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How to Meditate
Once you know how to meditate, you mix and match our suggestions to suit your needs. Read through our guidelines and start somewhere. Even if you've never done it before, commit to learning how and then experimenting with our suggestions.
How to Meditate:
1. Sit in a comfortable place, away from distractions. Sitting forces you to remain alert as opposed to lying down where it would be easier to fall asleep or to let your mind wander. Make sure you're comfortable so that your mind is free to relax, to relieve stress and to receive insights. You don't want to take away from that experience because you're concentrating on a strain or discomfort from your position.
2. Start with five minutes and gradually increase the time. Don't feel like you have to start with half an hour just because you know of someone who does. Five minutes is less overwhelming than a half hour and is easily doable for most. If that's too much, start with one or two minutes. The point is to be silent and not let your mind wander so if you can do that successfully for one minute, then next time aim for two minutes and so on. The same is true whatever length of time you start with.
3. Meditate either first thing in the morning or shortly before bed. Your mind is less active during those times and so it's easier to tap into your subconscious. There's less "static" or "noise" from the day during these times, freeing your mind to gain the wisdom of your subconscious mind and intuition. This time is also best when you're learning how to meditate because there are fewer distractions.
4. Play relaxing music. Select something you like, but avoid music with lyrics or you'll be singing alond weakening the effects of your meditation. Positive subliminals are also good to play during meditation as they re-program you to think better thoughts. Experiment and choose something with soothing sounds like chanting, ocean sounds, or other relaxing nature sounds. 5. Light a candle. Lighting a candle automatically creates a calming environment. It can also serve as a point of focus during your meditation. If you prefer to start by keeping your eyes open, you can concentrate of the candle light while clearing your mind.
6. Focus on deep breaths. Breathing deeply also relaxes you and gets you into a meditative state. Short, shallow breaths keep you tense and unfocussed, while deep breaths keep you grounded and help reduce stress.
7. Ask a question or voice a concern. If you're looking for an answer to a particular problem, ask how best to resolve it while in meditation. Don't force an answer, just stay open to receiving an answer. It may not come to you immediately, so be patient and look for the answers throughout the day as well. Meditating helps you to be more aware even when not in a meditative state.
8. Find a mantra. This is optional, but can be beneficial for some. A mantra is a sacred sound that is used to help focus your energy and attention. Yoga practice incorporates this often, chanting "Om" (a sacred sound used in the Hindu religion) at the beginning of class. If you don't want to use "Om," you can make one up if you like. Anything that works for you, works. If you're just learning how to meditate, you may want to build towards this step as it may be too overwhelming.
9. Concentrate on sending and receiving positive energy. You are part of this world and so, are one with the universe. Your vibrations affect all around you so send positive vibrations of love and peace and be open to receiving the same.
10. Slowly come back from your deep state. Start by moving your fingers and toes and return to normal breathing (not short, shallow or really deep, but normal). When you're ready, open your eyes and move around a little bit to get your blood flowing. You'll have to experiment a little bit with how quickly you'll transition from a calm state to your normal state of mind. Go slow when you're first experimenting with how to meditate and learning what works best for you.
You'll notice that you'll feel lighter after each time you meditate. This is both normal and extremely beneficial. You want to feel as though you can go forth and live your life more productively, more in control and with less stress.
These are simple to use guidelines which we hope you'll incorporate into your daily routine.
Start small and build. Make it a new habit (do it for twenty one consecutive days) and you'll find it hard NOT to meditate.
Still not sure whether you want to try meditating? Review the
benefits of meditation and then commit to trying it at least once. Return From How to Meditate to Home Page
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