing stress.
• Some studies are showing that meditation also has positive health benefits (blood pressure, sleeping disorders, etc.).
• It can help with insomnia and improve your sleep.
• Some studies have shown that meditation can also help with concentration and focus.
• Meditation helps you feel more relaxed, happier and calmer.
• Practising regular meditation helps you to feel more balanced, energetic and positive.
• Meditating helps you grow on your spiritual journey and connecting with your true Divine self and with God.
• It can help with connecting more to your intuition, your soul and your spirit.

Feel free to leave a comment below if you have experienced benefits not listed here. You might not experience all of the benefits listed above when meditating and please be aware that it may take some time for you to experience positive benefits and changes once you start meditating. Stay committed and continue with your practise.

So, now, how do I meditate and how can I turn this practice into a lifelong habit?

 

Mastering the Art of Meditation

Some things to be aware of:

When starting or practicing something new, it will feel new and different to you at first and there might be days when you feel absolutely excited about it and there might be days when you feel that you are not motivated or succeeding. Meditation is not about succeeding or not. It is about enjoying it and practicing it continuously.

It’s important to stick with it for at least 30 days in a row – a minimum of 30 days as this is the time it takes to form a new habit – and it needs to be practiced every day, so do not skip a day, especially at the star t when you are forming this new habit! Don’t make up excuses or let something get into your way. Be consistent and meditate every day. I cannot stress this enough. If you choose to meditate in the evening and find yourself struggling to put time aside for it as you are too tired or too busy, consider changing your meditations to another time during the day, i.e. the mornings. Get up a few minutes earlier, so you won’t have an excuse not to do it! I practice the Miracle Morning every day and silence/meditation is part of this miraculous morning routine.

Meditation takes practice and patience. Do not give up. You will soon reap and enjoy the benefits of daily and consistent meditation. Stay committed!

My recommendation is to only start off with a few minutes a day and then slowly increase the time over the following weeks. This will help you with staying committed and not giving up. Meditating once a day is fine – especially at the start of your meditating journey. Find out whether you prefer the morning or evening or another time during the day.

Breathing plays an important part in mediation. Deep, conscious breathing is very relaxing in itself and even more beneficial when combined with meditation.

There are different postures you can try during meditation. My recommendation is to find a comfortable position, especially at the start of your meditating journey. You don’t want an uncomfortable position stop you from meditating. Sitting upright on a chair, with both feet on the floor and placing your hands in your lap or on your thighs, is a good way to start. Try to relax your body as much as you can while ensuring that your neck and spine are straight. Once you become more advanced, you can try other postures, i.e. sitting on the floor cross-legged (which is sometimes referred to as the Lotus Position).

It does help to wear comfortable and loose clothing. However, for example, if you are at work and would like to meditate for a few minutes to calm, don’t worry about wearing your work wear. Your body will thank you for meditating and spending a few minutes in silence.

Drinking a glass of water can also help, especially in the mornings when the body tends to be a bit dehydrated after not having had any fluid intake during the night.

Some people gently stretch their body before meditating.

You can also read books or articles on meditation that can be beneficial. There are many ways you can now access meditations (CDs, downloadable files on the internet, YouTube) – my recommendation is the Live and Dare Beginner Course. It is a 5-week course and set up for you to succeed and integrate meditation into your life on a long-term basis. It is specifically designed for beginners and starts off with meditating only a few minutes at the start, increasing over the course of the 5 weeks.

And if you like it, Giovanni Dienstmann also offers the intermediate course that follows on from the beginner’s course, as well as other meditations and the possibility to join his site as a member to access all his meditations and courses. The beginner course will cover more than one meditation technique which is amazing as it gives you the opportunity to try them out and see what works best for you.

If you meditate sometimes, but not consistently, I would also highly recommend Giovanni’s course as he also focuses on meditating every day and this course can help you to meditate on a regular basis while experiencing 5 different meditation methods.

 

Setting up a meditation space

If you don’t live on your own, let your family members or house mates know that you will be meditating, so you can do this uninterrupted. Putting up a sign on your door might be a simple and effective way to let them know you would like some quiet time to yourself. Or if you have kids, you could meditate while they are asleep.

Shut down your computer, turn off your phone or at least put it on silent. You can even put your phone into another room so it will not distract you.

If you have the space available, it would be amazing to have your own meditation area in your house or apartment where you live. This can be a whole room if space permits or an area in a room set aside just for meditation.

Make this space comfortable and inviting. You can use your favourite colours, cushions or blankets to make it ‘your’ space. Some prefer bright colours, other like delicate colours.

You could hang up a nice picture or image that is fitting and correlates with meditation and displays calm and relaxation. A poster or large image of the 7 chakras is a nice way to decorate your meditation space. If you like crafts, you could even make your own chakra ornaments.

Choose a comfortable chair or floor cushion – try it out and see what works best for you.

A candle is always a nice addition to any meditation space.

If you like scents, you could even try incense, essential oil candles or burners. Have a look in your local shop and choose a few that are appealing to you. There are different fragrances and combinations available.

If you can create a meditation space that invites natural light, wonderful! If not, don’t worry! The most important is that you feel comfortable and relaxed in your newly created meditation space.

Depending on what kind of meditation you will practice, you might like to look into some quiet and relaxing background music that you can use. Often, when choosing guided meditation music is already included in the audio file. If you choose to follow your own meditation, there is a lot of music available that can be used for meditation purposes.

The above are just different ways or examples of how you can create a meditation space for you but they are certainly not a necessity. If you prefer a simple space or haven’t got the room, all you really need is silence and a chair or cushion. The fact that you are meditating every day is the most important and your body will thank you for it.

On another note, have you considered joining a meditation group in your area? You will meet like-minded people and it is a nice experience meditating with others. Find out for yourself whether you prefer meditating on your own or with others from time to time.

Please let me know if you have any questions. And it would be wonderful to hear how meditation has positively changed your life.

Blessings,
Edith

 

 

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